Haydn Sonata Hob. Xvi:9 In F

Allegro

EXPOSITION

This is a classic example of sonata form in its simplest expression.

'A', in F, states the tonic using a full bodied chord to begin with. The main motive is defined by the alternation of dotted semi-quavers with semi-demi-quavers followed by slower passed quavers. The accompaniment in the bass is eminently contrapuntal featuring a clear bass line with its own personality that strongly supports the much more fluent speech on the treble. Articulation-wise, the 'link by two', which is a main stylistic feature anyway, is particularly frequent& its main role: resolution appoggiatura.

'A' half-cadences to C, leaving the grounds ready for 'B' to continue without the need of any further episode. In 'B', the escapatoria -main ornament in 'A'- is replaced &by 'runaways' in the shape of three ascending grace notes. This resource is exploited in full in 'B's' antecedent. 'B's' consequent, on the contrary, is defined by the clean alternation of octaves and scales. Its main feature: the emphasis on the IV degree on the first beat of each bar. It is interesting how this insistence on the IV works as a suspension of the authentic cadence that is ought to happen by the end of the exposition. & & lt;/p>

DEVELOPMENT

This very short development starts in the dominant and exploits the use of 'A's' main motive. The use of a dominant pedal note/octave in the bass from bar 17 is typical of the style and constitutes the easiest way to turn C from being the tonic into being the dominant of F. The variations in the development are very shy. Most of the action happens around condensing the motive. Immediately after this short variation, we come back to what could be called the second half of 'A's' antecedent, plainly exposed in its original key. The use of 'B's' consequent immediately after simplifies the development quite dramatically and brings the music back to its harmonic roots. This last episode explores the use of the II and adds triplets towards its half cadential ending. Both features are seen for the first time in the development. Their usage goes in line with the need of exploring, in this development sonata section, the boundaries of the main themes. lt;/p>

RE-EXPOSITION

This re-exposition constitutes a very clear and simple transposed repetition of what we've seen in the exposition. No major changes apart from the usage of a triplet in bar 34 which confirms the consistent use of this ornament as seen on bars 27 and 28 of the development, this is an stylistically necessary repetition. lt;/p>

CONCLUSION

Even when this is a very simple sonata movement, it gathers all the features needed to categorize it as a proper sonata/sonatina movement. It is remarkable how quickly the form consolidated even in a sonata as early as this one. lt;/p>

Second movement - Minuet and Trio

(IN PREVIOUS ARTICLE)

Third movement & Scherzo

This short but effective finale is structured as a clean A-B-A. lt;/p>

'A''s main rhythmic feature is the fast paced semi-quaver line anchored by far less frequent quavers and crotches. Melodic-wise we can clearly see that the scalistic gestures over-rule the entire line, contouring a simple pyramidal shape. &The melody travels through the chords while highly ornamented by scales. The bass simply accompanies the treble with a crisp set of harmonic fillers just when they are necessary, enhancing the rhythmic effect of the passage by clarifying the 4/4. It is fabulous to see how the step-wise movement works in the micro and macro relations. If we check the focal points -red rectangles, bars 2 to 4- we see how the scales fill the gaps between this clear descending 'macro' step-wise line. All this density builds up towards the traditional double-appoggiatura at bar 4.

'B' is vertically symmetric to 'A', particularly density-wise. Now the treble is lighter while its speech more open. This melodic line is arpeggiated contrasting with the more scalistic line of 'A'. The bass is tremolato around a very neat step-wise harmonic support. lt;/p>

The movement finishes in the exact same way it started.

CONCLUSION

In terms of the whole Sonata's balance, the entire work is simple but cleanly conjugated. Despite being a very early sonata it already shows plenty of the characteristics that define the form. The third movement could have acquired a more complex rondo shape, but that is not a must. Taking into account the size of the first movement and its development the current feels highly coherent with the rest of the piece. lt;/p>

This Sonata together with two movements from the Sonata Hob. XVI:8 will be combined to build the Trio Hob. XV:39 for violin, cello and piano. lt;/p>