How to make the dominant preparation less boring?

Question

This is one thing that I have always noticed when I compose a sonata. Even if I can get through most of the development section in sonata form, the dominant preparation sort of grinds my gears. I'm like "I need to stay on the dominant and add tension, but not too long obviously. It could easily become boring. Or worse, I end up using a diminished chord and it doesn't want to resolve to the tonic."Since I am composing a sonata in Bb, the dominant is F. I have a theme in the exposition in the key of F. So how can I make the dominant preparation not so boring? After all, the sonata I am composing is one in Mozart's style. If I were composing a Beethoven style sonata, I could potentially forgo the dominant preparation and go straight into the tonic and start the recapitulation. But if I am composing in Mozart's style, I need that dominant preparation.So how can I make the dominant preparation not boring nor ending up with a diminished chord(out of the 2 tense triads, the augmented triad I only really see in more recent music, whereas the diminished chord I see as early as Mozart and Haydn) that doesn't resolve to the tonic?

Answer 1

The professor is very right. But if you want real tension throw a diminished chord in there. Mozart probably would hate it but give it a try. Jp

Answer 2

The real answer: if you want to compose music that sounds like Mozart, analyze the way Mozart did it. Go through that moment in all of his piano sonatas, and you'll have a catalog of ideas to try.

The shortcut answer: dominant chords can be embellished by alternating them with predominant or secondary dominant chords; by using a dominant pedal; or by inventive use of rhythm.

Hope that helps!