Mozart- Sonata in D major

The first section of this piece exhibits a sort of rounded binary form. It begins in D major with piano dynamics, and the first phrase is 4 measures long and ends in a half cadence. The new phrase then begins with the same motive in forte (to signal repeat), and it ends on a PAC in A major. These first eight measures are expository in nature and exhibits a parallel, modulating period. The next four measures are mostly transitional, frequently changing in dynamics and texture and causing a return to the original key. The A motive then returns in forte to make it clear, repeating exactly the first two measures and then leading into a terminative PAC in D Major. The structure (modulating parallel period with a weak then strong cadence, either A or D major or modally changed) is the point of variation for the rest of the piece, 11 in all. Within the confounds of this structure, the elements of dynamics, texture, rhythm, meter, tempo, and mode serve to provide variation. Each variation begins in piano and ends in forte (the dynamics usually changes multiple times in each section), making the movement from one variation to the next more apparent. The combination of texture and rhythm also helps to make the differences clear. The 1st variation has triplets in the right hand and blocked accompaniment in the LH, the 2nd alternates voices in has triplets in one hand and 4 16th notes in the other. The elements continue to change in this way for the duration of the piece. In variation VII, the mode changes from D major to d minor and switches back in the next variation. In Variation XI (Adagio cantabile), the meter changes from cut time to 4/4 and the tempo slows down drastically. In addition, the dynamics and rhythm are different than the rest of the piece with more extreme changes, and the section goes on for much longer. In Variation XII (the last), it turns to ¾, and it is very similar to the original theme. It seems that the Variations I-X, XI, and XII, can each be seem as a different group of variation.