Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

though ably written, has too much of the hybrid
effect common in such works, after the harmonic
structural ideas had laid strong hold of men's
minds, to be worthy of comparison with the
genuine achievements of his father. The style
SONATA 521
is moreover so regular, that the same pauses and
the same successions of harmony, and the same
occurrences of various kinds, may often be safely
anticipated at the same point in the progress of
the movements. He makes some use, often conspicuously,
of the work is broad, however, and some ideas
of the device of repeating short
and turns of expression may not unreasonably phrases consecutively, which has already been
be taken to justify the influence attributed to described in connection with Scarlatti's work.
him.
Thus in a Sonata in D major for Violin and
The difference of age between Haydn and Pianoforte, the first section of the first movement
Mozart was twenty-four years, but in this interval may be divided into seven distinct passages, each
there was less change in the form of the sonata of which is severally repeated in some form or
than might be expected. It was, in fact, an other consecutively. There are some peculiarities,
almost stationary period, when the attainment
of satisfactory structural principles by the labours
of a century and more of composers left men time
to pause and contemplate what appeared to them
such as the introduction of a new subject
in the working-out portion of the work,instead of
keeping consistently to development of the principalideas;
and thefillingof the episodes of a rondo
to be perfection ; the rhythmic wave of progi-ess with a variety of different ideas, severally distinct
poised almost balanced for a short time before
; but as these points are not the precursors
the rush which brought about an unexpected of further development, they are hardly worth
culmination in Beethoven.
discussing. It only requires to be pointed out
The difference between Haydn and Mozart is that occasionally in pianoforte and other sonatas
plainly neither in structure nor altogether in he makes experiments in novel distribution and
styleof thoughtandexpression,but in advantages entirely original manipulation of the structural
of temporal position. Haydn began nearer to the elements of binary and other forms ; which is
time of struggle and uncertainty. He found sufficient to prove not only that he recognised
much ready to his hand, and he tested it and the fitness of other outlines besides those that
applied it and improved it ; and when Mozart he generally adopted, but that he was capable
came there was little to do but adapt his supreme
gifts of fluency, clearness, and beauty of melody
to glorify the edifice.
of adapting himself to novel situations, if there
had been any call for effort in that dii-ection.
Asit happened, the circumstances both of musical
The progression of artistic instinct is at present
and social life were unique, and he was enabled
an unexplained phenomenon ; it can only to satisfy the highest critical taste of his day
be judged from observation that the children of
a later generation are born with a predisposed
without the
departure.
effort of finding a new point of
facility to realise in perfect clearness the forms His treatment of rondo-form is different, and
which preceding generations have been wanderingly
less elementary than Haydn's. Haydn most com-
and dimly striving after. It is possible monly used a very decisively sectional system,
that the affinity between genuine music and the
mental conditions of the race is so close that the
progress of the latter carries the former with it
in which every characteristic portion, especially
the theme, was marked off distinct and complete.
This accorded with the primitive idea of rondos
as part of the same organic development. At all as exemplified, often very happily, in the works
events, Mozart was gifted with an extraordinary of early French composers, and in certain forms
and hitherto unsurpassed instinct for formal perfection,
of vocal music. The root-idea appears in the
and his highest achievements lienotmore most elementary stages of musical intelligence
in the tunes which have so captivated the world, as a distinct verse or tune which forms the
than in the perfect symmetry of his best works. staple of the whole matter, and is, for the sake
Like Haydn's his ideas are naturally restricted of contrast, interspersed with digressions of subordinate
within limits which simplify to the utmost the
interest. It is so obvious a means of
developmentof the formwhichfollowsfrom them. arriving at something like structural balance,
They move in such perfect obedience to the limits that it probably existed in times even before ths
and outlines of the hannonic progressions which earliest of which evidence remains. In the
most certainly characterise the key, that the earliest specimens to be found in sonatas, the
structural system becomes architecturally patent traces of their kinship can be clearly followed.
and recognisable to all listeners that have any Eeference has been already made to the' two
understanding. In his time these formal outlines examples in the sonatas by Paradies, which
were fresh enough to bear o, great deal of use consist of an aria, a contrasting passage, and then
without losing their sweetness ; and Mozart used the aria pure and simple again, and so forth.
them with remarkable regularity. Out of thirtysix
Haydn adopted the general outline. He fre-
of his best-known sonatas, twenty -nine are quently begins with a complete theme system-
in the now familiar order of three movements,
and no less than thirty -three have the first
movement in binary^ form. That binary form
atically set out with double bars and repeats,
and a full conclusion. He then begins something
entirely different either in a new related key, or in
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