In
music theory, the recapitulation is the third
major
section of a
movement written in
sonata form. The recapitulation re-presents the
thematic material that originally appeared in the
exposition section, placing it all in the tonic
key (that is, the overall key of the movement).
The recapitulation is not always a straightforward image of the exposition; it usually contains a secondary development section, and also sometimes rearranges the order of the musical material.