Development sections in the string quintets of Mozart

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on development sections in the first and last movements of the six string quintets by Mozart. All of these movements are either in sonata-allegro or sonata-rondo form (excluding the finale of K. 406, which is in variation form, and is therefore left out). The works of both William E. Caplin, and James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy are the main references for this dissertation. Each of the first three chapters is dedicated to a different aspect of the music—thematic/rhetoric organization, harmony, texture. The opening chapter presents a new concept for thematic choice: “Potential for Development.” In the third chapter (“texture”) one section is dedicated to the cello part. The fourth and concluding chapter features a detailed analysis of the finale of K.593, putting the concepts which had been previously discussed in the context of a complete movement, outlining the connections between the three large sections of sonata form movement. The chapter concludes with a discussion of Kant's concept of “the sublime,” and how it relates to K.593.