Pater Familias

Theories, observations, and articles, by Philip Schaefer · All posts · Categories

SONATA FORM AND SIT COMS.

January 24, 2015 at 7:57 PM · Theater, Uncategorized

SONATA FORM AND SIT COMS. The rules for television comedies presumably create expectations that add to the pleasures that the comedy gives the audience. The rules remind me of the complexities of the sonata form in music, which is also supposed to create expectations in the listeners. Here is a wikipedia entry on sonata form, which describes some of the rules. The entry even makes the comparison: “For composers, the sonata form is like the plot of a play or movie script, describing when the crucial plot points are, and the kinds of material that should be used to connect them into a coherent and orderly whole.”