Piano Sonata No. 27 (Beethoven)

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Willibrord Joseph Mähler: Beethoven (1815)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 27 op. 90 is considered the first of his late creative period. Like op. 54 , op. 78 and op. 111 (and the two easy sonatas op. 49) it has only two movements.

Origin and dedication

Five years had passed since op. 81a “Les Adieux” . During this time Beethoven had worked almost exclusively on the opera Fidelio and a few smaller works. It was only when Fidelio was nearing completion that Beethoven began work on other pieces - and took a completely new direction.

Beethoven was extremely popular in 1814 because of his overture Wellington's Victory . The Sonata in E minor was composed in the summer of that year. Beethoven used the royalties, among other things, to repay the debts of his brother Kaspar Karl (whose son he later brought in). He had incurred debts with the Viennese music publisher Sigmund Anton Steiner, for which Beethoven took over a guarantee. The regional court obliged Beethoven to hand over a new piano sonata to the publisher, which resulted in Op. 90.

Beethoven's patron and gifted student Archduke Rudolph of Austria also came into possession of the autograph for a time; however, the sonata is dedicated to Beethoven's long-time friend Moritz Graf von Lichnowsky . As is so often the case, printing took place after a few delays and troublesome error corrections in 1815 ; on June 6th it was published by Sigmund Anton Steiner.

Sentence headings

For the first time, Beethoven only used German movement designations in a piano sonata, as then only in the following A major sonata and for the final movement of the E major sonata - possibly an expression of the patriotic enthusiasm that he, like all Germans, enjoyed in the so-called wars of liberation against Napoleon seized. In the sentence designations, Beethoven reveals himself to be a conductor who wants to influence the performer through language. More than traditional tempo markings that are still in use today, they are instructions for understanding the tonal language.

construction

First sentence

Entrance subject

With liveliness and thoroughly with sensation and expression ; E Minor , 3 / 4

In this sonata, Beethoven experiments with a two-movement form that is rare for him, which he otherwise only dealt with in the little sonatas op. 49 and op. 78, and which was to culminate with the sonata op. 111 . The sentence heading is quite ambiguous: "Sensation" and "Expression" are not easy to combine, especially not with the actually "aggressive" sentence. The first theme is in three parts and, like the whole movement, is based on a note repetition and a quarter upbeat . The theme changes its texture again and again , but remains in the basic rhythm and especially harmoniously quite sluggish (Beethoven cadences again and again, which also forces him to constantly new forms of overcoming the harmonic resistance).

After a transition that is characterized by fast downward runs, Beethoven modulates to B minor , where the second theme is preparing (or is it already beginning?) Via repeating chords . These chords increase to fortissimo, before a melody sounds over a wide Alberti bass as an accompaniment. The exposition melts down to one note (h), from which the implementation emerges. This is mainly based on the beginning of the first topic. This is followed by a processing of the second part of the same, in which Beethoven adds a sixteenth note accompaniment in his right hand, from which the first theme emerges again at the beginning of the recapitulation .

The recapitulation, in turn, has been significantly changed and increased, particularly in the transition section. The first movement finally ends in a pianissimo coda that cites the first theme again.

Second sentence

Subject of the 2nd movement

Not performed too quickly and very singable ; E Major , 2 / 4

This movement is Beethoven's last final rondo in a piano sonata and, as already indicated, is often compared with Schubert's style due to its cantabile themes . As in the first movement, the thematic material is almost exclusively in the right hand, but the sixteenth notes on the left are also very interesting, as they are always perfectly adapted to the “needs” of the melody. Beethoven uses two 8-bars as a theme, which, surprisingly, is followed by the first part again before a new secondary theme, reminiscent of the first movement, emerges. This is soon replaced by another thought, which is accompanied by "trilling" sixteenths. At the end of this subordinate clause there is a slow closing gesture, which is now provided with triplets , before the subject begins again.

The second intermediate movement is much more extensive and, above all, more interesting in terms of harmony. Beethoven modulates from E major to C minor and quotes the closing thoughts of the first intermediate part. In this sense, one could also speak of a kind of execution process, and in fact Beethoven's rondos are always sonata processes as well. After the theme and the first intermediate section have been repeated, almost all of a sudden a small modulation follows , which announces Beethoven's coming radicalism, and for a short time seems to cause the peaceful mood (and that in pianissimo!) To be overturned.

The coda shifts the subject to the left hand and there are new accompanying phrases. The flow of the sonata is interrupted twice, but again and again new ideas arise. Since a furious ending is hardly possible, Beethoven uses a unique idea: an accelerando scale figure falls and then rises again to “just stop” in pianissimo, in two voices, without a big final gesture, suddenly falling silent.

literature

Sound samples

Piano playing by Randolph Hokanson at the University of Washington , 2006

  1. Sentence - listen ? / iAudio file / audio sample
  2. Sentence - listen ? / iAudio file / audio sample

Web links