sonat

Sonat, or sonata in many languages, is a term for a musical work typically written for one or more instruments and organized in several movements. The word denotes a class of instrumental pieces and is widely used across classical music literature.

Originating in the Baroque era, the genre split into two main families: sonata da chiesa (church sonata) and sonata da camera (chamber sonata). These pieces were usually instrumental and featured contrasting tempos and textures arranged in a sequence of movements, with examples that varied in form and scope.

During the Classical period, the form became central to instrumental music. First movements are often in sonata form, a multi-section structure that presents, develops, and recaps themes. Most sonatas by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven have three or four movements, commonly fast–slow–fast, with a possible Minuet or Scherzo in the middle.

Instrumentation ranges from solo keyboard (harpsichord, fortepiano, or piano) to violin and keyboard, cello and keyboard, or small ensembles. Notable subtypes include keyboard sonatas and violin sonatas; later composers expanded the repertoire to organ, flute, and other instruments.

The term is used in multiple languages, and some traditions retain the spelling "sonat" as the local designation of a sonata in historical or scholarly texts. While the concept remains constant, regional practices and historical periods give each tradition its own distinctive repertoire and terminology.