The Formal Function of Fortspinnung

The concept of Fortspinnung was first proposed a century ago by Wilhelm Fischer to aid his project of describing how the high classical style developed from its baroque forebear, and scholars have applied it to serve a variety of ends in the intervening years. Yet because Fischer’s account of the Fortspinnungstypus theme type is more suggestive than definitive, a lack of consensus concerning its analytical application has resulted, hindering its broader adoption. This essay addresses the shortcomings of Fortspinnung theorizing by setting it on a firmer foundation. To do so, the article first recounts the history of the concept from its origins in Fischer’s writing through its alterations by later German theorists and its adoption in the English-language literature. It then proposes a new definition for Fortspinnung that reconceptualizes it in accordance with form-functional theory. To conclude it contextualizes the formal function of Fortspinnung by examining how the function’s expression varies in different genres.