sonata form

In music, one of the most important forms. The structure divides into three main sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation. It introduced great dramatic possibilities and increased freedom for 18th-century music, which had previously been limited to closed dance routines. It developed initially in the instrumental sonata, from which it took its name, but it is used in many other works besides sonatas. The form does not apply to a whole work but only to one movement of it. It is often associated with the first movement of a work, hence its alternative name of first movement form, but this is a misleading term as it can also be found in the second and last movements.