Piano Sonata No. 4 (Beethoven)

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Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7,
1st movement,
allegro molto and con brio

Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7 was written in 1796 and 1797 and was first published in 1797 by Artaria in Vienna as the Grande Sonate . After the Hammerklavier Sonata it is Beethoven's most extensive work of this genre, the main movement alone comprises 362 bars, consequently it is the first sonata to which Beethoven assigned its own opus number.

He dedicated this work to his pupil Babette Countess von Keglevich de Buzin .

The performance lasts - in the recording by Friedrich Gulda from 1967 - around 25 minutes.

music

First sentence

Allegro molto e con brio; E flat major; 6/8 time; Sonata main clause form ; 362 bars

Exposure

The first movement begins with a horn-like fanfare, which is followed by a lyrical ending; an example of the dualism of the Viennese classicism . After the modulation to B flat major, another motif sounds, which is not the expected secondary theme. The actual secondary theme is a relatively simple chorale, which, however, is varied immediately. After a surprising twist in fortissimo to C major, another theme is heard, which, however, is soon replaced by an ascending fanfare in B major. This is followed by a chromatic episode in which sixteenth notes circle in chromatically colored light in the tone b. The exposition ends with a fanfare motif, which shows a relationship with the opening fanfare. The exposition is repeated according to classical custom. It comprises a total of 136 bars.

execution

The implementation starts with the opening theme in G major, but is soon lost in ascending and descending quaver passages that are borrowed from the postscript of the opening theme. In F minor, the fanfare motif sounds from the end of the exposition to modulate soon after D major. The D major seventh chord is surprisingly modulated to A minor via a diminished seventh chord, where the opening theme is heard again. Finally, over D minor, in pianissimo, the B major seventh chord is reached, the dominant to E flat major. The execution comprises only 52 bars, less than half the exposure.

Recapitulation

The recapitulation begins violently with the opening fanfare in subito fortissimo. After a modulation to A flat major, B flat major is finally reached as the dominant of E flat major. The rest of the recapitulation roughly corresponds to the exposition. The recapitulation is 124 bars.

Coda

The coda brings up all the important topics in a sketchy manner. It begins in fortissimo with the entrance fanfare. This moment acts like an orchestral tutti and represents the climax of the movement. Then the secondary theme and the final group appear again; on an E flat major chord the opening theme brews up again to the great final increase. The coda has 50 bars, so it is almost as long as the development. A fermat bar at the end indicates a longer pause between the first and second movements.

Second sentence

Largo, con grand espressione; C major; 3/4 time; Three-part song form with coda; 90 bars

The second movement, which has to be played very slowly, is in C major, a key that shows the relationship between thirds and E flat major. The melody, which sounds deep and calm at first, is torn up by many pauses. From bar 9 a vocal part begins in a higher register, which soon sinks back into its initial calm. In bar 25, the middle section of the piece begins on throbbing sixteenth staccati in A flat major. This part is characterized by many sforzati and subito forte. After increasing the dynamics, it ends in a threatening sounding fanfare on g, the dominant of c. One now expects the main theme, which, however, begins in B major and in high treble range instead of in C major. It is driven back to C major by violent sforzati. The main theme sounds again in its original form, but is varied from bar 59. In bar 73 the coda begins as a further variation on the main theme. The movement ends with the opening theme, which is given new harmonies and sounds over a chromatically descending bass.

Third sentence

Allegro; E flat major; 3/4 time; Three-part scherzo form; 149 bars

Bulk

The main part has unusual dimensions for a Scherzo and can be understood as a small sonata movement with main and secondary themes. The main theme consists of a descending and ascending triad in E flat major, which is reminiscent of the theme of the first movement of his 3rd symphony . The secondary theme is developed from the follow-up to the main theme and is in B flat major. The small exposition comprises 24 bars. The development begins with the main theme in the canon, which soon modulates from F minor back to E flat major. With this, the recapitulation begins in bar 43, which at 53 bars is far more extensive than the exposition. It also has other modulations and a small nine-bar coda.

Middle part

The middle section called “Minore” is in E flat minor. The triplets in pianissimo and the individual sf accents create a mysterious atmosphere. In Edwin Fischer's opinion, the pedal should only be used for the accents and the rest should be played as "dry murmur".

Fourth sentence

Rondo. Poco Allegretto e grazioso; 2/4 time; Rondo shape; 183 bars

The rondo is made according to the classic ABACABA scheme. A stands for the recurring main topic, B and C are the two side topics.

Contemporaries have always called Beethoven's op.7 “the love one”, this seems to be confirmed by the flattering melody of the main theme. The first sub-theme appears for the first time in B flat major, the second time in E flat major; the second secondary theme in C minor has a stormy character due to its constant 32nd note movement, continuous fortissimo and sf accents. The main theme is varied slightly on the last two repetitions. After the last regular use of the main theme, it seems as if the stormy Second Side Theme is sounding again, but instead the main theme is now presented in E major. After the modulation back to E flat major, the second secondary theme now sounds as a coda, but in peaceful E flat major and piano. The movement ends pianissimo.

literature

• Siegfried Mauser: Beethoven's Piano Sonatas - A musical guide . 2nd Edition. Munich 2008

Web links

• Piano Sonata No. 4 (Beethoven) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project

Individual evidence

1. ↑ , Gustav Nottebohm: Second Beethoveniana: Post-processed essays . Library of German Literature. Verlag Peters, 1887, p. 512
2. ^ Oehlmann, Werner, 1901–1985 .: Reclams piano music guide . 7th edition. Reclam, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-15-010112-3 .