Piano Sonata No. 3 (Beethoven)
The Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 3 , was completed in 1795. Like Nos. 1 and 2, Beethoven also dedicated this sonata to his teacher Joseph Haydn , whom he greatly admired. Consequently, for this sonata, too, he chose the four-movement form corresponding to Haydn's model.
In contrast to No. 1 and No. 2 , which have chamber music and pianistic virtuoso traits, Op. 2 No. 3 also gains an orchestral character. Mauser sees passages here (1st movement: from bar 13, bars 91 to 138) that could well come from a piano concerto. The "symphonically wide arc" of the slow movement also corresponds to this concertante claim.
construction
- First movement: Allegro con brio, C major, 4/4 time, 257 bars
- Second movement: Adagio, E major, 2/4 time, 82 bars
- Third movement: Scherzo, Allegro, C major, 3/4 time, 128 bars
- Fourth movement: Allegro assai, C major, 6/8 time, 312 bars
1st movement - Allegro con brio
The longest of the four sentences. The written out trill with the base of the third (CE) and the subsequent finish with three inversions forms the first theme, which is also taken up again and again in the three other movements.
“You can see the first two bars of the first movement as the source of the whole. The two bars of the main theme are a small electric battery that supplies the work with electricity. "
The short main theme is followed by a real explosion, which starts in bar 13 with a “Subito Fortissimo”. The transition ends abruptly in fortissimo. Beethoven works with unexpected changes in dynamics. The main movement consists of 26 bars.
Two quarter breaks introduce the page set. A few expressive bars are followed by a surprising turn that introduces the second theme. The 2nd theme reveals some orchestral traits. It is in the dominant G major and quickly tends to the end of the exposition . After the previously presented motifs have been processed, the 90-bar exposition with octave figures ends.
The implementation will start after a brief audition with a standing fortissimo sixteenth race that leads to clock 109 to the repetition of the main theme in D major. A long modulation in C major leads to the recapitulation, which then begins in bar 139. The subsequent coda is divided into two parts. The first part is marked in bars 249-251 by a cadence that tends towards the key of C major. The octave figure known from the exposure closure acts as the second part from bar 252.
2nd movement - Adagio
The main key of the 2nd movement is E major. The theme is a simplification of the main theme from the 1st sentence. It is a falling sequence. The first six bars represent six musical questions that are answered by the following four bars. These ten bars form the first part of the 2nd movement. The second part forms the contrasting part and in terms of form always remains the same. A bass tone triggers the flowing accompaniment of the motifs that now appear. This part is characterized by calm and flow and is comparable to the accompaniment of a song.
After the contrasting part, the basic theme of the 2nd sentence starts again and seems to follow the same course again, i.e. six questions with answers and the same end. After the end, however, the basic motif follows twice in fortissimo. These two other questions are not answered. It is now an ascending sequence.
After repeating the contrast part, the basic theme sounds again. This is followed by a six-bar coda that ends the 2nd movement in pianissimo.
3rd movement - Scherzo (Allegro)
In contrast to the scherzo of the previous sonata, which is only a scherzo in character, but otherwise still moves within the moderate minuet tempo, the third movement here is not only referred to as a scherzo , but also accelerated in tempo, so that the transition now from the traditional minuet to the “modern” Beethoven's Scherzo is finally completed.
The first part is in C major and is determined by a cheerful, playful theme that is processed in a variety of contrapuntal and imitative ways. Beginning in bar 65, there is a dark trio in A minor, which piles up triplet arpeggios over octaved basses, in sharp contrast. After the repetition of the main part, a coda follows , which initially ties in with the striking final accents of the main part, but then lets the starting motif fade away in the bass region.
4th movement - Allegro assai
The 4th movement is a mixed type of rondo and sonata form. The main set of exposure is divided into three parts (ABA). The sixth chord leader sets the beginning. This is followed by the sixteenth run (B, from bar 8) in the right hand, which leads back to the sixteenth chord leader (A, from bar 19). After a short transition, the vocal side movement of the exposition follows from bar 30 in piano . After a virtuoso transition, the main theme follows again in bar 69, which this time takes a different course. After the two sixth chord leaders, the sixteenth run does not follow, as one might assume, but the motif of the sixth chord leader in the left hand is taken up in octaves (bar 77). This turning point is also the transition to implementation. The development begins with what is probably the most difficult part of the entire sonata, leading to a chorale-like part. This chorale motif will appear again and again in the course of the development. The development is a mixture of the chorale motif on the one hand (bars 103–118, 127–134, 143–166) and a syncopated, almost jazzy sounding part on the other. After the development, the usual recapitulation follows. It has the same course as the exposure. After a new sixth chord leader, the brilliant coda begins, which ends the early “concert without orchestra” with a virtuoso fourth modulation and double trills.
expenditure
- Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Volume 1. Wiener Urtext Edition; Universal Edition.
literature
- Siegfried Mauser: Beethoven's piano sonatas. A musical factory guide. 2nd edition, Munich 2008.
- Jürgen Uhde : Beethoven's Piano Music II - Sonatas 1-15. Reclam.
Web links
- Piano Sonata No. 3 (Beethoven) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project