Piano Sonata op.10 / 2 (Dussek)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Piano Sonata op. 10 No. 2 in G minor is a composition by the Bohemian composer Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760–1812). Together with the preceding sonata in A major op. 10/1 and the final sonata in E major op. 10/3, it forms his opus 10, which he completed in the year of the revolution in 1789.

Emergence

Inserted between the cheerful, opening three - movement sonata in A major and followed by the first soothing, then angry concluding two - movement sonata in E major (with a final movement in E minor ), the two-movement sonata in G minor comes with a special one if not the central point of the collection of three too. Written in the great year of the revolution, 1789, it may reflect the events of that event in its dark, troubled gesture.

Dussek stayed in Paris as a pianist , composer and piano teacher from 1786 ; especially as a virtuoso he achieved undreamt-of successes. Among other things, King Louis XVI. and his wife Marie Antoinette among his noble patrons. When the omens for the impending revolutionary upheavals became increasingly clear, Dussek fled. In May 1789 he crossed over to the British Isles , and on June 1, 1789 he gave his premiere concert in London . The more common rumor that he only fled after the outbreak of the revolution can therefore be rejected.

music

The sonata itself consists of the two movements Grave. Adagio non troppo and Vivace con spirito , both in the main key . Already the gloomy main theme of the first movement (which is based on the sonata main movement form ), a slow, dotted rhythmic decomposition of the G minor triad, awakens the feeling of premonition. Almost the entire movement is determined by this motif, only one motif close to the main theme in the parallel key of B flat major interrupts the subdued mood. This theme appears in G minor in the recapitulation. The set dispenses with great technical effort and saves on modulations ; just two upward-flipping chord splits over just under two octaves at the beginning of the development require greater pianistic skills. However, it is precisely this simplicity and manageability that makes this first sentence so attractive, which makes it easy (and probably not entirely unsuitable) to be interpreted as "calm before the storm".

The second movement is quite the opposite , agitated and virtuoso exposed, also in sonata form, the main theme of which is carried by thundering octaves in the bass. The secondary theme, a four-bar, jumping figure in B flat major , does not detract from the perpetual motion machine character of the movement. After a short but densely packed development, the recapitulation appears, in keeping with the form. In it the thematic sequence of the exposition dissolves further and further, the clear delimitation of the motifs runs in virtuoso empty phrases and chord breakdowns, so that after the last appearance of the main theme and a powerful, full-grip cadence, the movement ends with three deep, thunderous beats .

literature

  • Howard Allen Craw: "A Biography and Thematic Catalog of the Works of JL Dussek", Univ. Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Mich. 1969

Web links