false recapitulation
English composer
Definition
Haydn's favourite structural trick: a premature return of the opening theme in the wrong key during the development section, which then dissolves back into development before the true recapitulation arrives.
Interpretive Guidance
When playing a false recapitulation, the performer should not telegraph the deception. Play the return of the theme with the same conviction as a true recapitulation — the audience must be fooled. The moment when the harmony slips away from the expected home key is the punchline; let it speak without emphasis.