Dave
...t the sonata form he also frequently breaks away from tradition. The overall form, that is the presence of an exposition, development and recapitulation is typical; however, within each of these sections lay many anomalies. The sonata opens with three voices playing the 1st subject's 8-bar 1st theme in unison (see musical example ). Although there are no chordal harmonies, harmonies are implied by just the melody. Mozart's 1st theme firmly establishes E minor as the key without ever sounding a chord. This lyrical opening theme is followed by the 1st subject's 2nd theme, again in three-voice unison. Although this theme is far less lyrical than the first, its rhythm and stepwise motion is just as distinctive (see musical example ). It is at the conclusion of this five bar phrase that the 1st theme returns in its entirety in the violin part with the addition of chordal accompaniment in the piano. For the reason that this feels to be the real start to the sonata and because these first 13 bars do not reappear in the...