Cello Sonata No. 2 (Beethoven)
The Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor op.5.2 is a sonata for cello and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven .
Emergence
The composition was created in Berlin in 1796. Beethoven felt inspired to compose the cello sonata No. 2 in G minor op.5.2 as well as the cello sonata No. 1 after an encounter with the cellist Jean-Louis Duport at the Prussian court of King Friedrich Wilhelm II in Berlin.
To the music
The cello sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5.2, which was part of Beethoven's first creative period, is, like its sister work , the first work of its kind in which the cello takes on an equal role alongside the piano. It follows the same concept, which may have been borrowed from Mozart's C major violin sonata KV 303, but nevertheless shows clear differences to the cello sonata No. 1.
1st movement: Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo - Allegro molto più tosto presto
In contrast to Beethoven's first cello sonata, the introduction to the G minor sonata takes up a much more important role, and this time each instrument presents its own themes. For almost the entire movement, the piano part is characterized by rolling triplets , while the cello part is characterized by long melodies with extended legato parts . Main and secondary topics are developed in detail; in the middle of the implementation a new topic is presented.
The transitions already have the character of an implementation ; the implementation itself consequently processes the material of the transition.
This movement has the same formal plan as Beethoven 's E flat major piano quartet WoO 36, No. 1 and Mozart's violin sonata KV 379 .
2nd movement: Rondo: Allegro
The finale, conceived as a G major rondo in the style of a counter dance, contrasts with the first movement . The beginning of the subdominant and its character are reminiscent of the finale of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, G major, op.58 .
effect
Both cello sonatas dedicated to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia were printed in February 1797 and published by Artaria- Verlag. Jean-Louis Duport is delighted when he received a copy of the two cello sonatas op. 5 from Beethoven.
As part of an encounter between Beethoven and the double bass player Domenico Dragonetti in Vienna, a performance of the G minor sonata by both musicians is known, whereby, according to Samuel Appleby , Beethoven was enthusiastic about Dragonetti's playing abilities.
literature
supporting documents
- Booklet for the double CD Beethoven - Complete Cello Sonatas 1–5. Philips (Universal), 2004.
- Harenberg cultural guide chamber music. 3rd, completely revised edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, Mannheim 2008, ISBN 978-3-411-07093-0 .
- Jürgen Heidrich: violoncello sonatas. In: Sven Hiemke (Ed.): Beethoven-Handbuch. Bärenreiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG et al., Kassel et al. 2009, ISBN 978-3-7618-2020-9 , pp. 476-482.
- Lewis Lockwood : Beethoven. His music - his life. Metzler et al., Weimar et al. 2009, ISBN 978-3-476-02231-8 , pp. 74 ff.
further reading
- Alexander L. Ringer: 2 cello sonatas in F major and G minor op. 5. In: Albrecht Riethmüller , Carl Dahlhaus , Alexander L. Ringer (eds.): Beethoven: Interpretations of his works. Volume 1. Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 1994, ISBN 3-89007-305-0 , pp. 41-48.
Web links
- Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 5.2 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project