Theresia Sonata

Opus 78

                                           

This Sonata only has two movements but is very coherent and complete. Both the first movement in pure Sonata Form and the Rondo excel in beauty. Very often this sonata is confused with the Sonatinas, but if it were a Sonatina Beethoven probably would have combined it with the following Sonata. Moreover the Sonatinas were actually given for publication by Beethoven's brother Karl. But this Sonata is too pure in Form and execution to be deemed a Sonatina and the key signature of 6 sharps is to serious too. It deserves to feature on concert programmes more often, after all it was of Beethoven's own favourites and he thought more of it than of the Moonlight Sonata.

Notice that there is a large difference in time between this sonata and the Appassionata, four years in all.

The sonata starts with a beautiful small introduction 'adagio'. The sonata could have easily done without, but alas Beethoven made a statement to open this sonata with this beautiful 'adagio'. Some pianists play this introduction extremely slow. As if to say, this is way too short...

After this opening the beautiful theme of this first movement appears.

It shows Beethoven has gone a long way since Opus 2, already at such high spirits. After the presentation of the theme he immediately progresses as if he were already in a development section. Due to the long period between Appassionata and this sonata I for this reason propose to let the late period of Beethoven (at least in his Piano Sonatas) start with this Sonata. 

The second theme is to the point as the first theme and also seamlessly progresses into creative figures to move to the coda or rather repeat of the exposition.

The development section takes the theme to the minor of F-sharp. It is good advice to repeat both the exposition and the development + recapitulation.

The final movement is a jolly gesture made by Beethoven and is an indication of his fling with the English, which already appeared in the theme of the Appassionata. We are definitely in a period where Beethoven was trying to impress the English Audience and he was not alone. Also Joseph Haydn took quite some time off from his post with Count Esterhazy to woe British audiences. 

The theme of the rondo is a reminiscence of Britannia ruling the waves. Alas Beethoven looks at it with humour!

The cadenzas after the rondo theme are a little chase and get longer and longer as the movement progresses. Good contrasts between loud and soft, bouncy patterns and legatos. 

A Sonata not to be missed and the length of it suits our modern attention spans. The Sonata lasts 10 minutes or so. (of course the second movement can do with some speed!)

Eric Heidsieck plays Opus 78

Appassionata

Opus 57

God exists! And every now and then it becomes apparent in the flesh! It is not the first time Beethoven attempted to bring the piano sonata to the level of a concerto. He did so in his first sonata opus 2 no. 3! But in writing the Appassionata it had arrived. 

The theme in a concerto is called the 'ritornello' which returns in the orchestra and the solo instrument. As such of course the first movement is composed through and analysts who regard it as composed through sonata form really haven't understood this Sonata. It is a concerto and the theme is that of a Scottish Folk tune 'On the banks of Allen Water'. 

Have we mentioned before that Beethoven around this time was extending his publishing efforts to England? If you like the 'UK'? 

Again the title was not provided by Beethoven himself but was attributed to the Sonata post humus in 1838 but Beethoven may have subtitled it 'La Passionata' but is was not marked as such in the manuscript.

I am not sure whose stains are on the manuscript, perhaps they may be Beethoven's. Beethoven had trouble keeping a maid longer than a couple of weeks, after which she would quit in despair.

The theme is played first in unison an octave apart and it is fun to try them 2 octaves apart after which it becomes apparent immediately why the Russians favoured to play unison themes like that instead of 1 octave apart. Alas, just as an experiment of course.

What most analysts see as the 2nd theme is really the second part of the folk song and not at all contrasting with the 1st theme. The theme is constantly given in a solo and tutti form. Then of course we see on the left a large part of what really is the Cadenza! 

And I have no problem at all seeing after the cadenza the orchestra taking up the Adagio and the Coda afterwards.

The second movement is a set of four variations of an exceedingly simple but beautiful theme. 

And then the third movement. We know of Beethoven's habit to turn Rondos into Sonata form, but here he is concealing it and directs only to repeat the second part. 

Who would not hear the orchestra opening, after which the piano will come in bar 5. And the final coda - very much fun for the pianist  - would sound great with orchestra too!


Enjoy Claudio Arrau in the following recording of this - ahum - concerto sans orchestre.

Claudio Arrau playing Appassionata (full)

Featuring in 'What is this?'

Opus 54

Every composer and especially the composer who elevated the Piano Sonata to the extend as Beethoven did has his minors and what can you do between a Waldstein and an Appassionata? 

Beethoven, who would have featured in a 'Who is Who' of his day, apparently was doing his best to feature for once in a 'What is this?' of his day.

If there is one Sonata, which has marks of being unfinished it is this Sonata in F. Not at all like Sonata opus 90 which also only has two movements, but feels very complete.

Perhaps the whole situation is explained by the fact that Beethoven had problems with his publishers at the time, because he had felt he could decide to get into business with an English publisher, without consulting his own publisher? So this Sonata should not have been published at all? Or was Beethoven so desperate for money that he had thought: 'Well, what do the English know about music?' anticipating Leonard Bernstein on the matter, 'The English don't appreciate music, but they do like the noise'. 

Perhaps Beethoven was taking a joke after several years of teaching Carl Czerny? 

Because in the need for explaining this Sonata in the end all one can do is claiming that it is a statement of Beethoven's humour! But nowhere like Opus 14 no. 2's second movement, which leaves me rolling over the floor with laughter. This sonata leaves me only wide eyed. 

Good all right! Beethoven was fed up with Sonata form and the traditional Sonata model. Nothing wrong with that. Because everything Beethoven does must have the explanation suited for a genius.

But I keep at it that Beethoven just had a bad hair day! 

Or he was indeed giving a statement on mediocre composers. If you like Carl Czerny. Because it is known indeed that Beethoven did do that also in public to air his opinion about a Piano Novelty of some new performer or composer. 

But it should have stayed at that. An improvisation after a concert to have some pun intended by the composer at the top of 'Who's who'. It should never have reached the printing press. 

It's not for the Minuet theme of the first movement which is delightful. If it would have been a Minuet!
Alas I admit. The variations on the Minuet theme are delightful too. In the recording given below, do notice the syncopations in the variations of the theme. They are amazingly 20th century. 

If someone seriously disagrees with me and finds this Sonata in a Recital programme that does not feature all of Beethoven's Sonatas, but only one Beethoven Sonata, I would be so grateful to know about it.

Even Andreas Schiff!

But let's us give this Sonata a hearing from the best contemporary performer and one at that who will not share my opinion. 'There are no weak links' in Beethoven's Sonatas he believes in the lecture recitals. Do notice his referral to Joseph Haydn to understand this Sonata.

Lecture on Opus 54 by Andreas Schiff

Waldstein (2)

Opus 53

In 1991 the young Beethoven wrote a Ballet for Count Waldstein, which he allowed the count to pass off as his own. It was only discovered in the 20th century that the young Beethoven was the author. But let us go back to the 2nd movement of the Waldstein Sonata. 

The second movement which is in Opus 53 now was not in the Sonata when it was first published. It must have been important for Beethoven to have changed it afterwards and the world should be grateful for it, because I think it is the most beautiful and bold slow movement of all his Sonatas. It is actually not a movement in contrast to the first version. It is only an introduction to the last movement.

With slow, first of all is meant slow. Really slow! There is no note too many and the shortness of it as a prelude to the final movement is the most courageous thing Beethoven has ever done. Well, apart from Hammerclavier.

Watch that Base line! Chromatically down from F to C. But of course the most important thing in the Waldstein Sonata is the Leitmotiv..

The density of the motif is enormous in the next couple of bars!

Everything that is exceedingly beautiful is also exceedingly simple. From the start in F and from there in an amazing way to the Dominant of the key of the last movement C major. Which means that the 'Schenker' meaning of the 2nd movement is soley Subdominant - Dominant. 

A Rondo! Beethoven has made up for all the rondos which weren't rondos. Beethoven wrote the mother of all rondos here in the Waldstein. 

The slow buildup stands miles above the ninth symphony, but yet only few know this theme. Even the Waldstein Sonata is always associated with the first movement. But for me the Waldstein Sonata is the last movement. It is long and Beethoven has taken all time he had to build this Rondo up towards the end. I like to increase the dynamics with every new cycle and until the last two pages I think Beethoven has reached perfection! 

And then I am with shock brought to the earth again. Because the last two pages aren't perfect at all! What on earth was Beethoven's intention with these last two pages? Had the Leitmotiv lost its spell? Or had the Sonata to be rushed to the publisher? Who perhaps only saw the last two pages and returned it? 

We will never know. Perhaps my technical abilities just couldn't cope with it?!

Listen for yourselves. 

Daniel Barenboim Waldstein Movement 3

Waldstein

Opus 53

Count Waldstein. It was he who recommended young Beethoven to Joseph Haydn in 1792 and saw him sort of as replacement for Mozart's spirit. In fact Count Waldstein was the binding glue between Mozart and Beethoven. 

By now though Beethoven has brought Sonata form to its Zenith. This sonata is for me one of the most perfect Sonatas to have been written ever. And that is gives an enormous peace of mind, because perfection does not exist and in the end of the first as well as the last movement it shows Beethoven in a rush to finish it. 

But that may not have been the reason his Leipzig publisher returned this Sonata. At first glance its brilliance may not have been noticeable at all, as also the key of C major may have concealed its mastery. His publisher was at the time in disagreement with Beethoven, because he was not willing to give his publisher an all out exclusive. But whatever, did his publisher at the time recognise the value of this Sonata. 

Beethoven brings in this Sonata pure simplicity to a never before brought height.  The extreme slowness of the middle movement was daring beyond anything he had written and then the last movement is chilling for its beauty. 

But apparently the Sonata is written because his Opera efforts came to a halt due to his disaffection with Schikaneder another such link to Mozart in this case. 

   

With this work the piano Sonata has achieved the level of a Symphony for sure and that is exactly the reason why I like to see Beethoven's late period here, why only leave to a very short period at the end of his life? 

Also in this Sonata the connections between all movements through shared leit-motives or unbroken connection between the second movement and the last shows that Beethoven had arrived there where Romantic music will progress into at the end of the 19th century. 

Notice the sequence of keys. Already after the first phrase Beethoven repeats the whole phrase one whole tone lower. 

And notice then the movement to the dominant G through the broken Chord of C-minor, the section being in C-major!

The process is repeated with tremolos, but this it doesn't go down to Bb but up to D.

From there on the progression is dazzling to arrive for the second theme in E-major. 

Can it be more simple? The theme repeatedly exchanges between the right hand and the left hand the other hand a single syncopated B.

Discovery

Whilst working on the next installment of Waldstein I discovered two interesting things:

Beethoven has stayed in the Netherlands in Nov. 1783 being 11 yrs old. He played before Stadhouder William V and received fl. 63 for it. Probably he performed also one of his early sonatas out of which six years later would grow Opus 2.

Beethoven complained about the Dutch being tight on the money and always occupied with it to such an extent that he 'would never ever come back'.

A promise he kept.

Secondly I discovered that my great..grand parents Jean of Polanen and Catherina van Breederode are also the great parents of:

• Lady Diana Spencer
• Queen Elizebeth of Windsor
• Queen Beatrix
• Kaiser. Wilhelm II
• Our own William of Orange (the Silent)
• and even Maxima Zorreguita

Which means I can - next time I meet - call William and our Willem Alexander 'Hello Cuz...'.

To all snobs out there. I can honestly say 'I can do better than that!'

Now onwards with Opus 53...

A time of reflection

The Beginning of Beethoven's
late period

I am probably alone in letting Beethoven's period start with opus 53 and not after Les Adieux (Opus 81a). There two reasons for it.

Firstly I think with Opus 53 Beethoven has truly found his way and is climaxing towards his final sonatas in a consistent and steady way.

Secondly it is the large gap between his piano sonatas opus 31 and Opus 53. That is a lot of other work published in between and unusual considering the regularity Beethoven dedicated his time to piano sonatas in his earlier work. 

Of course, in fact there are two sonatas Opus 49. But these two sonatas written in his very early period were never published by Beethoven himself, but any keen student starting with Beethoven has to thank Beethoven's brother for these two sonatas, because it is him who brought these two sonatas to a publisher. 

Just to underline and try to justify my personal stance on Beethoven's late period here I will look a little bit in Beethoven's personal life at this stage...

Because this period was a breaking point indeed.

• Beethoven in this period accepted the irreversibility of his deafness.
• He took his international future in his own hands
• Undertook with confidence his composition into new areas like Opera and the String Quartet.

Beethoven's illness had driven him to frontiers of death to such an extend that he wrote his last will in Heiligenstadt and kept it in his drawer for the rest of his life. But even though the consequences will even be worse in the near future, gradually he won't be able to have a normal conversation, he has to stop as a performer in 1814, from 1818 people have to write down what they want to say to him, but from this point onwards he is no longer the victim of his deafness.

He even considers to move to Paris in this period, which shows that he is aware of his international reputation and importance. Only his venture in writing an Opera is holding him back and the fact that this area of his work didn't really lead to success eventually is probably the reason he stayed in Vienna. 

The large gap between Opus 31 and Opus 53 is not really a time gap. It is a gap due to his publishing efforts, which became more and more international. Beethoven had tried to keep his publishing efforts in England and France in his own hands and his publisher in Leipzig did not find that agreeable. To the extend that Breitkopf & Haertzel had returned Beethoven's overture to his Opera, his symphony 'Eroica' and his Piano sonata Opus 53, the famous Waldstein. 

And there we are back on track with our series on Beethoven's piano sonatas. For me the beginning of his most beautiful period. The mature rather than the late Beethoven...