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4.5: Classical Theme Types - Compound Sentence

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    61969

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    The compound (or 16-bar) sentence expands both the presentation and continuation phrases of a regular sentence to a length of eight bars each.

    Each 2-bar basic idea is replaced by a 4-bar compound basic idea in the expanded presentation.

    A “typical” continuation would have approximately four bars of continuation function followed by four bars of cadential function, but in a compound sentence, this varies greatly. The continuation is commonly shortened or expanded.

    clipboard_e876f86a523c39238838f7ee3bb938270.png

    The eight bars that comprise the continuation of the main theme below are constructed from two compound basic ideas, the first beginning on tonic and moving to dominant (mm. 1-4), and the second beginning with dominant harmony and moving back to tonic (mm. 5-8).

    Initially, the continuation seems as if it will end after only 4 bars, in m. 12. But the clarinet is missing at the the downbeat of m. 12, and instead begins a link to a four-bar repetition. In this repetition (mm. 13-16), the clarinet melody from mm. 9–12 is played by the piano, who cadences clearly with a PAC at the downbeat of m. 16.

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    COMPOUND SENTENCE: MOZART, TRIO IN E-FLAT MAJOR FOR CLARINET, VIOLA, AND PIANO, K. 498, I, MM. 1-16

    This page titled 4.5: Classical Theme Types - Compound Sentence is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Robin Wharton and Kris Shaffer eds. (Hybrid Pedagogy Publishing) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.