直到16世紀，奏鳴曲一詞才被運用在器樂作品。來到古典時期，奏鳴曲式漸趨成熟而有了正式的規範；海頓、莫札特、貝多芬均在奏鳴曲的發展上佔有一席之地。浪漫時期之後的發展，則越來越脫離奏鳴曲最初的曲式規則；曲式的自由、個人化風格等特色，使奏鳴曲有更多的變化。
在李斯特的創作生涯中，以威瑪時期所創作的鋼琴曲最具重要性，包括：《十二首超技練習曲》（Twelve Transcendental Etudes）、第十一號到第十五號《匈牙利狂想曲》（Hungarian Rhapsodies）、《但丁讀後－奏鳴曲幻想曲風》（Aprés une Lecture de Dante–Fantasia quasi Sonata），及本文的研究對象－《B小調鋼琴奏鳴曲》（Piano Sonata in B minor）。
Abstract
Not until the sixteenth century was the term sonata used in the instrumental music. In the Classical period, sonata form became more sophisticated and rules of its structure were officially established. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were the three important composers in the development of sonata form. After the Romantic period, its development gradually moved away from the original formal rules; freedom in forms and personal styles made sonatas more varied.
In Liszt’s works, all the most important piano works were composed in Weimar years, including Twelve Transcendental Etudes, Hungarian Rhapsodies No. 11-15, Aprés une Lecture de Dante–Fantasia quasi Sonata and the focus of this thesis--Piano Sonata in B minor.
There are six chapters in this thesis. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 discusses the development of sonata and sonata form in general. Chapter 3 introduces Liszt’s life and the compositional background of the B minor sonata. Chapter 4 offers a structural analysis. Chapter 5 offers performance interpretations. Chapter 6 is the conclusion.
