Exposition (music)

In musical form and analysis, exposition is the initial presentation of the thematic material of a musical composition, movement, or section. The use of the term generally implies that the material will be developed or varied.

In sonata form, the exposition is "the first major section, incorporating at least one important modulation to the dominant or other secondary key and presenting the principal thematic material."^[2]
In a fugue, the exposition is "the statement of the subject in imitation by the several voices; especially the first such statement, with which the fugue begins."^[3]

^ Benward & Saker (2009). Music in Theory and Practice: Volume II, p.136-38. ISBN 978-0-07-310188-0.
^ Don Michael Randel (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2.
^ Randel, Don Michael (2003-11-28). The Harvard Dictionary of Music: Fourth Edition. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2.