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Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)
Encyclopedia
Ludwig van Beethoven
's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as Sonata Pathétique, was written in 1798
when the composer was 27 years old, and was published in 1799
. Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually named Grande sonate pathétique (to Beethoven's liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata's tragic sonorities.
Prominent musicologists
debate whether or not the Pathétique may have been inspired by Mozart
's piano sonata K. 457
, since both compositions are in C minor
and have three very similar movements. The second movement, "Adagio cantabile", especially, makes use of a theme
remarkably similar to that of the spacious second movement of Mozart's sonata. However, Beethoven's sonata uses a unique motif
line throughout, a major difference from Haydn
or Mozart’s creation.
, the work takes approximately 19 minutes to perform.
The sonata has three movements:
. It begins with a slow introductory theme, marked Grave. The exposition
, marked Allegro di molto con brio, is in 2/2 time (alla breve) in the home key
of C minor and features three themes. Theme 1 features an aggressive rocket theme covering two octave
s, accompanied with constant tremolo
octaves in the left hand. Beethoven then makes use of unorthodox mode-mixture, as he presents the second theme in E-flat minor rather than its customary parallel major
. This theme is more lyrical and makes use of grace note
s and crossed hands. Theme 3 has modulated
to the mediant
, E-flat major, and features an Alberti-type figuration for the bass
with tremolo. A codetta
, with ideas from the opening allegro, closes the section. Some performers of the sonata include the introduction in the exposition repeat though others return to the beginning of the allegro section.
The development
section begins in the key of G minor
. In this section, Beethoven extends Haydn's compositional practice by returning to the introductory section. After this reappearance of the Grave, the composer generates suspense with an extended dominant preparation
.
The recapitulation
brings back the themes of the exposition in different keys: themes 1 and 3 are played in the tonic key
of C minor, then theme 2 is played in the unexpected key of F minor
but then returns to the tonic key. The coda is very dramatic and includes a brief reminder of the Grave before ending with a swift cadence
.
Grave introduction: first four bars
(relative to A-flat major), further modulating to E-flat major before returning to the main theme. The second episode begins in A-flat minor and modulates to E major
. With the final return of the main theme, the accompaniment becomes richer and takes on the triplet
rhythm of the second episode. There is a brief coda
.
The famous Adagio cantabile: first eight bars
. The movement can be thought as related to Beethoven Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op.37. The common use of sforzando creates a forceful effect.
Rondo: Allegro
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...
's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as Sonata Pathétique, was written in 1798
1798 in music
-Events:*Michael Haydn takes on Carl Maria von Weber as a pupil, free of charge*First edition of Niemetschek's biography of Mozart published.-Births:*January 31 – Carl Gottlieb Reissiger, kappellmeister and composer...
when the composer was 27 years old, and was published in 1799
1799 in music
-Events:*Swiss composer Jean Baptiste Édouard Du Puy is dismissed by King Gustav IV of Sweden for praising Napoleon.-Classical music:*Ludwig van Beethoven – Sonata Pathetique; Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major Op. 14 No. 2*Joseph Haydn – String Quartets Op...
. Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually named Grande sonate pathétique (to Beethoven's liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata's tragic sonorities.
Prominent musicologists
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
debate whether or not the Pathétique may have been inspired by Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's piano sonata K. 457
Piano Sonata No. 14 (Mozart)
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 457, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed and completed in 1784, with the official date of completion recorded as October 14, 1784 in Mozart’s private catalogue of works. It was published in December of 1785 together with the Fantasy in C minor, K...
, since both compositions are in C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
and have three very similar movements. The second movement, "Adagio cantabile", especially, makes use of a theme
Theme (music)
In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...
remarkably similar to that of the spacious second movement of Mozart's sonata. However, Beethoven's sonata uses a unique motif
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
line throughout, a major difference from Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
or Mozart’s creation.
Movements
In its entirety, encompassing all 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...
, the work takes approximately 19 minutes to perform.
The sonata has three movements:
- Grave (Slowly, with solemnity) – Allegro di molto e con brio (Quickly, with much vigour)
- Adagio cantabileCantabileCantabile is a musical term meaning literally "singable" or "songlike" . It has several meanings in different contexts. In instrumental music, it indicates a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice. For 18th century composers, the term is often used synonymously with...
(Slowly, in a singing style) - RondoRondoRondo, 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...
: Allegro (Quickly)
Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
The first movement is in sonata formSonata form
Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
. It begins with a slow introductory theme, marked Grave. The exposition
Exposition (music)
In musical form and analysis, exposition is the initial presentation of the thematic material of a musical composition, movement, or section. The use of the term generally implies that the material will be developed or varied....
, marked Allegro di molto con brio, is in 2/2 time (alla breve) in the home key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of C minor and features three themes. Theme 1 features an aggressive rocket theme covering two octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s, accompanied with constant tremolo
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
octaves in the left hand. Beethoven then makes use of unorthodox mode-mixture, as he presents the second theme in E-flat minor rather than its customary parallel major
Parallel key
In music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
. This theme is more lyrical and makes use of grace note
Grace note
A grace note is a kind of music notation used to denote several kinds of musical ornaments. When occurring by itself, a single grace note normally indicates the intention of either an appoggiatura or an acciaccatura...
s and crossed hands. Theme 3 has modulated
Modulation (music)
In music, modulation is most commonly the act or process of changing from one key to another. This may or may not be accompanied by a change in key signature. Modulations articulate or create the structure or form of many pieces, as well as add interest...
to the mediant
Mediant
In music, the mediant is the third scale degree of the diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant. Similarly, the submediant is halfway between the tonic and subdominant...
, E-flat major, and features an Alberti-type figuration for the bass
Alberti bass
Alberti bass is a particular kind of accompaniment in music, often used in the Classical era, and sometimes the Romantic era. It was named after Domenico Alberti , who used it extensively, although he was not the first to use it....
with tremolo. A codetta
Conclusion (music)
In music, the conclusion is the ending of a composition and may take the form of a coda or outro.Pieces using sonata form typically use the recapitulation to conclude a piece, providing closure through the repetition of thematic material from the exposition in the tonic key...
, with ideas from the opening allegro, closes the section. Some performers of the sonata include the introduction in the exposition repeat though others return to the beginning of the allegro section.
The development
Musical development
In European classical music, musical development is a process by which a musical idea is communicated in the course of a composition. It refers to the transformation and restatement of initial material, and is often contrasted with musical variation, which is a slightly different means to the same...
section begins in the key of G minor
G minor
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....
. In this section, Beethoven extends Haydn's compositional practice by returning to the introductory section. After this reappearance of the Grave, the composer generates suspense with an extended dominant preparation
Predominant chord
In music theory, a predominant chord is any chord which normally resolves to a dominant chord. Examples of predominant chords are the subdominant , supertonic , Neapolitan sixth and German sixth. Other examples are the submediant , secondary dominant , iv and ii°...
.
The recapitulation
Recapitulation (music)
In music theory, the recapitulation is one of the sections of a movement written in sonata form. The recapitulation occurs after the movement's development section, and typically presents once more the musical themes from the movement's exposition...
brings back the themes of the exposition in different keys: themes 1 and 3 are played in the tonic key
Tonic (music)
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...
of C minor, then theme 2 is played in the unexpected key of F minor
F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
but then returns to the tonic key. The coda is very dramatic and includes a brief reminder of the Grave before ending with a swift cadence
Cadence (music)
In Western musical theory, a cadence is, "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music...
.
MIDI rendition, 6:57 minutes, 30 KB Kilobyte The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information... |
Adagio cantabile
The Adagio movement opens with a famous cantabile melody. This theme is played three times, always in A-flat major, separated by two modulating episodes, making it a five-part rondo. The first episode is set in F minorF minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
(relative to A-flat major), further modulating to E-flat major before returning to the main theme. The second episode begins in A-flat minor and modulates to E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
. With the final return of the main theme, the accompaniment becomes richer and takes on the triplet
Tuplet
In music a tuplet is "any rhythm that involves dividing the beat into a different number of equal subdivisions from that usually permitted by the...
rhythm of the second episode. There is a brief coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
.
MIDI rendition, 5:03 minutes, 12 KB |
Rondo: Allegro
The sonata closes with a cut time movement in C minor. The main theme closely resembles the second theme of the Allegro of the first movement: its melodic pattern is identical for its first four notes, and its rhythmic pattern for the first eight. There is also a modified representation of the melody from the second movement, thus connecting all three movements together. The movement's sonata rondo form includes a coda. The three rondo episodes are in E-flat major, A-flat major, and C majorC 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....
. The movement can be thought as related to Beethoven Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op.37. The common use of sforzando creates a forceful effect.
MIDI rendition, 4:25 minutes, 17 KB |
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. 13 - Score from the RicordiCasa RicordiCasa Ricordi is a classical music publishing company founded in 1808 as G. Ricordi & Co. by violinist Giovanni Ricordi in Milan, Italy...
edition, William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University School of MusicJacobs School of MusicThe Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music...
. - Score and MIDI files from Mutopia ProjectMutopia projectThe Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books.The music is reproduced from old scores that are out of copyright...
in several formats - Video - Adagio cantabile from Sonata No. 8, Op.13 performed by Christine Kwong at the Bavarian Academy of Music, Hammelburg, Germany
- Brief analysis of the Sonata Pathétique and free score on the All About Ludwig van Beethoven pages
- Public-domain recording of this sonata at MusopenMusopenMusopen is an online music library of copyright-free music. Musopen's mission is to record or obtain recordings that have no copyrights so that its visitors may listen, re-use, or in any way enjoy music; put simply, "to set music free."...
- Analysis of the sonata on Wikilivres