什麼是奏鳴曲

由一件或幾件樂器演奏的音樂作品的曲式，通常包含三或四個樂章。在義大利語中，這個名稱指「來自樂器的聲音」，原意僅僅是指非聲樂的音樂，在17世紀晚期用於不同的音樂類型。1650年代兩種奏鳴曲合奏--教堂奏鳴曲（sonata da chiesa）和室內奏鳴曲（sonata da camera）得到確認。前者用於教堂表演，通常包含四個樂章，其中兩個為慢節奏；後者通常是舞曲組曲。所謂獨奏的奏鳴曲（獨奏--通常是小提琴，以及持續低音）和三重奏鳴曲（兩個獨奏和持續低音）成為標準。1740年代開始編寫獨奏鍵盤奏鳴曲。巴哈創立了三個樂章的器樂奏鳴曲作為標準，在經典時代一直保持其標準地位。二重唱也是同樣的形式，通常用於小提琴和鍵盤，漸漸變得非常流行。鍵盤奏鳴曲和二重唱直到今天都是標準形式。從巴哈的時代開始，第一個樂章的速度漸快，並採用奏鳴曲式。第二個樂章的速度通常較慢。最後一個樂章通常是小步舞、輪旋曲和主題和變奏。在一個四樂章的奏鳴曲中，第三個樂章一般是小步舞或詼諧曲。在這些方面，奏鳴曲和交響曲、絃樂四重奏很相似。

sonata

Musical form for one or more instruments, usually consisting of three or four movements. The name, Italian for “sounded (on an instrument),” originally simply indicated nonvocal music, and was used for a confusing variety of genres into the late 17th century. In the 1650s two types of ensemble sonatas began to be codified, the sonata da chiesa (church sonata) and sonata da camera (chamber sonata). The former, intended for church performance, was generally in four movements, two of them slow; the latter was usually a suite of dances. The so-called solo sonata (for soloist—usually violin—and continuo) and the trio sonata (for two soloists and continuo) became standard. In the 1740s solo keyboard sonatas began to be written. C.P.E. Bach established the three-movement keyboard sonata as the norm, a status it would retain through the Classical era. Duo sonatas in the same form, usually for violin and keyboard, simultaneously became highly popular. Keyboard and duo sonatas have remained the standard types to the present day. From Bach's time onward, the first movement was generally in allegro tempo and in sonata form. The second movement was usually slow. The last movement was generally a minuet, rondo, or theme and variations. In a four-movement sonata, the third was usually a minuet or scherzo. In these respects the sonata paralleled such genres as the symphony and the string quartet.