Lecture - The Sonata Form a lecture in two parts by Dr. Jayati Ghosh May 15, 2009

Lecture - The Sonata Form a lecture in two parts by Dr. Jayati Ghosh. The sonata form is the most important musical form that developed from the classical period and continued well into the music of the 20th century. It is usually best exemplified in the first movements of multi-movement works. Originally the term meant a piece for playing, distinguished from cantata, a piece for singing. Prior to the Classical period it designated a variety of forms but by the early 19th century it had come to represent a principle of composing large scale works and as one of two fundamental methods of organizing, interpreting and analyzing concert music.The Romantic era in music accepted the centrality of this practice, codified the form explicitly and made instrumental music in this form central to concert and chamber composition and practice, particularly for works which were meant to be regarded as "serious" works of music.The sonata has continued to be influential through the subsequent history of classical music through to the modern period. The 20th century brought a wealth of scholarship that sought to found the theory of the sonata form on basic tonal laws. The 20th century would see a continued expansion of acceptable practice, leading to the formulation of ideas that there existed a "sonata principle" or "sonata idea" which unified works of the type, even if they did not explicitly mean the demands of the normative.Jayati Ghosh is Professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, JNU New Delhi. She was educated at Miranda House, Delhi University , JNU and obtained her Ph.D. from Cambridge University . She is the Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates (IDEAS), an international network of heterodox development economists (www.networkideas.org) and a founder-trustee of the Economic Research Foundation in New Delhi , (www.macroscan.org).Her recent books are Work and well being in the age of finance', The market that failed: Neoliberal economic reforms in India ', Tracking the macroeconomy', Never done and poorly paid: Womens work in globalising India . She was also the principal author of the West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 which received the 2005 UNDP Award for excellence in analysis. She is a columnist for Frontline, Businessline, Asian Age, Deccan Chronicle and Ganashakti. She is currently a member of the National Knowledge Commission reporting to the Prime Minister. She maintains an active interest in western classical music.

Official Website: http://www.buzzintown.com/?102411&ref=yupg&refcity=1