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Breaking a theme into smaller fragments (motifs) and developing them independently.
Fragmentation is the most important development technique. Take a theme, break it into its component motifs, and develop each one separately — through sequence, inversion, augmentation, or combination with other fragments. This is how Beethoven builds entire development sections from the opening motif.
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 — the famous four-note motif is a fragment of the opening theme, developed relentlessly throughout the entire symphony.
Fragmentation is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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