Exposition (music)

Exposition Haydn's Sonata in G major, Hob. XVI: G1, I, mm. 1-28 Playⓘ.[1]

In musical form and analysis, exposition is the initial presentation of the thematic material of a musical composition, movement, or section. The use of the term generally implies that the material will be developed or varied.

  • In sonata form, the exposition is "the first major section, incorporating at least one important modulation to the dominant or other secondary key and presenting the principal thematic material."[2]
  • In a fugue, the exposition is "the statement of the subject in imitation by the several voices; especially the first such statement, with which the fugue begins."[3]
  1. ^ Benward & Saker (2009). Music in Theory and Practice: Volume II, p.136-38. ISBN 978-0-07-310188-0.
  2. ^ Don Michael Randel (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2.
  3. ^ Randel, Don Michael (2003-11-28). The Harvard Dictionary of Music: Fourth Edition. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2.