When Structure and Design Collide: The Three-Key Exposition Revisited

This article explores the relationship between tonal structure and formal design in three-key expositions. The approach proposed here centers on a multidimensional analysis that can be applied to three-key expositions, and evaluates thematic, harmonic, and voice-leading parameters and how they are aligned or misaligned. The article will first establish a clear definition of the three-key exposition, then delineate categories of three-key expositions based on the characteristics of the second and third key areas. An examination of representative three-key expositions within each of these categories will provide a multidimensional theoretical framework for the analysis of three-key expositions, and consider the methodological principles relevant to the analyses of these movements.