11

EXPOSITION (II): TRANSITION

Dominant arrival with cadential progression. Even if the final harmonic

progression of the transition seems to be cadential, various factors can obscure,
or even destroy, a sense of true cadential closure, especially if the final dominant
harmony appears to arrive too early.

335
Example 11.15: a pre-dominant II6 in m. 9 leads in the following measure to a
cadential six-four. In a typical half cadence, the six-four would resolve quickly to
a five-three chord, and the moment of cadential arrival would be easily associated with the entrance of the dominants root in the bass voice (that is, with the
six-four; see Ex. 11.1, m. 8).
In the example here, the six-four chord is itself prolonged (by neighboring
dominant sevenths) for more than two measures before resolving to the five-three
position on the second beat of m. 12. The resulting noncoordination of the harmonic arrival (m. 10) and the melodic-motivic arrival (m. 12) obscures the sense
of half cadence, and since the dominant harmony appears before the end of the
phrase unit, we can speak of a premature dominant arrival in m. 10.

EXAMPLE 11.15 Haydn, Piano Sonata in C, H. 21, ii, 712

Transition

cadential

b.i.

Adagio

H: K

LKKr ;

LK^
D: KK^
{L}

10

L{w [&]

12

[&]

dominant arrival
(premature)

Example 11.16: a highly polyphonic transition (beginning much earlier) effects

a modulation to the new key, E major, toward the end of m. 32. That key is confirmed in the following bar with the half-cadential progression IVII6/VV.
Do we want to recognize a genuine HC in the middle of m. 33? The ongoing polyphony hardly makes this moment sound like an end. That point seems
more to be reached on the downbeat of m. 36, where the following standing on
the dominant prepares the way (with motivic diminutions) for the entrance of the
subordinate theme at m. 40. It is thus preferable in this case to speak of a premature dominant arrival in m. 33.
It is interesting to note the sforzandi in the cello starting with the dominant
arrival. Its as though Mozart were saying, Yes, I really do mean for you to hear
this dominant as the final harmony of the transition.

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