Talk:Rondo
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I don't know if this "subordinate theme" terminology comes from the same places as were cited to me at Talk:Sonata form, but it really isn't usual - the contrasting themes in rondos are almost always called "episodes", so I've changed that back. Similarly, although some people like to talk about sonata-allegro form, plain old sonata form is more common and less misleading (as sonata form movements are not necessarily allegro - many slow movements are in sonata form). --Camembert
[edit] "episode" or "theme"?
Camembert wrote: "the contrasting themes in rondos are almost always called "episodes."
But Pauly calls them "couplets" Caplin & Stein call them "subordinate themes" Green calls them "episodes or couplets" Berry calls them "digressions"
In formal music, "episode" may describe any section characterized by a distinct function, texture, procedure, theme: e.g. fugato episode, modulatory episode, developmental episode, etc. In view of the fact that the contrasting "episodes" in a rondo are thematic (that is, they present new themes), the form warrants a higher status than "episode."
- I still think that most writers simply call them "episodes", but maybe I underestimated the range and commonness of alternatives. Thanks very much for putting them in the article. --Camembert
