Sonata-Formal Functions and Transformational Processes in the First Movement of Rochberg’s String Quartet No. 6

To the extent that it represents the actual temporal event-series of a composition, transformational theory can reveal some interesting correlations between the formal functions of sections and the transformations that characterize them. For example, the changes in characteristic transformations in the first movement of George Rochberg’s sixth string quartet articulate specific functions familiar in sonata form. The differing types of transformations (transposition versus inversion) in the first two sections set up a contrast analogous to that of the first and second themes. The third section functions as a development section, blending both types of transformations found in the exposition. Reprises of these types, and their contrast, define the function of the last two sections as a recapitulation, in which the second-theme group is metaphorically transposed. Rochberg has been criticized for mimicking conventional musical structures, but this analysis demonstrates how he successfully reinvents a tonal form with non-tonal transformations.