Musicanote

1. Exposition
a) First Subject (F minor, mm. 1–8)
The movement opens quietly (piano) in F minor. There is a sharp contrast between the staccato, leaping arpeggio figure in the right hand (motif A) and the sequential, legato melodic line (motif B) that follows. The motive of measures 1–2 is immediately repeated in the dominant harmony in measures 3–4.
From measure 5, motif B is developed through sequential repetition, the dynamics intensifying as the melody ascends. In measure 7, after a fortissimo climax, the dynamics subside, and through a progression of i – ii°6 – V, the first subject ends in a half cadence at measure 8.