Piano Sonata No. 3 (Prokofiev)
Encyclopedia
Sergei Prokofiev
's Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28, was composed in 1917, using sketches dating from 1907. The piece was premiered later that year by the composer.
. Both of these sonatas bear the subtitle "From the Old Notebooks". Prokofiev started sketches of this work from 1907. This third sonata was a clear departure of his previous humorous style with his second sonata
from 1912. After the energetic and virtuoso third sonata, his fourth sonata and pieces that followed it were a clear departure from the style of his third sonata. He would compose extremely lyrical and introverted pieces after this.
The second theme resembles the second movement in a typical three-movement sonata cycle
, and opens in a slow and legato chromatic scale with sustained bass notes of G-sharp, D, and G, marked Moderato. The slow, lyrical melody opens in the relative major, then repeats itself with the same melody but with the harmony in A minor. The slow theme also consists of leaping harmony in the left hand, and the theme ends in C major after some progressions in C major.
The third theme, which is like a development, opens in a blasting, fortissimo chromatic harmony with a march-like melody in D minor with the same rhythmic motives alternating between hands. After that, there comes a rapid scale based on the notes F-E-D-F with double thirds in the bass. It then repeats a perfect fifth up, then proceeding with rapidly repeated C's on the right hand on the upper registers. Following that is a series of arpeggios that suggest a melody or chord progression, then proceeding with a lyrical melody that comes from the second theme.
The climax is preceded with several leaping chords that gets transposed after a few bars. In the climax, marked fff, it starts with a rapid arpeggio in the supertonic 7th chord relative to C major, following pedal tone
s on C in the right hand and subsequent transpositions by seconds. It ends with a blasting fortissimo cluster-like chord, E-F-A-B-D-E (right hand), with E on the bass, then closing the theme with a similar chord on a lower octave, E-G-B-D (left hand), F-A-B-D-E (right hand).
The next theme and final theme begins with E tied from the previous chord, then with detached triplet eighths marked pianissimo
that come from the piano parts of the first theme. This theme is pretty much a recapitulation of the first theme, though with lots of transpositions and variation done. After that is a coda-like theme with much dynamic fluctuation. At the last page comes a loud and march-like theme in A minor, then proceeding with arpeggios and chords in the tonic second inversion chord. Then comes with a very quiet C major arpeggio marked pp subito then comes with a loud ending theme that ends the piece. The piece ends with A minor chord in fortissimo.
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's Piano Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 28, was composed in 1917, using sketches dating from 1907. The piece was premiered later that year by the composer.
Historical background
Sergei Prokofiev composed this piece in 1917, the same year as his fourth sonataPiano Sonata No. 4 (Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 29, was composed in 1917. It was first performed by the composer on April 17, 1918, in Petrograd.The work was dedicated to Prokoviev's good friend Maximilian Schmidthof, whose suicide in 1913 shocked and saddened the composer.-Style:In his notes...
. Both of these sonatas bear the subtitle "From the Old Notebooks". Prokofiev started sketches of this work from 1907. This third sonata was a clear departure of his previous humorous style with his second sonata
Piano Sonata No. 2 (Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 14, was composed in 1912 and premiered on February 5, 1914 in Moscow with the composer performing. Prokofiev dedicated the sonata to his friend and fellow student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Maximilian Schmidthof, who committed suicide...
from 1912. After the energetic and virtuoso third sonata, his fourth sonata and pieces that followed it were a clear departure from the style of his third sonata. He would compose extremely lyrical and introverted pieces after this.
Musical form
The sonata is in a single movement, lasting approximately 8 minutes. The piece opens with a blasting E major chord for the entire first and second bars and then goes into a toccata-like melody for the next few bars. This repeats with some variation again after that, and a tonic preparation for two bars leads to the first theme. In the first theme, it consists of a fairly recognizable harmony with a leaping melody in the right hand. The first theme is mainly in a playful and soft character with some dynamic fluctuations towards the end of the first theme. It contains some motives that reoccur near the end of the piece.The second theme resembles the second movement in a typical three-movement sonata cycle
Sonata cycle
Sonata cycle has two uses in western classical music.*In reference to performance or recording, it almost always means the complete traversal of a set of works by a single composer...
, and opens in a slow and legato chromatic scale with sustained bass notes of G-sharp, D, and G, marked Moderato. The slow, lyrical melody opens in the relative major, then repeats itself with the same melody but with the harmony in A minor. The slow theme also consists of leaping harmony in the left hand, and the theme ends in C major after some progressions in C major.
The third theme, which is like a development, opens in a blasting, fortissimo chromatic harmony with a march-like melody in D minor with the same rhythmic motives alternating between hands. After that, there comes a rapid scale based on the notes F-E-D-F with double thirds in the bass. It then repeats a perfect fifth up, then proceeding with rapidly repeated C's on the right hand on the upper registers. Following that is a series of arpeggios that suggest a melody or chord progression, then proceeding with a lyrical melody that comes from the second theme.
The climax is preceded with several leaping chords that gets transposed after a few bars. In the climax, marked fff, it starts with a rapid arpeggio in the supertonic 7th chord relative to C major, following pedal tone
Pedal tone
Pedal tones are special notes in the harmonic series of cylindrical-bore brass instruments. A pedal tone has the pitch of its harmonic series' fundamental tone. Its name comes from the pedals of a pipe-organ. Cylindrical brasses do not naturally vibrate at this frequency.A closed cylinder...
s on C in the right hand and subsequent transpositions by seconds. It ends with a blasting fortissimo cluster-like chord, E-F-A-B-D-E (right hand), with E on the bass, then closing the theme with a similar chord on a lower octave, E-G-B-D (left hand), F-A-B-D-E (right hand).
The next theme and final theme begins with E tied from the previous chord, then with detached triplet eighths marked pianissimo
Pianissimo
Pianissimo is an Italian word, meaning "very soft". It can mean:*Pianissimo, refers to the volume of a soft sound or soft note.*Pianissimo Peche, a brand of Japanese cigarettes made by Japan Tobacco....
that come from the piano parts of the first theme. This theme is pretty much a recapitulation of the first theme, though with lots of transpositions and variation done. After that is a coda-like theme with much dynamic fluctuation. At the last page comes a loud and march-like theme in A minor, then proceeding with arpeggios and chords in the tonic second inversion chord. Then comes with a very quiet C major arpeggio marked pp subito then comes with a loud ending theme that ends the piece. The piece ends with A minor chord in fortissimo.
External links
- Score of Prokofiev's Sonata No. 3 on International Music Score Library ProjectInternational Music Score Library ProjectThe International Music Score Library Project , also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a project for the creation of a virtual library of public domain music scores, based on the wiki principle...
: http://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No.3,_Op.28_%28Prokofiev,_Sergei%29