Mozart, Sonata in A minor
Paper details:
All students must submit THEIR OWN PAPER – via e-mail as a Word .docx — by Monday, 11/15, a 1000-word (word count must be included) prose analysis. In addition to your 1000 words, you will also submit scans of an annotated score that illustrates what you describe in your prose. Please mark measure numbers (or some alternative system with page : system : measure, e.g., 4:1:5) that makes it clear which bar(s) to which you are referring in your prose.
*Any evidence of academic misconduct (e.g., plagiarism from a website; inappropriate sharing between colleagues; all University protocols are included on syllabus–you are responsible for having awareness of these) will result in 0%. This happened during the 20-21 academic year, and it was obvious.
Your essay will contain the following components – consider this as the grading “rubric”:
Exposition (25 points): an analysis of all themes (primary, transition, secondary, and closing), including justifications of why you believe the boundaries are where they are. If you think that it is difficult to determine, please expound upon why!
a. You may find that there is no “break” between the transition and the second theme; if this applies to you, please discuss!
b. You may find that it is difficult to tell where the secondary theme zone ends and closing section begins; if this applies to you, please discuss!
Development (20 points): An analysis of key regions in the development section as well as any themes from the exposition that are recycled. Take note of any sequences that you find, as well as any cadential arrivals that exist (usually half cadences, but sometimes authentic cadences as well!). If you can identify the boundaries of the pre-core, core, and re-transition, please do so (or, identify why it might be challenging to do so)
Recapitulation / Coda (15 points): A summary of how the recapitulation differs from the exposition. This usually occurs in the transition, since instead of modulating, it just “travels” to the tonic key! However, this isn’t the only difference that can occur in the recap. Often the order of the themes is swapped; themes are omitted; or themes are expanded. **If there is a coda, discuss how any themes from the rest of the movement are recycled.**
Throughout (20 points): Discuss are any tricky chords or key areas that are hard to explain. If you spot any harmonic topics relevant to the past four weeks, e.g., modal mixture, Neapolitan chords (bII), augmented sixth chords, common tone chords; enharmonic modulations, etc., please include them in your discussion!
More advice:
Avoid a “play-by-play” at all costs. (“m. 2 has a IV chord, m. 3 a bII6, PAC in m. 10”) You cannot, and should not account for everything in the music; if everything is significant, nothing is significant! Be discerning about what analytical issues take priority.
DO NOT completely analyze your submitted score; rather, your score should reflect and illuminate discussion in your prose.
Write the essay that you wish to read. If it seems uninteresting to you, then it probably is; academic writing doesn’t have to be a drag. Engage the issues
