Ludwig van Beethoven
b. December, 1770 – d. March, 1827
Piano Sonata No. 27 in e minor Op. 90
Composed in August 16th, 1814 and published in June, 1815
Daniel Lavin
Historical Context
During Beethoven’s lifetime, he admired Naoplean Bonaparte. This all came to an end when Napoleon crowned himself as Emperor of France. Originally, Beethoven named one of his Symphonies after Napoleon titled “Sinfonia intitolata Bonaparte.” When Beethoven found out that Napoleon declared himself Emporor, he violently scribbled out the original title and retitled the symphony as“Sinfonia Eroica.”
There is speculation that this is not true and that Beethoven still had some admiration for Napoleon. It is rumored that Beethoven was a democrat and that he favored the French Revolution as a young man. As the French Revolution became increasingly violent, especially after the Reign of Terror, he became more moderate in his views of the Revolution and admired Napoleon for being able to fix the problems that arose from the Revolution. Therefore, his contemporaries may have made this story up as a way to bring in their own political beliefs into Beethovens’ choice of compositional titles.
The War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809 crushed Austria and as well as Beethoven’s enthusiasm for Napoleon. The Peninsular War was when Napoleon was defeated and Beethoven supported the allies during time. He even wrote a short piece for orchestra after the victory at the Battle of Vitoria.
Biography
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770. He was baptized on December 17 that same year. Beethoven was seen as the most influential figure who made the transition from the Classical Period to the Romantic Period. His works where inspired by the works of Joseph Haydn and Mozart as well as humanism and nationalism. He was influenced by philosophers such as Goethe, Schiller, Kant, and the ideals of the French Revolution.
Beethoven received formal musical training by Christian Gottlob Neefe and by 1784, he became deputy court organist under the Archbishop. While there he also became a cembalist and viola-player for the orchestra. He also began to compose more during this period. In 1792, he went to study with Joseph Haydn who he felt he learned nothing from. He then began to study with Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri. Albrechtsberger taught him counterpoint and Salieri taught him vocal and dramatic setting.
By the turn of the century he became deaf and his music began to take a different direction at that point. As a composer, Beethoven stuck to the trends of his time and would sometimes try different things that would sound unconventional to the older generation but also fresh for others. Beethoven’s late string quartets delve into a different tonal harmony than what was done at the time and from what he has written previously.
Info about the piece
This piece was dedicated to Count Lichnowsky. Beethoven called this piece Kampf zwischen Kopf und Herz which translates to “a contest between head and heart.” He meant this as a joke because the first movement is dramatic and the second movement has a very romantic lyric melody in Rondo form. Conversation mit der Geliebten translated to “Happy Conversation with the Beloved” was the title of the Rondo which turns from mockery to a lighter conversational feel.
Before Beethoven wrote this piece, he lent out money to his sister and brother who did not pay back the money and he was forced by his new publisher to write a new sonata with or without another instrument. He sent it to the publisher at no cost and it was published in June 1815.
The tempo markings are significant in this piece because they are written in German rather than Italian. Beethoven chose to write it in German because a wave of Chauvinism spread throughout Germany and affected other areas of music as well as other areas besides music. People felt at the time that Italian was a Bonapartist language and felt that Napoleons day was over. Since the Germans are known for rejecting foreign elements, they would generally translate literal tempo markings or use descriptive compounds. This piece is written in sonata form where the exposition is not repeated and the development uses most of the material from the first subject.
Analysis
First Subject
The main theme is presented in the first eight bars. This piece can also be seen as beginning with an AB theme as well. The first two notes are part of theme A and theme B starts on the second note and lasts until A. Theme A represents a rhythmic figure and theme B an overlapping melodic figure. Theme A repeats one note higher and the following melodic material could be considered theme B’ because of its change in direction.
Measures 9 – 16 are answering theme A by a contrasting cantabile section as theme C. It begins with a new four bar figure that is separated as two plus two. It then ends on the dominant in measure 16. Measures 17 – 24 are a different form of b’. The bass rises in half steps and the treble has imitates material from the B theme.
Transition
Measures 25 – 36 starts with a new theme that borrows from the rhythmic theme A; a weak to strong beat pattern and in this case it is beat three to beat one. It then goes into full harmony and has a scale downward and the phrase ends on a C chord. The same is repeated and ends on an A minor chord.
In measures 37 – 44, the flat II is represented unharmonized and with rhythm. This is a repeat of the rhythmic A theme. The B flat goes down as a scale and ends on a low B flat and begins to build an unknown chord until it becomes obvious as a diminished seventh. The B flat becomes an A sharp and helps the chord resolve into the dominant.
Measures 45 – 54 modulates to the key of B minor. You have two bars in B minor followed by four bars that imitate the A theme/motif with a rising bass. The next two measures are on the dominant of the dominant and then continue on a dominant chord until measure 55 which goes back to B minor.
Second Subject
Measures 55 – 60 feature a six bar theme with the bass having a movement every four measure and then a different motion every two. From measure 61 – 66 there is a varied repetition. Measures 67 – 81 are a cadence theme that closes on three tonic chords.
Development
Measures 82 – 84 are an echo of the previous three chords in the second group. Measure 84 – 91 are a new dominant quality chord that rises as the bass lowers. In these measures, the AB theme/motif is developed and then on measure 92 – 99 the b’ figure starts on E flat and the bass descends every bar and eventually closes on the dominant of C.
From Measures 100 – 109 the right hand has a descending scale broken up chromatically and uses the rhythm of theme/motif b’. In measure 104 the bass begins to rise up to meet with the right hand and in these measures, the harmony is left out to reveal only a chromatic right and left hand converging on measure 108. In measure 110 until 117, we have four bars of two part harmony in C major which recalls theme C. It then modulates to F major with the left hand repeating the melody and sixteenth note arpeggios in the right hand.
From the pickup measure to 118 we have the bass playing theme C in the key of D minor
and then on measure 119 we have the G sharp which signifies theme c’. The left hand is split between two voices and the lower voice rises in the same fashion as theme c’.
In bars 130 – 131, we are back at home tonic and then from measures 132 to 143 we have a new figure that can be represented as (y). The notes are G, F#, E, D#, E. in sixteenth notes except for the last E which is and eight note. It is then imitated contrapuntally and then augmented. This figure is eventually becomes a variation of the b’ theme which once it closes, the Development of the sonata is finished.
Recapitulation
Measure 144 – 167.
Transition
The transition begins on the pickup to measure 168 and then modulates to the key of C major for the first four bars. Measure 182 has what seems to be the flat II chord without any harmony but it then modulates to the flat VII. It then becomes apparent that the chord is in fact an augmented 6th.
Second Group
The second group is in e minor and has the repeated theme from the original section except that it is brought down an octave starting on measure 198.
Coda
Starting on measure 222 is the coda which echos the previous six bars. Measure 232 contains a softer version of the AB theme which leads to the dominant on measure 238 and closes it back to the tonic.
Critique of Recordings
The first recording is performed by Grigory Sokolov and he starts off with a brisk tempo and a brighter feel with the first subject. He varies the tempo slightly without be a-rhythmic. He also contrasts the soft sections and echos with the louder sections and phrases.
The second recording is performed by Ivo Pogorelich. He takes a slower tempo and a more grandiose feel than Sokolov. He varies the tempo more than Sokolov does in the first subject. He also shows a contrast between the different themes. He uses more rubato than Sokolov yet manages to keep the tempo consistent and does not change the overall beat. He articulates the open octaves in the beginning and in the end differently than Sokolov.
The third recording is performed by Daniel Barenboim and he starts of with the first theme faster than Pogorelich with the first note be almost staccato. He also breaks the chord on measure 16. He varies the articulation starting on measure 55 by playing that passage legato and when it repeats he plays it less stacatto. There are times when he could take more time and other times when he should take less time. I would prefer that he not play the material from the first theme stacatto. I do like how he treated the material in the second subject with his varying articulations.
Bibliography
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