| Piano Sonata No. 8 | |
|---|---|
| byLudwig van Beethoven | |
.jpg) 1801 engraving byJohann Joseph Neidl, after a now-lost portrait of Beethoven by Gandolph Ernst Stainhauser von Treuberg, ca. 1800 | |
| Key | C minor |
| Opus | 13 |
| Composed | 1798–1799 |
| Dedication | Prince Karl von Lichnowsky |
| Duration | 17–20 minutes |
| Movements | 3 |
Ludwig van Beethoven'sPiano Sonata No. 8 inC minor, Op. 13, commonly known asSonata Pathétique, was written in1798 when the composer was 27 years old and was published in1799. It has remained one of his most celebrated compositions.[1] Beethoven dedicated the work to his friendPrince Karl von Lichnowsky.[2] Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually namedGrande sonate pathétique (to Beethoven's liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata's tragic sonorities.[3]
In its entirety, encompassing all threemovements, the work takes approximately 17–20 minutes to perform.[4]
The sonata consists of three movements:
The first movement is insonata form. It begins with a slow introductory theme, marked Grave.
Theexposition, marked Allegro di molto con brio, is in2
2 time (alla breve) in the homekey ofC minor and features three themes. Theme 1 features an aggressiverocket theme covering twooctaves, accompanied with constanttremolo octaves in the left hand.
Beethoven then makes use of unorthodox mode mixture, as he presents theme 2 inE♭ minor rather than its customaryparallel major. This theme is more lyrical than the first and makes use ofgrace notes and crossed hands. Theme 3modulates to themediant,E♭ major, and features a murky[5] figuration for the bass; an extended pattern of alternating octaves. Acodetta, with ideas from the opening allegro, closes the section. Some performers of the sonata include the introduction in the repeat of the exposition (Rudolf Serkin andAndrás Schiff, for example), but most return to the beginning of the allegro section.[citation needed] This movement is one of the few compositions that containhundred twenty-eighth notes.
Thedevelopment section begins in the key ofG minor but quickly modulates toE minor. In this section, Beethoven extends Haydn's compositional practice by returning to the introductory section. After this reappearance of theGrave, the composer generates suspense with an extendeddominant preparation.
Therecapitulation brings back the themes of the exposition in different keys: themes 1 and 3 are played in thetonic key of C minor, then theme 2 is played in the unexpected key ofF minor but then returns to the tonic key. The coda is very dramatic and includes a brief reminder of theGrave before ending with a swiftcadence.
This movement exemplifies the expressive Adagio style of many slow movements in the classical period. The famouscantabile melody is played three times, always inA♭ major, separated by two modulating episodes; the movement is thus a simplerondo rather than thesonata form more common for movements of this seriousness. The first episode is set inF minor (the relative minor of A♭ major), further modulating toE♭ major before returning to the main theme. The second episode begins inA♭ minor and modulates toE major. With the final return of the main theme, the accompaniment becomes richer and takes on thetriplet rhythm of the second episode. There is a briefcoda.
The sonata closes with acut 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, so it connects all three movements together. The movement is insonata rondo form and includes a briefcoda. The three rondo episodes are in E♭ major, A♭ major, andC major. The common use ofsforzando creates a forceful effect.
The sonataPathétique was an important success for Beethoven, selling well[6] and helping create his reputation as a composer,[7] not just as an extraordinary pianist. Not only was it instantly popular, it also exposed the world to the characteristics that Beethoven would continue to develop in the coming years.[1]
When the pianist and composerIgnaz Moscheles discovered the work in 1804, he was ten years old; unable to afford to buy the music, he copied it out from a library copy. His music teacher, on being told about his discovery, "warned me against playing or studying eccentric productions before I had developed a style based on more respectable models. Without paying heed to his instructions, however, I laid Beethoven's works on the piano, in the order of their appearance, and found in them such consolation and pleasure as no other composer ever vouchsafed me."[8]
Anton Schindler, a musician who was a friend of Beethoven in the composer's later years, wrote: "What theSonate Pathétique was in the hands of Beethoven (although he left something to be desired as regards clean playing) was something that one had to have heard, and heard again, in order to be quite certain that it was the same already well-known work. Above all, every single thing became, in his hands, a new creation, wherein his alwayslegato playing, one of the particular characteristics of his execution, formed an important part."[8]
Musicologists have speculated on whether thePathétique may have been inspired byMozart'spiano sonata K. 457, since both compositions are inC minor and have three very similar movements. The second movement, "Adagio cantabile", especially, makes use of atheme remarkably similar to one in the spacious second movement of Mozart's sonata.[9]
Close similarities have also been noted withJ.S. Bach'sPartita No. 2 in C minor.[10] Both works open with a declamatory fanfare markedGrave, sharing a distinct combination of dotted rhythms, melodic contour, and texture. Furthermore, the first four notes of the Partita's Andante (G–C–D–E♭, prominently repeated throughout the work) are found in thePathétique as the first notes of important themes – first in the hand-crossing second subject of its first movement (initially transposed), then in the main theme of theRondo. It is known that Beethoven was familiar with the works of Bach, having studiedThe Well-Tempered Clavier as a youth and returning to his predecessor's compositional styles later in life.
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