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Music 001
Instructor: Ms. R. Lopez-Yanez
Purpose:
This research guide has been developed by your instructor and
librarian to help you complete your assignment.
Rondo Principle
The ternary principle was initially defined as one
of statement, contrast, and restatement. The rondo
principle may be viewed as an expansion of the ternary
principle insofar as it involves statement followed
by alternating contrasts and restatements.
Rondo movements, therefore, tend to be perceived in five,
seven, or nine (or more) main parts, and are labeled
A-B-A-B-A, A-B-A-C-A-B-A, A-B-A-C-A-D-A, etc., depending
upon whether the melodic/thematic material in the
contrasting sections is interrelated or not.
Part A is commonly called the refrain or
ritornello.
Part B is variously designated: couplet, digression,
episode or intermezzo, depending to some extent
on the period under investigation.
The more contemporary designations (which we will use)
are:
- Part A--primary section
- Part B--alternating section.
Rondo Form
The rondo principle, although exploited extensively in
earlier vocal music, was not systematically applied to
instrumental music until the middle of the 17th century. It
may be found on a relatively large scale in the
ritornello movements of the Baroque concerti grosso.
In the rondeau, an instrumental dance, the rondo
principle may be easily perceived, as it is in the classical
rondo that followed it.
Sonata-Rondo Form
As has been discussed earlier, composite forms are those
in which any part of a large structure may be clearly
identified as representing a separate, complete expression
of a structural principle. Composite ternary structures are
examples of such forms. So are rondos that contain binary
structures as parts of their design.
Sonata-rondo, a common rondo type of the 18th and
19th centuries, may be considered a hybrid form, in which
tonal, motivic, or functional principles characteristic of
sonata-allegro structures are integrated into a basic rondo
design.
The following diagram compares the elements of typical
sonata-allegro and sonata-rondo forms, and illustrates the
way in which the elements of the principles are combined:
| Sonata-Allegro
(Binary) |
| Part A |
|
Part B |
|
|
| Exposition |
|
Development |
Recapitulation |
| I
--- ... |
V -
- - - - - - V |
- - - - - - - - - V |
I - - - ... |
I - - - - - - - - - I |
| I
--- ... |
III - - - - - - - III |
- -
- - - - - - - V |
I -
- - ... |
i - - - - - - - - - i |
| Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Motivic Manipulation |
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
|
Sonata-Rondo (Sectional) |
| A |
B |
A* |
C |
A |
B |
A |
| I - - - - - I |
V - - - ... |
I - - - - - I |
- - - - - - V |
I - - - - - I |
I - - - ... |
I - - - - - - I |
| i - - - - - - i |
III - - - ... |
i - - - - - - i |
- - - - - - V |
i - - - - - - i |
i - - - ... |
i - - - - - - i |
| Primary Section |
Alternating Section |
Primary Section |
Motivic Manipulation |
Primary Section |
Alternating Section |
Primary Section |
To summarize: In the sonata-rondo, after the first
return of the primary section, the remaining sections follow
the tonal and functional relationships as the tonal and
motivic result of the opening sections.
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El
Cajon, California 92019 
