Recapitulation is best described as what?

• A. Tonality reinstated w/ shortened version of initial subject and second subject.
• B. Thematic material from the expo is altered, modified and transformed through mood, key, and modulations.
• C. Exposition themes are restated unchanged.
• D. The movement ends with a coda.

Answer: (A)

Recapitulation is the moment in sonata form when the main themes from the exposition return in the home key, giving the movement a sense of return and unity. The first subject comes back in the tonic, and the second subject is typically restated in the same key as well, often in a more compact or slightly altered form. This tonal reset and restatement of material contrasts with the development, where themes are transformed through different keys, and with other segments like the coda. So the best description is that tonality is reinstated with a shortened or streamlined restatement of the initial subject and the second subject.