MUS 404: Keyboard Literature
June 22, 2010
Piano Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58 by Frédéric Chopin
Chopin’s third sonata is a masterwork filled with pianistic elements, daring harmonies, experimental form, and a wealth of expressivity. In this four-movement work, references to other Chopin compositions and influences from fellow composers are found. At the same time, there is a progressive element; it looks forward to the heights which would be achieved by Chopin and later composers.
Background
Chopin wrote the Sonata, Op. 58 in 1844, several months after the Berceuse, Op. 57. The Berceuse provides inspiration for the slow movement (Samson, Chopin 23). These works were written at a time when Chopin’s relationship with George Sand was
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It was an uninspired composition, a failure, and largely forgotten (Huneker 166).
Movement 1: Allegro maestoso
The first movement of the third sonata is the most experimental, the one which deviates most from Classical form and harmonies. The exposition, in particular, is more like a fantasy than a sonata. The sonata opens quite promisingly. A descending broken chord followed by ascending march-like chords creates the primary theme (mm. 1 – 4). As soon as this theme is established, it is lost by a transition. The transition (mm. 12 – 16) is derived from the opening theme. Traditionally, the transition should segue way into the second theme. However, this transition leads to another idea, which is characterized by majestic chords (mm. 17 – 18). This melodic idea is equally promising; it has the potential to serve as the primary theme which had been cut short. Unfortunately, it only holds for two measures before it is swept away by a descending chromatic scale in sixths.
The listener would perceive the slow-moving idea (mm. 23 – 29) which follows as the second theme, if it were not for its fleeting mysteriousness. It provides a contrast to the majestic themes which opened the movement. The harmonic ambiguities, created by the chromaticism, are very progressive for the Romantic era. This chromatic section is only the beginning of a lengthy transition (mm. 23 – 40), composed of at least
Another example of the theme, is when the teacher asked Phillip to stop humming in class. Phillip didn’t not do so he was asked to leave the class and go to
To assign the first movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony the sonata form would truly be a subjective judgment. I will first explain how this movement fits thesonata form; then I will discuss how it diverges from this form in rather fascinating ways.
The romantic pianos on which Chopin was composing were not too different from the modern pianos. The cast-iron frame was developed in his time allowing powerful sounds to be created- there were two pedals- the damper and soft pedals- creating the sustained and dynamic qualities wanted by composers. The keyboard would have been the full length, or close to the full length of the modern piano.
The C Major Sonata, K. 309 was written on November 8, 1777 for the fifteen-year-old Rosa Connabich who was the daughter of the leader of the Elector Karl Theodor’s famous Mannheim orchestra, Christian Cannabich. It was composed for solo piano. The three movements include Allegro con spirito, Andante un poco Adagio , and Rondo: Allegretto grazioso. The opening theme of the first movement uses a symmetrical paragraph of fourteen bars with seven measures each. It is followed by a pair of 3-bar balancing phrases. The slow movement also adapted the well balanced phrase structure at its exposition. This particular style was never unusual to musicians during the period. It has been used by many others including Josef Antonin Stepan whose Sonata no. 57 in E flat embraced almost identical elements as in Mozart’s C Major Sonata. However, Mozart made his own mark distinctively in various moments. For instance, in the second movement, there was a frequent alternation between two dynamics, piano and forte.
The symphony is in four very powerful and entertaining movements. The first movement begins in the pianissimo tone with the strings section, but quickly enters the fortissimo tone with the introduction of the woodwind, brass and percussion sections. The dynamics of the musical melody varies throughout the movement moving from crescendo to decrescendo modes. The first movement reminds you of a raging storm from soft blowing winds to thunder and lighting. The audience is mesmerized by this first movement of the sonata.
Section A’’ (mm. 51-65) repeats the MT with variation mostly in rhythmic changes leading up to the PAC in A♭ major at m. 66 where the coda (m. 66-73) begins. The coda essentially acts as a tonic expansion with some added 9ths to the dominant as seen in m. 67 and m.69. The piece works the V-I in a decrescendo to the final PAC in A♭ major in m. 73.
The I chord confuses the tonal direction becasuse the listener expects the ii to be followed by V and then I. This is even more confusing because the scale that accompanies the I chord implies V (the chord the listener wants to hear). The next bar rounds off this cadential prolongation (ii-V-I) but the exposition does not yet end. The arrival to I does not occur until beat three of the bar. The first two beats create even more prolongation as they nearly modulate. And even after this, the exposition is not done. There is a two bar codetta (a one bar figure played twice, the second time with variation) before the strong V7-I cadence with a C pedal tone. This is the first very strong cadence since the start of the closing material. Since the cadence at the end of the exposition is to C without any hint of F as a tonic, the Developement begins in C. In fact, it is clearly in C as its pick-ups are a C arpeggio and the first bar looks and sounds like I and shows no indication of a ‘Bb’ or any other scale alteration. The opening of the developement is also a textural change but seems to resemble old material in its melody. Both the first theme and the second theme have similar figures to the new material. The developement starts with tonal movement in each of the first two measures, I in the first measure and ii6 in the second. In the third bar the harmonic rythym increases with a I64 for the first two beats and a V7 in
An application of Analysis of Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’ piano sonata No. 8 inC minor, Op.13 with particular focus on musical features such as melody, thematic content, rhythm, form and structure, and harmony.
The third movement - Adagio molto e cantabile - is quasi-variational similar and involves two themes: Adagio molto and Andante moderato. Both themes are of unsurpassed beauty. There is no link musically between the themes. Indeed it seems that contrast serves an important function in the movement as also seen in the two dramatic fanfares hear towards the end.
to one side here in favor of the more rigorous example of Mozart, which is, however,
After a minor wobble of the director stand, a few adjustments and giggles, Symphony No.1 in D major began. The first movement started off with an eerie introduction, with the first two notes morphing into a birdcall as well as main theme but a very magical sound. It made for a very soothing, romantic time. Throughout the piece I felt as if it told a story as most music does, what I came to believe it was a love story. The Allegro begins in the cello with the second Wayfarer song, “Ging heut morgen Ubers Feld,” (I Walked this Morning over the Field). With a light and happy tone in the beginning as if two lovers had just met, this was the main theme of this movement. Suddenly there was a deep, heavy part maybe one of despair in paradise but that only lasted for a short period as it came to a victorious ending of happily ever after. (Kahn)
The early piano sonatas of Beethoven deserve special mention. Although his first published examples of concertos and trios and the first two symphonies are beneath the masterpieces of Mozart and Haydn, the piano sonatas bear an unmistakably Beethovian stamp: grandiose in scope and length, and innovative in their range of expression. The sonatas were able to move expression from terrible rage to peals of laughter to deep depression so suddenly. Capturing this unpredictable style in his music, a new freedom of expression which broke the bounds of Classical ideals, was to position Beethoven as a disturbed man in the minds of some of his contemporaries. Furthermore, he was to be seen as the father of Romanticism and the single most important innovator of music in the minds of those after him. (Bookspan 27).
This work was composed during the Classical period, 1750- 1820. One aspect of the classical music style beign applied to this work includes the reoccurance of two or more contrasting themes. Another is the use of short and clearly defined musical phrases. Lastly, this piece, on a purely musical level, was simply more to hum along to. This type of melody took over the complex polyphony of the Baroque period.
Norman Dello Joio (1913-2008), one of American’s leading composers for the past four decades, successfully interweave the serious music with modern elements. In his surprisingly small amount of piano works, Sonata No.3 is a representative piano work of Norman Dello Joio. In this paper, the author will explore biography and historical background, analyses of the works, and performance consideration on this piece to illustrate the features of his music and the way how he connects traditional form with the modern elements.
In analyzing the form of this movement, one can see three distinct themes in the opening ritornello, which are then brought back in various episodes of solo material, in abbreviated versions of the ritornello. These three themes all return in the final ritornello to help create a sense of closure to the piece. In the opening ritornello, we see an example of vodersatz, where the opening theme, theme A, is stated for the first time.