Forms of Chamber Music - Sonata Form

In chamber music involving the piano, the most frequently occurring form is the sonata form and the song. The beginnings of the sonata form can be traced back to the Baroque era. An essential element for the development of chamber music is the emergence of trio and solo sonatas with basso continuo. The mature shape of the sonata appeared in the works of A. Corelli. The basso continuo in this composer's works depends on the type of sonata. In the sonata da chiesa, the bass was realized on the organ, while the sonatas da camera were intended for harpsichord and three instruments. Additionally, the polyphonic sonata appears, which makes a valuable contribution to the development of chamber music. Its main representative is J.S. Bach, whose collection of sonatas created between 1718-1722 represents a particular value.


At the turn of the Baroque and Classical periods, a new type of sonata appeared - the harpsichord sonata accompanied by violin, which is a work in which the harpsichord part is the basis for the development of the form. The violin part is not independent here. This type of sonata was not indifferent to the Viennese classics, as W.A. Mozart was still interested in this genre.

In Mozart's works, we encounter sonatas for piano and violin, in which the violin is a secondary element to such an extent that it is enough to study the piano part itself to understand the basic elements of the form. Mozart developed this type of work in two versions: for solo piano and for piano with violin accompaniment.

The sonata for piano and violin of the Viennese classics does not represent a uniform style.
There is a significant difference between the sonatas of Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart creates in a style corresponding to the Rococo style in art, while Beethoven represents a revolutionary classicism, which occurred during the French Revolution and was an expression of the ideas propagated at that time. Beethoven's sonatas emphasize dynamics as a structural factor. The composer uses a much wider range of instrument registers, expands the volume of sound, and the density of harmonic layers. In Mozart's sonatas, the piano serves as the structural skeleton of the composition. In Beethoven's works, the collaboration of the piano and violin is based on dialogue. The dynamic range expands in both directions, not only towards increasing loudness but also towards the development of piano. The use of the piano-violin duo expands the textural possibilities of the work thanks to simple dialogues, repetitions, and even sophisticated dynamic and color contrasts.

During the Classical period, the most popular genre of chamber music was the string quartet, but other types also developed, including the piano trio. In the evolution of the new chamber style, the most important element was the abandonment of basso continuo. In the Baroque period, the part intended for the keyboard instrument was mostly just a sketch and therefore contained improvisational elements.

In the Classical period, the situation changed radically. The most developed part in the piano trio was indeed the piano part. The beginnings of the piano trio form appeared in the works of J. Haydn and W.A. Mozart.
In some of Haydn's works, appearing under the name divertimenti, which represent the original form of the trio, the basso continuo still appears. In contrast, in Mozart's works, the leading instrument was the piano, while the violin and cello created a kind of accompaniment. In Beethoven's trios, we still find remnants of the old form, i.e., doubling the bass by the cello and the leading role of the piano as a concerting instrument.
Gradually, individual instruments gain independence, among other things due to references to polyphonic traditions. The composer often used the variation form in trios, which also contributed to the independence of individual instruments.

Beethoven's connections with chamber music are indicated by the chamber works of Franz Schubert - a composer considered to be a creator of the Romantic era. The independence of the parts of individual instruments in Schubert's chamber ensembles is even more noticeable. Among the most outstanding chamber works of this composer is the piece "Trout" for piano quintet. The piano is no longer the foundation of the work and the main thematic treasury of the composition. It serves as an equal factor in the ensemble of all instruments, sometimes being only a coloristic background. Another completely new phenomenon in Schubert's works are the concerting dialogues between the quartet and the piano. The large influence on the structure of the sonata cycle in Schubert was the instrumental miniature and the song. The composer often used the melody of a song and developed it as a cycle of variations. Some parts of the cycle are miniatures, e.g., march, nocturne, intermezzo. In Schubert's works, variation forms appear in the middle sections of the cycle, as evidenced by the aforementioned "Trout" for piano quintet, whose fourth movement consists of variations on the theme of the song of the same title.

The continuer of Beethoven's traditions in chamber music with piano is Johannes Brahms. I will quote the statement of musicologist L. Erhardt, who said about his chamber creativity: 'Brahms was too obvious a student of Beethoven - the first composer who introduced dialogue in his music with piano, and in any case certain forms of dramatic interdependence between the piano and its partner or partners, so as not to saturate this relationship with even greater intensity, greater drama, and consequently not to entrust the piano with increasingly serious tasks.'

Brahms does not have to write purely piano works to demonstrate his piano mastery.¹ J. Brahms is the author of many chamber works that represent the traditional sonata form. These include sonatas for violin and piano, cello and piano, clarinet or viola and piano, as well as trios, quartets, and piano quintets.

From the Romantic period, works composed in the brillante style also deserve attention.
This style appeared in music at the beginning of the 19th century and was characterized by the brilliance of playing with an emphasis on technical difficulties. It was created by piano virtuosos who wanted to showcase their playing. The brillante style could develop most comprehensively in the form of a concerto, but some of its elements can also be found in sonatas, including F. Chopin's G minor Sonata for cello and piano. Here, the basic elements of the style found their place, i.e., brilliant figurations and beautiful cantilenas. Virtuosic elements appear primarily in the piano part, which is the leading part. In contrast, in the cello voice, there are fragments of a cantilena character, against which the piano leads very elaborate brilliant figurations.

Among the sonata forms in chamber music involving the piano from the Romantic period, the compositions of C. Franck stand out particularly. An interesting example here could be the Piano Trio in B minor, Op. 2, which is a synthesis of the sonata and variation form. It shows a tendency towards thematic unity within the cycle. The sonata form shapes the entire work, and there are no individual sections of a cyclic structure here. The main theme is developed during several repetitions with simultaneous textural changes. The volume of the piano sound also increases. In the further course, the sonata form is supplemented by the variation form, as individual presentations of the theme are simultaneously its variations. The process of developing the form in the B minor Trio occurs in a manner similar to that in F. Liszt's B minor Sonata. The cycle tends towards a unified shape.

The sonata form also appears in chamber music of the 20th century. During this period, various stylistic tendencies occur, which influence the sonata. A representative of Impressionism in music is C. Debussy. He composed three sonatas of a chamber character:
- for cello and piano
- for flute, viola, and harp
- for violin and piano.

This diversity of instrumentation primarily indicates a tendency to utilize the sound color of individual instruments to achieve new means of expression. In Debussy's creativity, the sonata is a cross-section of his coloristic achievements. Individual instruments are treated as carriers of appropriate sound and color.

The composer achieves interesting effects by using modal scales. The traditions of the modal system did not fade in French music practically until the time of Messiaen, who created his own system of scales.

In the interwar period, the most popular direction was neoclassicism. It appeared after the collapse of the tonal system and was directed against Romanticism. It was characterized by objectivity manifested in formal rigor. Neoclassicists protested against the overloading of texture and excessive expansion of sonatas, symphonies, and chamber works. However, the classicizing direction was not stylistically uniform. It was represented by such diverse composers as S. Prokofiev, I. Stravinsky, B. Bartók, P. Hindemith, or the French 'Group of Six.' In some variations of the classicizing style, one can observe an increase in the dynamic factor with a simultaneous limitation of melody. For example, in Bartók's works, sharp dissonances became dynamic factors. The element of movement in the form of pulsating rhythms also has great significance. The motoric and dynamic elements in Bartók influenced the instrumental texture, as evidenced by the treatment of the piano as a percussion instrument. A reflection of the new approach to chamber music is his Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion,
where all instruments are treated in a percussive manner. In contrast, I. Stravinsky in his Sonata for Two Pianos refers to traditional Baroque forms. The theme with variations from this work indicates the constructive role of polyphony.

Based on the mentioned examples, we can trace the transformation that the sonata form underwent in chamber music involving the piano. This genre has not lost its popularity since the beginning of its existence to the present day.

1 L. Erhardt, Brahms. PWM Kraków 1969, p. 316

ad. Agata Adamczyk
University of Silesia
Institute of Music