Editing History of sonata form (section)

== Late Baroque era (ca 1710 – ca 1750) ==

Properly speaking, sonata form did not exist in the [[Baroque music|Baroque period]]; however, the forms which led to the standard definition did. In fact, there is a greater variety of harmonic patterns in Baroque works called ''sonatas'' than in the [[Classical period (music)|Classical period]]. The sonatas of [[Domenico Scarlatti]] provide examples of the range of relationships of theme and harmony possible in the 1730s and 1740s.

Sonatas were at first written mainly for the violin. Over time, a formal type evolved, predominating until the late 18th century. This type reached its peak in the sonatas of [[Sonatas and partitas for solo violin (1001-1006)|J.S. Bach]], [[Handel]], and [[Tartini]], who followed older Italian models and employed a type attributable to masters such as [[Arcangelo Corelli|Corelli]] and [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]] (''Musical Form'', Leichtentritt, Hugo, p.&nbsp;122). By the 1730s and 1740s, the direction of instrumental works, often considered less important than vocal music, tended towards an overall two-part layout: the [[binary form]]. But a section of contrasting material which served as a bridge between them also came to be included.