Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)
Piano Sonata No. 8 | |
---|---|
by Ludwig van Beethoven | |
![]() Portrait of Beethoven in 1801; painted by Carl Traugott Riedel | |
Key | C minor |
Opus | 13 |
Composed | 1798–1799 |
Dedication | Prince Karl von Lichnowsky |
Duration | 17-20 minutes |
Movements | 3 |
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. It has remained one of his most celebrated compositions.[1] Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky.[2] 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.[3]
Prominent
Movements
In its entirety, encompassing all three movements, the work takes approximately 18-20 minutes to perform.[6]
The sonata consists of three movements:
Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
The first movement is in
The development section begins in the key of G minor but quickly modulates to E 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.
The opening has been sampled and featured in countless works; for instance, Lady Gaga used the theme in the intro to the music video for her 2011 song "Marry the Night."
MIDI rendition, 6:57 minutes, 30 KB
Adagio cantabile
This movement exemplifies the expressive Adagio style of many slow movements in the classical period. The famous cantabile melody is played three times, always in A♭ major, separated by two modulating episodes; the movement is thus a simple rondo rather than the sonata form more common for movements of this seriousness. The first episode is set in F minor (the relative minor of A♭ major), further modulating to E♭ major before returning to the main theme. The second episode begins in A♭ 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.
MIDI rendition, 5:03 minutes, 12 KB
The main theme of this movement opens nearly identically to an episode in the slow movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 14, K. 457.
The cantabile theme from this movement was used as the theme music for radio's most widely listened-to classical music program,[7][8] Adventures in Good Music, which aired nationally in the United States and in many other countries from 1970 to 2007. The theme was performed by Karl Haas, the program's host.
Additionally, Billy Joel used the theme as the chorus of his 1983 song "This Night."[9]
Rondo: Allegro
The sonata closes with a
MIDI rendition, 4:25 minutes, 17 KB
Reactions of Beethoven's contemporaries
The sonata Pathétique was an important success for Beethoven, selling well[10] and helping create his reputation as a composer,[11] 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 composer Ignaz 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."[12]
Anton Schindler, a musician who was a friend of Beethoven in the composer's later years, wrote: "What the Sonate 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 always legato playing, one of the particular characteristics of his execution, formed an important part."[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b Craig Wright, Listening to Western Music, pp. 209–212. Cengage Learning.
- ^ Beethoven Pathetique Sonata Op. 13 All About Beethoven. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- Schirmer2004.
- ^ Marks, F. Helena. The Sonata: Its Form and Meaning as Exemplified in the Piano Sonatas by Mozart. W. Reeves, London, 1921.
- ^ Sisman, Elaine R. Pathos and the Pathetique: Rhetorical Stance in Beethoven's C-minor Sonata Op. 13. Beethoven Forum vol. 3, pp. 81–106. University of Nebraska Press, 1994.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqTEOTOyj4
- ^ Anne Midgette (February 8, 2005). "Karl Haas, Radio Ambassador of Classical Music, Dies at 9". The New York Times. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Holley, Joe (8 February 2005). "Classical Radio Personality Karl Haas, 91, Dies". The Washington Post. p. B06. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
- ^ "Did you know Billy Joel's 'This Night' uses the same melody as Beethoven's Sonata Pathétique?".
- ^ Maynard Solomon, Beethoven, p. 80. Revised Edition, Schirmer Trade Books.
- ^ Jan Swafford, Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph, p. 219. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- ^ a b H. C. Robbins Landon, Beethoven: A Documentary Study, pp. 61–62. Thames & Hudson 1970.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Piano Sonata No. 8: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Score from the Ricordi edition, William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University School of Music
- Public-domain recording of this sonata at Musopen
- A lecture by András Schiff on Beethoven's piano sonata Op. 13, via The Guardian
- Recording by Daniel Barenboim