A section of the composition where the principal subjects are missing. The term derived from the fugue where after the exposition and before the return of the subject an episode presents new material to decrease the tension. It is used to describe the non-recurring material in rondo and ritornello forms. Also, a new theme in a symphony -usually in the development- may be called an episode [Beethoven's Eroica; Haydn's Farewell symphonies].