Piano Sonata No. 21 (Beethoven)

Piano Sonata No. 21
Piano Sonata No. 21
by Ludwig van Beethoven
	Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven (c. 1804–1805); painted by Joseph Willibrord Mähler (1778–1860)
Other name	Waldstein
Key	C major, F major (second movement)
Opus	53
Form	Piano sonata
Composed	1804
Dedication	Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein
Movements	Three

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, known as the Waldstein, is one of the three most notable sonatas of his middle period (the other two being the Appassionata, Op. 57, and Les Adieux, Op. 81a). Completed in summer 1804 and surpassing Beethoven's previous piano sonatas in its scope, the Waldstein is a key early work of Beethoven's "Heroic" decade (1803–1812) and set a standard for piano composition in the grand manner.

The sonata's name derives from Beethoven's dedication to his close friend and patron Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, member of Bohemian noble Waldstein family (Valdštejn). It is the only work that Beethoven dedicated to him.^[1] It is also known as L'Aurora (The Dawn) in Italian, for the sonority of the opening chords of the third movement, thought to conjure an image of daybreak.

It is considered one of Beethoven's greatest and most technically challenging

runs, and the coda features glissando octaves

written in dialogue between the hands.

An average performance of the entire Waldstein lasts about twenty-five minutes.

Movements

I. Allegro con brio

II. Introduzione: Adagio molto

III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo

Played by Artur Schnabel in 1932

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The Waldstein has three movements:

duple time
)

The first and last movements of the sonata are the most substantial, each taking about 11 minutes to perform.

I. Allegro con brio

The first movement is in sonata form: it has a repeated exposition with two subject groups, a development section, a recapitulation and a coda.^[2]

The movement opens with repeated pianissimo chords in a straightforward but anxious rhythm, devoid of melody for two bars:

${ #(set-global-staff-size 18) { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { \relative c { \once\override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = #4 \clef bass \time 4/4 \tempo "Allegro con brio" 4 = 176 \override DynamicLineSpanner.staff-padding = #2.5 r8\pp <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <c e> <d fis> <d fis> <d g>4.( b'16 a) g8 r r4 \clef treble \grace { cis''8( } d4~)( d16 c b a g4-.) r4 } } \new Staff { \relative c, { \clef bass c8 <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c g'> <c a'> <c a'> [ ] } } >> } }$

It then swiftly ascends, followed by a three-note descent in the middle register and a four-note descent in the upper. This phrase is then repeated starting on

half cadence to the dominant (G major), the opening phrase returns again but this time in a tremolo variation.^[3]

The second subject group, marked

dolce, is a chordal theme in E major, the mediant key. Modulation to the mediant for the second subject area is another feature shared by this sonata and the Sonata No. 16.^[3] Beethoven would employ the same shift again in later works (in the Hammerklavier Sonata

, for example).

For the recapitulation, Beethoven transposes the second subject into A major, quickly changing into A minor and then back to C major for the coda.

II. Introduzione. Adagio molto

$\relative c' { \new PianoStaff << \new Staff { \key f \major \time 6/8 \clef bass \tempo \markup { \column { \line { INTRODUZIONE. } \line { Adagio molto. } } } \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 8 = 30 r8 c,16.\pp c32 a'8^\markup ten. r a16. a32 dis8^\markup ten. r <e gis,>-.( <e b gis>-.) <e b gis>4 r8 \clef treble r b16. b32 g'!8^\markup ten. r cis,16. cis32 ais'8^\markup ten. r -.( -.) 4 r8 } \new Staff { \key f \major \time 6/8 \clef bass <f,, f,>4._\pp <f f,> r8 <e' e,>-.( <e e,>-.) <e e,>4 r8 <e e,>4. <e e,> r8 <dis b dis,>-.( <dis b dis,>-.) <dis b dis,>4 r8 } >> }$

The Introduzione is a short Adagio in

⁶
₈ time that serves as an introduction to the third movement. This replaced an earlier, longer middle movement, later published as the Andante favori, WoO 57. The music gradually gets more agitated before calming down to segue into the rondo

.

III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo

${ \new PianoStaff << \new Staff = "up" { \tempo \markup { \column { \line{Rondo.} \line{Allegretto moderato. }}} \relative c { \clef bass \time 2/4 \stemDown r16 e g c e e, g c e e, g c e e, g c r f, g b d f, g b r e, g c e e, g c r e, g c e e, g c e e, g c e e, g c r f, g b d f, g b r8 e,16 g c e d c } } \new Staff = "down" { \relative c, { \clef bass c8 r8\clef treble g''''4 g4. e8 d4 g, c e8\clef bass r16 c,, c,8 r\clef treble g''''4 g4. e8 d4 g, c8 r4 r16 \clef bass g,, } } >> }$

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The rondo begins with a pianissimo melody played with crossed hands that soon returns

episode

.

The music returns to C major and the sweet theme is repeated, followed by a series of

major 7th arpeggios, returning after much drama to the C major theme played fortissimo

.

The second theme reappears, followed by another characteristic long line of beautiful dance-like music. Another series of fortissimo chords announces a short, delicate pianissimo section: the movement seems to die away but then unexpectedly segues into a virtuosic prestissimo coda that plays with the various themes of the movement, ending in a triumphant rush of grandeur.

References

^ Nottebohm, Gustav (1868). Thematisches Verzeichniss der im Druck erschienenen Werke von Ludwig van Beethoven. p. 210.
^ Tarasti, Eero (1991). "Beethoven's Waldstein and the Generative Course". Indiana Theory Review. 12: 103.
^
ISBN 0300090706
.

External links

Piano Sonata No. 21: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Lecture with clips of performance by András Schiff and why he thinks it is "one of the greatest pieces of music there is".
Recording by Paavali Jumppanen, piano from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

[1] Nottebohm, Gustav (1868). Thematisches Verzeichniss der im Druck erschienenen Werke von Ludwig van Beethoven. p. 210.

[2] Tarasti, Eero (1991). "Beethoven's Waldstein and the Generative Course". Indiana Theory Review. 12: 103.

[CR-3] 
ISBN 0300090706
.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven
Early sonatas	No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2/1 No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2 No. 3 in C major, Op. 2/3 No. 4 in E♭ major, Op. 7 (Grand Sonata) No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10/1 No. 6 in F major, Op. 10/2 No. 7 in D major, Op. 10/3 No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (Pathétique) No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1 No. 10 in G major, Op. 14/2 No. 11 in B♭ major, Op. 22 No. 12 in A♭ major, Op. 26 No. 13 in E♭ major, Op. 27/1 No. 14 in C♯ minor, Op. 27/2 (Moonlight) No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 (Pastoral) No. 19 in G minor and No. 20 in G major, Op. 49
Middle sonatas	No. 16 in G major, Op. 31/1 No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31/2 (The Tempest) No. 18 in E♭ major, Op. 31/3 (The Hunt) No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 (Waldstein) No. 22 in F major, Op. 54 No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (Appassionata) No. 24 in F♯ major, Op. 78 (À Thérèse) No. 25 in G major, Op. 79 No. 26 in E♭ major, Op. 81a (Les adieux) No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
Late sonatas	No. 28 in A major, Op. 101 No. 29 in B♭ major, Op. 106 (Hammerklavier) No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 No. 31 in A♭ major, Op. 110 No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Duo	Sonata in D major for piano four-hands, Op. 6
Unnumbered (WoO)	Three Piano Sonatas, WoO 47 Piano Sonata in C major, WoO 51 (fragmentary)
Doubtful (Anh.)	Sonatina in G major, Anh. 5/1 Sonatina in F major, Anh. 5/2

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Spain France BnF data Catalonia Germany Israel United States Australia
Other	MusicBrainz work

Movements

I. Allegro con brio

II. Introduzione. Adagio molto

III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato – Prestissimo

References

Further reading

External links