A slow movement is a form in a multi-

movement Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

musical piece. Generally, the second movement of a piece will be written as a slow movement, although composers occasionally write other movements as a slow movement as well. The tempo of a slow movement can vary from ''largo'' to ''andante'', though occasionally ''allegretto'' slow movements can be found, especially in works by Beethoven. It is usually in the

relative Relative may refer to: General use *Kinship and family, the principle binding the most basic social units of society. If two people are connected by circumstances of birth, they are said to be ''relatives''. Philosophy *Relativism, the concept t ...

parallel Parallel may refer to: Mathematics * Parallel (geometry), two lines in the Euclidean plane which never intersect * Parallel (operator), mathematical operation named after the composition of electrical resistance in parallel circuits Science a ...

, or dominant,

subdominant In music, the subdominant is the fourth tonal degree () of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance ''below'' the tonic as the dominant is ''above'' the tonicin other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdomina ...

key of the musical work's main key, but also in any variation or combination of them; the subdominant of the relative major is common in Classical-era minor-key sonatas or symphonies.

Overview

The general layout of a four-movement piece is as follows: However, composers sometimes remove, add or re-arrange movements, such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which begins with the slow movement. When a piece has additional movements, they may also be written as slow movements.

Form

A slow movement is usually written in one of three forms: compound or "large" ternary, sonata form, and

theme and variations In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve melody, rhythm, harmony, counterpoint, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these. Variation is often contrasted with mu ...

Large ternary

Large ternary is the most common form used for a slow movement. It consists of three parts, labeled ABA. The first and third part are almost identical, whereas the middle part is contrasting. If the starting key is a major key, the middle part is typically written in a minor key; if the starting key is a minor key, the middle part is typically written in a major key. The keys do not have to have the same tonic. If the middle part is written in a major key, it is often labeled Maggiore. If it is written in a minor key, then it is labeled Minore. The final part is always a return of the first part, but frequently has additional ornaments and small phrases added on.

Sonata form

While sonata form is often used for the first movements of symphonies, many composers have also used it for the slow movements as well: an example of a slow movement in sonata form is the second movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40. Occasionally the development is omitted and replaced with a simple transition, leaving the exposition and recapitulation: this is sometimes referred to as

sonatina A sonatina (French: “sonatine”, German: “Sonatine") is a small sonata. As a musical term, ''sonatina'' has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter and ...

form, or a Type I sonata in

sonata theory Sonata Theory is an approach to the description of sonata form in terms of individual works' treatment of generic expectations. For example, it is normative for the secondary theme of a minor-mode sonata to be in either the key of III or v. If a c ...

. One example of the piece in sonata form without development is the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 17, "The Tempest". Some of these sonatina-form movements, however, may contain development-like sections within the recapitulation, such as the second movement of Brahms' Symphony no. 4.

Theme and variations

Theme and

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form starts with a theme, followed by multiple variations. This theme is usually eight to thirty-two bars in length, and may be constructed as a musical sentence, period, or small ternary. Each variation is a recurrence of the theme with melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and ornamental changes. Theme and variations sometimes contain one Minore variation. This variation will have a contrasting tonality, and may be different in form from the theme. Theme and variations may also have a coda to finalize the piece. It may bring back the original theme with few or no changes, in order to create symmetry.

References