Piano Sonata No. 10 (Beethoven)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op.
14, No. 2, composed in 1798–1799, is an early-period work by Ludwig van Beethoven
, dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. A typical performance lasts 15 minutes. While it is not as well-known as some of the more spectacularly original sonatas of Beethoven's youth, such as the 'Pathetique' or 'Moonlight' sonatas, it is a work of great charm and of considerable rhythmic subtlety. Tovey described it as an 'exquisite little work.'
:
The first movement, marked ligato
in the urtext
score, opens with a brief sixteenth-note
phrase, accompanied by short, tied arpeggio
s in the bass. According to Charles Rosen this opening 'fools the listener for four bars into thinking that the bar line is in the wrong place...Any attempt by the pianist to clear the matter up at once by emphasizing the first beats would be misguided.' This phrase is used consistently throughout the movement and subject to a great deal of highly imaginative development through changing harmonies and shifting key-centres. Bars 70-2 are particularly notable, in that the main theme is subjected to highly chromatic treatment at this point. Thirty-second-note
passages develop in the upper register of the piano, limiting the tempo
at which it can reasonably be taken. The entire movement ends with a coda, where, according to Rosen, Beethoven 'decides to normalize the rhythm of the main theme, and make it no longer witty but expressive.' The closing two bars consist of a quiet, quick turn in the treble
.
The second movement is a set of variations
on a disjunct, chordal theme which is marked "La prima parte senza replica" (first part without repeats). The form of the music is Theme with Three Variations. It seems about to end quietly, like the first and last movements, but then concludes abruptly with a crashing fortissimo C major
chord.
Like the first movement, the third movement opens with an ascending, hesitant, three-note motif that conveys considerable rhythmic ambiguity. In his book, The Music Instinct, the cognitive scientist Philip Ball singles out this theme as an example of the classic trick of disguising 'one rhythmic structure as another.' The movement, which is in 3/8 time
, is entitled "Scherzo
" but is actually in rondo form
. The main theme undergoes many changes, until the end, where it ends quietly, on the very lowest notes of the piano of Beethoven's time. The movement plays with our expectations through rhythmic ambiguity, unexpected harmonic shifts, and above all, the use of strategically placed silences. All of these characteristic examples of musical wit show the continuing influence of Haydn on Beethoven at this early stage in his composing career.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
14, No. 2, composed in 1798–1799, is an early-period work by Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. A typical performance lasts 15 minutes. While it is not as well-known as some of the more spectacularly original sonatas of Beethoven's youth, such as the 'Pathetique' or 'Moonlight' sonatas, it is a work of great charm and of considerable rhythmic subtlety. Tovey described it as an 'exquisite little work.'
Form
The sonata is in three movementsMovement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Allegro in G major
- Andante variations in C major, subdominant of G major
- ScherzoScherzoA scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
: Allegro assai in G major
The first movement, marked ligato
Legato
In musical notation the Italian word legato indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence...
in the urtext
Urtext
Urtext is a word of German origin; ur- means "original," and text is as in English.In the humanities and social sciences, the word is often used in a metaphorical fashion to refer to a primitive, seminal, or prototypical example of an artistic genre or the basis of an ideological movement...
score, opens with a brief sixteenth-note
Sixteenth note
thumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together....
phrase, accompanied by short, tied arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s in the bass. According to Charles Rosen this opening 'fools the listener for four bars into thinking that the bar line is in the wrong place...Any attempt by the pianist to clear the matter up at once by emphasizing the first beats would be misguided.' This phrase is used consistently throughout the movement and subject to a great deal of highly imaginative development through changing harmonies and shifting key-centres. Bars 70-2 are particularly notable, in that the main theme is subjected to highly chromatic treatment at this point. Thirty-second-note
Thirty-second note
In music, a thirty-second note or demisemiquaver is a note played for 1/32 of the duration of a whole note...
passages develop in the upper register of the piano, limiting the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
at which it can reasonably be taken. The entire movement ends with a coda, where, according to Rosen, Beethoven 'decides to normalize the rhythm of the main theme, and make it no longer witty but expressive.' The closing two bars consist of a quiet, quick turn in the treble
Clef
A clef is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff...
.
The second movement is a set of variations
Variation (music)
In music, variation is a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form. The changes may involve harmony, melody, counterpoint, rhythm, timbre, orchestration or any combination of these.-Variation form:...
on a disjunct, chordal theme which is marked "La prima parte senza replica" (first part without repeats). The form of the music is Theme with Three Variations. It seems about to end quietly, like the first and last movements, but then concludes abruptly with a crashing fortissimo C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
chord.
Like the first movement, the third movement opens with an ascending, hesitant, three-note motif that conveys considerable rhythmic ambiguity. In his book, The Music Instinct, the cognitive scientist Philip Ball singles out this theme as an example of the classic trick of disguising 'one rhythmic structure as another.' The movement, which is in 3/8 time
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
, is entitled "Scherzo
Scherzo
A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
" but is actually in rondo form
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
. The main theme undergoes many changes, until the end, where it ends quietly, on the very lowest notes of the piano of Beethoven's time. The movement plays with our expectations through rhythmic ambiguity, unexpected harmonic shifts, and above all, the use of strategically placed silences. All of these characteristic examples of musical wit show the continuing influence of Haydn on Beethoven at this early stage in his composing career.
External links
- A lecture by András SchiffAndrás SchiffAndrás Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist, who has won a number of awards including the Grammy and made numerous recordings.- Biography :...
on Beethoven's piano sonata op. 14 no. 2 - For a public domain recording of this sonata visit Musopen