Sonata No. 1 (Scriabin)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, opus 6
, by Alexander Scriabin
, was the first of ten piano sonata
s which Scriabin composed throughout his career. It was completed in 1892. The key of the sonata is the dark key of F minor
. The music is emotionally charged as much of the music was written after Scriabin had damaged his right hand through excessive piano playing.
's "Don Juan Fantasy
" and Balakirev
's Islamey
when he damaged his right hand. He was informed by physicians that he would never play again. The first piano sonata was Scriabin's personal cry against God: the tragedy of the loss of a virtuoso pianist to whimsical fate, God's design. During this period of disability, he wrote the Prelude and Nocturne, op. 9 for left hand alone; however, in due course his right hand recovered.
The first movement, "Allegro con fuoco", starts with a very dark and passionate opening theme. This grows into a slightly more optimistic climax, but descends again into a forlorn close to the theme. It continues with a melancholy second theme in A-flat major which builds up to the very majestic ending of the 1st movement's exposition
. There is a turbulent development section, followed by a recapitulation of the two main themes, in slightly varied form and with the modulations altered to bring the second theme back in F major
. The movement ends very quietly, vacillating uncertainly between F minor and major, before settling for F major in the very last sustained chord.
The second movement, in C minor
, is a very sad "Adagio" in ternary form
, ending quietly in C major.
The third movement, "Presto", in F minor again, is in a rather condensed and compact Rondo form
. The movement is harsh and agitated, relieved briefly only by the more tender middle theme in A-flat major, and angrily hammers into an unresolved end, which is resolved in the final slow movement, the "Funèbre", again in F minor, and similar in mood to the funeral march of Chopin's second piano sonata. The gloom is unrelieved right up to the bleak ending in F minor.
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...
, by Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
, was the first of ten piano sonata
Piano sonata
A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement , two movements , five or even more movements...
s which Scriabin composed throughout his career. It was completed in 1892. The key of the sonata is the dark 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 ....
. The music is emotionally charged as much of the music was written after Scriabin had damaged his right hand through excessive piano playing.
Background
Alexander was reportedly overpracticing LisztFranz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
's "Don Juan Fantasy
Réminiscences de Don Juan
Réminiscences de Don Juan is an opera fantasy for piano by Franz Liszt on themes from Mozart's Don Giovanni. It is extremely technically demanding. For this reason, and perhaps also because of its length and dramatic intensity, it does not appear in concert programmes as often as Liszt's lighter...
" and Balakirev
Mily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ,Russia was still using old style dates in the 19th century, and information sources used in the article sometimes report dates as old style rather than new style. Dates in the article are taken verbatim from the source and therefore are in the same style as the source...
's Islamey
Islamey: an Oriental Fantasy
Islamey , Op. 18, is a composition for piano by Russian composer Mily Balakirev, written in September 1869....
when he damaged his right hand. He was informed by physicians that he would never play again. The first piano sonata was Scriabin's personal cry against God: the tragedy of the loss of a virtuoso pianist to whimsical fate, God's design. During this period of disability, he wrote the Prelude and Nocturne, op. 9 for left hand alone; however, in due course his right hand recovered.
Structure and content
The sonata is in four movements, and takes approximately 18–20 minutes to perform:- Allegro con fuoco
- Adagio
- Presto
- Funèbre
The first movement, "Allegro con fuoco", starts with a very dark and passionate opening theme. This grows into a slightly more optimistic climax, but descends again into a forlorn close to the theme. It continues with a melancholy second theme in A-flat major which builds up to the very majestic ending of the 1st movement's 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....
. There is a turbulent development section, followed by a recapitulation of the two main themes, in slightly varied form and with the modulations altered to bring the second theme back in F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
. The movement ends very quietly, vacillating uncertainly between F minor and major, before settling for F major in the very last sustained chord.
The second movement, 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...
, is a very sad "Adagio" in ternary form
Ternary form
Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form, usually schematicized as A-B-A. The first and third parts are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part in some way provides a contrast with them...
, ending quietly in C major.
The third movement, "Presto", in F minor again, is in a rather condensed and compact 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 movement is harsh and agitated, relieved briefly only by the more tender middle theme in A-flat major, and angrily hammers into an unresolved end, which is resolved in the final slow movement, the "Funèbre", again in F minor, and similar in mood to the funeral march of Chopin's second piano sonata. The gloom is unrelieved right up to the bleak ending in F minor.
Further reading
- Scriabin, Alexander. Complete Piano Sonatas. 1964 Muzyka score republished in 1988 by New York: Dover PublicationsDover PublicationsDover Publications is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward Cirker and his wife, Blanche. It publishes primarily reissues, books no longer published by their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books in the public domain. The original published editions may be...
. ISBN 0-486-25850-5.