Piano Sonata No. 16 (Mozart)

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (posthumous portrait by Barbara Krafft )

The Sonata no. 16 in C major (Sonata facile, KV 545) was in 1788 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed in Vienna. It was initially referred to as "A small piano sonata for beginners", and then in the first edition in 1805 as Sonate facile .

construction

  1. Allegro in C major
  2. Andante in G major
  3. Rondo in C major

1st movement Allegro

The exposure

Audio sample of the first movement
Beginning of the first movement of the sonata.

The exposure of the Sonata facile begins with the main theme in the tonic (C major). The theme is played exclusively by the right hand, while the left hand with its broken triads acts as chordal support. Mozart moves exclusively in the functions of the tonic, subdominant and dominant , which he uses symmetrically (T; D; T; S; T; D; T), which represents a calm beginning without major surprises. The subject of the main clause is difficult to classify in a classic subject form. It corresponds most closely to the sentence form if one regards bars 1–2 as a phrase and M 3–4 as, in this case varied, phrase repetition. With this approach, the development that typically follows the phrase repetition in sentence-like topics already coincides with the beginning of the transition of the main clause. However, since many compromises have to be made if one wants to assign the main theme to a classical theme form, the statement that Mozart did not use a typical theme form at the beginning of the piece would not be unfounded.

As a transition to the secondary theme, Mozart uses sequenced runs (each over an octave , from bottom to top) which, as a subdominant, begin on the a 'and gradually descend. Arrived at the d ', the c in the run becomes a c sharp, which creates a leading tone character and gives the first indication of a modulation to the dominant via the double dominant (D major). Since Mozart now concentrates on the dominant function and thus on the G in the left hand towards the end of the first transition, while the right hand is increasingly limited to the notes of the dominant triad, the dominant gradually becomes the new tonic. The use of the double dominant already mentioned in M ​​13 (c sharp 'and D "as root and the seventh of the double dominant) reinforces this impression. The transition to the secondary theme is thus made by leading over D major to G major and G- Major is established as the new tonic for the side movement and the rest of the exposure.

Now the page set begins, which is structured schematically similar to the main set. Both topics start with two bar phrases. However, unlike the first topic, the second topic can be relatively safely called a sentence. The first phrase is repeated and, as a development part, sequenced triad breaks follow, which, similar to the main theme, are part of the transition, in this case part of the transition to the final group. They begin on the d, like the two previous thematic entries, which can be used to justify the thesis that the transition also functions as a development of the phrases. The final group of the exposition begins in bar 22. The triad breaks in the transition are replaced by a jumping motif with short sixteenth-note suggestions in the part. As in the main and secondary themes, the melody is in the right hand. This time, however, the accompanying pattern of the left hand consists of insistent tone repetitions. The exposition ends with two triad breaks in G major, shifted by an octave. G major is then confirmed again with three chord strikes .

The implementation

The implementation will at the very beginning, the triads again, but this time in G Minor. These can be heard again in bars 33 and 34, as a sequence of the previous one and in D minor. Thus Mozart made the triad refractions used at the end of the exposition an important element of its development. In fact, themes and motifs from the exposition are often used and processed in the implementation. Mostly, however, material from the main topic and, less often, from the secondary topic is used. Mozart, however, emphasizes the inconspicuous ending of the final group by repeating / sequencing. This “topic” is played around with complementary runs. A closer look reveals another similarity between the implementation and the exposure. In both parts there are the same elements in the bass: a quarter note, then two quarter rests and again a quarter note. Compare M 5–8 with M 29–30. In bars 32 and 35 one finds, as an example of the motivic work that is characteristic of implementations, a sequence with an exchange of voices.

The recapitulation

The runs, which from bar 37 each lead down an octave, now lead over to the recapitulation and modulate again, this time to F major, with which the recapitulation begins in bar 42. Usually this is where the tonic is expected. In Mozart's Sonata facile, however, the recapitulation begins in the subdominant, which gives the theme a new harmonic coloring. Except for the key, the first use of the theme in the exposition and in the recapitulation are completely the same. The first difference can be found in the transition, which is much longer than the exposure. According to the well-known model, they are sixteenth runs that work their way downwards step by step over four bars, but then pass into the left hand. This is possibly the most varied place for the left hand, which otherwise has no predominant role. In total, the runs are drawn over six bars, four of them in the left hand.

With a total of ten bars, the transition from the main to the secondary movement in the recapitulation is four bars longer than that in the exposition. While the left hand takes over the runs, the right hand plays the accompaniment already mentioned, consisting of a quarter, followed by a half pause and another quarter. The transition is longer because the subdominant has to be modulated into the tonic. The next subordinate movement is in the tonic. An exciting modulation can also be observed here. The first five bars are still based on the key of the main movement. This can be seen from the recurring h, which is lowered to a b. For the first time in bar 51 this is resolved to a b, but the key is not yet clearly modulated, but you now find yourself again without an accidentals, and in bar 53 the left hand plays a C major run. These four bars in the left hand represent, so to speak, a transition in the transition. In the bass, too, the run is sequenced one step down for each bar, after the C major run just mentioned, the transition continues in the same way as in the exposition . The occasional tones c sharp and f sharp show that a modulation takes place in this section. The main movement of the recapitulation ends on the dominant G major.

Within a bar (T58) Mozart returns to the tonic in C major. The notes f and g play a predominant role, the seventh and the root of the dominant in C major. In the exposition there is a very similar process, but here, as described above for M 13, with the functions of double dominant and dominant. The side movement is in the tonic and otherwise corresponds to the exposition. In contrast to the recapitulation of the main theme, there are no surprising deviations from the typical harmonic sequence of a sonata movement. The transition to the final section of the recapitulation is no longer than its parallel passage. In the same way, triads in both hands complement each other, leading to the final group, which is also closely related to the material presented in the exposition.

However, Mozart does not take on this part as completely as the first and second. Instead of having to write another transition into the tonic after the final group, he summarizes this in a run played by both hands and returns to the tonic on the one-bar trill on the dominant, also recognizable from the exposition. The theme used in the exposition and development is played one last time, this time in the tonic in which the piece ends. The development and recapitulation are repeated, an instruction that is less common in sonatas.

The coda

A coda , a separate final section of the sonata movement , is found in many sonatas, but Mozart did not write one. As already mentioned, the coda of a sonata is a separate part, which can be recognized as such by at least a few new elements and does not just consist of repetitions of the other parts. This deviation from the otherwise frequently encountered formal sequence is not particularly noticeable, however, since the final part of the exposition / recapitulation with its three C major chords has a very concluding character.

2nd movement Andante

First and second motif of the A part of the second movement

This slow movement is structured as a rondo in a very interesting way. First, in the first eight bars, the A theme, which, like the movement, is in G major. It mainly consists of two motifs that focus on the right hand. The first motif consists of a long held note, which is then played around in the following. The left hand runs through an Alberti bass . The second motif is a sloping broken chord. From bars nine to sixteen the theme sounds again in a slightly different form (A '). This entire section (bars 1-16) is repeated. In bar 17 the B part follows, which is in the dominant D major. It is followed by the A 'part again in bar 25, which is exactly the same as the A' part of bars 9-16. The combination of the B and A 'parts is also repeated. The C part beginning in bar 33 is in G minor. Here the motifs are partially transposed and led to B flat major and F major. In this case, B major is the parallel major key to G minor and F major is the dominant in B major. The motif in bar 48 is brought back to G major via a chromatic play. The A section follows from bars 49 to 56. The A 'part is then connected again up to bar 64, before a coda follows from bar 65 to the end (bar 74). The sentence ends here with the tonic.

3rd movement Rondo

This rondo has the typical rondo shape. The A section from bars one to eight consists of two motifs. The first dance motif consists of thirds. It is introduced with a two-eighth upbeat, which leads to the keynote c. The left hand picks up this motif and replies with a sequencing. The second motif is rather playful and in the right hand consists of sixteenth notes running from bars two to four. The left hand shows up as a contrast created by the dotted quarter.

The keys that occur "play around" the key of C major, which determines the accidentals and final chords, namely G major (often as G7, dominant seventh chord ), D major ( double dominant ), A minor ( parallel key ) and E major (dominant of the minor parallel ).

Rating

The composer does not use unusual keys or dissonant friction, which gives the work a conciliatory conclusion. With the Sonata facile, Mozart has succeeded in creating a great work that makes it easy for the listener, rather difficult for the player, contrary to what the title suggests, and which, at second glance, shows a complex structure. Also due to the fact that this sonata was composed only three years before his death, it is not surprising that Mozart had already developed his personal style to perfection and applied it to the full.

Edits

The Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg added the sonatas KV 283, KV 457, KV 533 and 545 (Sonata facile) originally for study purposes with a "freely composed accompaniment for a second piano". The German composer Johannes X. Schachtner orchestrated the Grieg arrangement and brought out the new version under the title "Concertino facile for piano and chamber ensemble".

Web links

Commons : Piano Sonata No. 16  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Siegbert Rampe: Mozart's Claviermusik: Klangwelt und Aufführungpraxis. Kassel 1995, p. 281