Skipping the repeat of the exposition in a classical sonata

[perprocrastinate]

Is this acceptable? I do feel sometimes a repeat is excessive.

[kalirren]

If even you think it's excessive, your audience will definitely think it's boring, so go ahead and proceed straight through.

[kriatina]

... was not the purpose of repeats in classical sonatas to make little variations every time ...?

[iansinclair]

the repeat -- like the third chunk of a da capo aria -- is intended to be ornamented more or less extensively, depending on both tempo and the particular performing idiom of the period when the sonata was written.  This requires a fair amount of knowledge of music and performance history -- as well as some skill at improvisation.

If you are going to do it as a straight repeat, though, don't -- just ignore the repeat.  Otherwise you'll bore everyone except the more uptight critics to tears, and the uptight critics will be annoyed because you didn't ornament it!

[j_menz]

and the uptight critics will be annoyed because you didn't ornament it!

They'll be annoyed anyway. It's their sole reason for being there.

[kriatina]

the repeat -- like the third chunk of a da capo aria -- is intended to be ornamented more or less extensively, depending on both tempo and the particular performing idiom of the period when the sonata was written.  This requires a fair amount of knowledge of music and performance history -- as well as some skill at improvisation.

Thank you iansinclair.... it is explained similarly in some of the books about harpsichordists and pianists...
... apparently Haendel and Bach were "unbeatable masters" when they played ...

... whereas in lots of CD's the repeats sounds exactly the same without any variations these days ...
...perhaps that is when lots of practice and imagination "comes in handy"...?

[brogers70]

Personally, I don't mind hearing the repeat of the exposition, even if it's just a straight repeat without any extra ornamentation. Just the difference between hearing it first in the context of the audience settling down, the pianist adjusting the bench, etc, and then hearing it again after the dominant chord at the end of the exposition gives it a different character for me the second time round. And there's always something I might not have paid attention to the first time.

[visitor]

I like taking the repeats, even if I don't doodle with adding a trill, grace note, or passing tone here or there, I like being able to so other subtle changes like a rubato (if appropriate for style/period), or slight pushing of the tempo (since many times a 'range' is appropriate for a given indication), or even things like bringing out a counter melody or other line that I did not do as much the first, etc. There are so many possibilities, and it's fun. You can even use it to 'redeem yourself' a bit if you botch something the first go around, come back and nail it the second time.