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The return of the exposition material, now with both themes in the tonic key, resolving the tonal tension of the exposition.
The recapitulation is not mere repetition — it resolves the harmonic journey. The second theme, which was in the dominant or relative major, now returns in the tonic. Skilled composers modify the recapitulation: alter transitions, reorchestrate, or add new material.
Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550, first movement: the second theme, heard in B-flat major in the exposition, returns in G minor in the recapitulation, darkening its character instead of simply restating it.
Recapitulation is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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