section (in a major key) ended in various ways,--on the dominant
chord (of the principal key), on the tonic chord of the relative
minor, the under-dominant, or even on the tonic itself of the
principal key. Later on, Haydn and Mozart kept, for the most part, to
the dominant chord. Beethoven, on account of the distant, and often
abrupt, modulations of his middle sections, generally marked the
approach to the recapitulation by clear, and often prolonged, dominant
harmony; sometimes, however, the return of the principal theme comes
as a surprise. The recapitulation always remained more or less
faithful to the exposition. It is interesting to note how little the
character and contents of the recapitulation section have been
affected in modern times by the growth of the development section. In
the matter of balance the two sections of movements in binary form are
more satisfactory than the two sections (two, so far as outward
division is concerned) of modern sonatas. The grain of mustard-seed in
the parable grew into a tree, and so, likewise, have the few bars of
modulation of early days grown into an important section. However
difficult to determine the exact moment at which a movement in
sonata-form really ceased to be binary, there seems no doubt that that
moment has now passed. We have already noted when the change
commenced.




CHAPTER II

JOHANN KUHNAU