Beautiful Simplicity

With the dawn of the Enlightenment, artists began to seek balance and form in their works. The inspiration was rooted in the spirit of Graeco-Roman art, which had become a topic of interest among artists due to archeological discoveries. We see this influence in visual art, particularly in the work of Jacques Louis David. His painting Oath of the Horatii  shows the ideal balance, order and simplicity sought by many artists in the mid-18th century.

As in visual art, music of this period was also influenced by a desire for symmetry and order. For centuries, music was able to take shape in accordance to the text which it accompanied. However, with the invention of new and more advanced instruments composers began writing more purely instrumental music. With a demand for structure and form, but no text to give shape to instrumental works, a new means of organization was needed. This need gave rise to the sonata form.

In its broadest terms, sonata form can be described as the harmonic movement from tonic ( I ) to dominant ( V ) and back to tonic. This tonal map helps to organize the different themes definitive of sonata form (primary theme, transition, secondary theme, and closing). While sonata form has a definite structure, its limitations are minimal. This form satisfied the appetite for order, while allowing composers to display their creative genius. A display of this creative genius can be found in Mozart's Piano Sonata in F major, K. 332. Mozart makes use of sonata form in the first movement of this work for solo piano.

Taking a broad look at this opening movement, we see the tonal passage of tonic-dominant-tonic. The piece starts in F major, begins transitioning toward the dominant (where it arrives in m.41) and then develops (m. 94-133) back to the tonic. Taking a closer look at the composition reveals idiosyncrasies that show Mozart's skill. He begins the work in a simple fashion- a singable melody placed on top of an Alberti bass harmonic progression. The playful energy continues as Mozart mimics natural horns as they call for the hunt (m.12-14). Mozart plays with the emotions of his listeners by taking a sharp turn into a minor tonality, using dissonances and fully diminished chords. All of this in twenty two measures. A further investigation would give light to more of the genius decisions made by the composer, but it does not take a sharp eye to notice how Mozart capitalizes on the flexible structure of sonata form to demonstrate his compositional ability.