Second Themes In Recapitulations

Hi everyone,

I just had a quick question about a String Quartet that I am writing right now.

The quartet is in F minor, and as you might expect, the second theme in the exposition begins in A-flat major. However, the second theme briefly returns to F minor before ending in A-flat major again, creating three subsections.

In the recapitulation, would it be acceptable to play the first subsection of the second theme in F major (or F minor, but I don't think this section will work as well in a minor key), the second in F minor (using a different transition, of course), and skipping the third subsection to go directly to the coda?

I know that composers have taken other liberties with sonata forms, including skipping the first theme altogether in the recapitulation.

You can do whatever you like. The sonata form model is supposed to be a tool for analysing movements rather than a compositional blueprint so never be afraid to divert away from it as much as you like; trust your ear.

In the recapitulation, would it be acceptable to play the first subsection of the second theme in F major (or F minor, but I don't think this section will work as well in a minor key), the second in F minor (using a different transition, of course), and skipping the third subsection to go directly to the coda?

I know that composers have taken other liberties with sonata forms, including skipping the first theme altogether in the recapitulation.

It's hard to say without hearing it in context whether this would or wouldn't work. There's no reason why it couldn't work but sometimes things like this just don't so as I said, trust your ear. Does it sound right to you? If the answer is no look for another solution. Personally, I don't see a reason why you couldn't go with D minor instead of F minor in the second section. You could then return to and finish the movement in F major. There is nothing wrong with ending a movement in the tonic major and you would maintain the original key relationship between the sections of the second theme. Relative key relationships and tonic key relationships have different effects and shifting from one to the other could greatly alter the character of the material, perhaps for the better but maybe for the worse.

I'm sure it would be acceptable. I noticed that Schubert does the same thing in his arpeggione sonata. The piece is in A minor, and the second theme in C major. In the recapitulation, the second theme actually comes first in A major before returning to A minor for the first theme.