The sonata is a musical form.
A sonata is a musical work that usually combines a pair of themes that produce a contrast, known as sonata form . It is in Italian that we find, as is the case with a wide variety of musical terms, the etymological origin of this concept. Specifically, we can say that it derives from the word sonata , which in turn comes from the Italian verb sonare which can be translated as "to sound" .
To understand what a sonata is, therefore, we have to understand the notion of musical form . This concept is used to name a type of structure in the composition and a type of writing that allows a work to be identified. The symphony , for example, is a musical form.
The sonata form
In the case of the sonata form, the tones exposed at the beginning are contrasted in the development of the work and are finally resolved, both thematically and harmonically, in the closing. Sonatas are usually used as the first movement in a work that has several, without this being exclusive (the sonata can appear in other movements beyond the first).
Just as the sonata form characterizes works that are known as sonatas proper (that is, those titled as such by their composers ), they also appear in the context of symphonies and other musical forms.
The traditional structure of the sonata includes a brief introduction, an exposition consisting of two contrasting themes, a codetta, a development, a re-exposition, and the final elbow.
One of the best-known sonatas is the Piano Sonata number 14 , popularized as the Moonlight Sonata . This composition was presented by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1802 .
The sonata is characterized by contrast.
A Bergman film
Within the world of cinema, we find various films that use the word that we are now analyzing in their titles. This would be the case, for example, of "Autumn Sonata" . In 1978, this film was released, directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Ingrid Bergman , Lena Nyman and Liv Ullmann .
The story told in that production was that of a pianist, named Charlotte , who had international prestige. Thus, not only his success on a professional level was analyzed, but also his complicated personal life, marked by the unexpected death of a musician friend and by the difficulties of his family, among which those of his daughter Helena, who was incapacitated, stood out.
“Sonatas” by Ramón María del Valle Inclán
In the field of literature, we must not forget either that the famous writer Ramón María del Valle Inclán created a set of four works that he included under the title "Sonatas" . They came to serve as fictional memoirs of the Marquis of Bradomín and were called "Autumn Sonata" , "Summer Sonata" , "Spring Sonata" and "Winter Sonata" .
These sonatas were published in the period between 1902 and 1905 and are considered some of the best novels of the 20th century .
Hyundai Sonata , finally, is a sedan-type car that the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai launched in 1987 and has now been around for five generations.