Sonata Rondo Form - Uses of The Sonata Rondo Form

Uses of The Sonata Rondo Form

Sonata rondo form is almost exclusively used in the finales of multi-movement works. It is considered a somewhat relaxed and discursive form. Thus, it is unsuited to an opening movement (typically the musically tightest and most intellectually rigorous movement in a Classical work), and too long for a slow movement (where the slow tempo would make the full sonata-rondo formula impossible to realize in a movement of reasonable length). Here are some movements written in sonata rondo form:

• Beethoven, Sixth Symphony, Op. 68, last movement
• Beethoven, Eighth Symphony, Op. 93, last movement
• Beethoven, two violin and piano sonatas, Op. 12, last movements
• Beethoven, piano sonata, Op. 13, last movement
• Beethoven, violin concerto, Op. 61, last movement
• Haydn, "Drumroll" Symphony, Hoboken 1/103, last movement
• Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, last movement
• Schubert, Death and the Maiden Quartet, D. 810, last movement
• Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K 525, last movement
• Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83, fourth (last) movement (Allegretto grazioso)
• Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, last movement