Structural Acceleration in Nielsen's Sinfonia Espansiva

The form of the first movement of Carl Nielsen’s Sinfonia espansiva rejects the traditional 3-part sonata form in favour of an experimental 2-part strategy. The dialogue between the two types of sonata has an important impact on the way we hear this movement; from a rhetorical perspective the absence of a normative simultaneous return of theme and key invites a new analytical approach. This is informed by the idea that the movement’s form, relative to the signposts set up in its exposition, appears to speed up as it continues – a phenomenon that I term ‘structural acceleration’. The reception of Hepokoski’s and Darcy’s Type 2 sonata is unpacked before an investigation of aspects of modular layout, tonality and cadential structure which contribute to the movement’s sense of formal urgency.