Regardless of the interpretive or analytical framework employed, a concern for repetition and ways to frame it positively remains central to many discussions of Schubert’s idiom. A common thread emerging in these analyses is the presence of variation in Schubert’s sonata forms.
For example, consider the concept of parataxis (or paratactic construction), now one of the more common descriptors of Schubert’s treatment of repetition: this term, adapted by Elaine R. Sisman from the study of sentence structures (in linguistics), serves as the literary correlate to additive musical forms. For Sisman, the Classical theme-and-variation set epitomizes paratactic construction in music. Thus, scholars identifying such paratactic constructions in Schubert’s sonata forms are (often tacitly) acknowledging and highlighting the similarities between Schubert’s structures of repetition in sonata form, and those more commonly associated with theme-and-variation form. […]
Repetition is conspicuous throughout Schubert’s oeuvre, permeating his instrumental as well as his
vocal music. Moreover, repetition has remained central to the conversation surrounding Schubert’s
compositions for well over a century. […]
Through a thorough consideration of Schubert’s musical-social life and for-profit publications, it becomes clear that other forms of musical engagement influenced Schubert’s use of variation in sonata form. Emphasizing Schubert’s use of variation from a practical perspective frames his sonata form practice in more broadly stylistic terms. In general, considering the musical lives of other composers, as a means of informing one’s analytical perspective, could certainly prove fruitful for analysis. The resulting norms established via analysis would reflect a composer’s practice more holistically. […]
