Piano Sonata No. 18 (Beethoven)

Piano sonata written by Beethoven

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I. Allegro

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II. Scherzo

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III. Menuetto

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IV. Presto con fuoco

Played by Artur Schnabel in 1932

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The Piano Sonata No. 18 in E♭ major, Op. 31, No. 3, is an 1802 sonata for solo piano by Ludwig van Beethoven. A third party gave the piece the nickname "The Hunt" due to one of its themes' resemblance to a horn call.^[1] Beethoven maintains a playful jocularity throughout much of the piece, but as in many of his early works, the jocular style can be heard as a facade, concealing profound ideas and depths of emotion.^{[citation needed]}

Roger Kamien has performed a Schenkerian analysis of facets of chords of the sonata.^[2]

Analysis

The sonata consists of four movements and takes approximately twenty-two minutes to perform:

1. grazioso
2. Presto

con fuoco

Beethoven's progressive harmonic language is apparent from the very first chord of the piece (

This scherzo differs from normal scherzos by being in ²
₄ time rather than ³
₄, and because it is in sonata form rather than ternary form. This wasn't the first time Beethoven wrote a scherzo not in ternary form; Op. 14, No. 2 has a scherzo in rondo form as its finale. But this movement still contains many characteristics of a scherzo, including unexpected pauses and a playful nature. The theme is in the right hand while the left hand contains staccato accompaniment.

III. Menuetto

The third movement is the most serious of the movements, with a sweet and tender nature. The minuet and the trio are in E♭ major.

IV. Presto con fuoco

The finale is vigorous and rollicking, with continuous eighth notes in the bass and tarantella rhythms.

Adaptations

• Camille Saint-Saëns used the Trio section of the Menuetto as the theme for his 1874 Variations sur un thème de Beethoven, Op. 35, for two pianos.

References

External links

• Piano Sonata No. 18: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• A lecture by András Schiff on Beethoven's piano sonata Op. 31, No. 3

• Recording by Paavali Jumppanen, piano from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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