Piano Sonata No. 3 (Beethoven) Ludwig van Beethovens Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3, is a sonata written for solo piano, composed in 1796. It is dedicated to Joseph Haydn and is often referred to as Beethovens first virtuosic piano sonata. It is both the weightiest and longest of the three Opus 2 sonatas. [1] It presents many difficulties, including difficult trills, awkward hand movements, and wrist rotation. Structure The sonata, in C major, consists of four movements: Allegro con brio, common time Adagio, 2/4 in E major Scherzo: Allegro, 3/4 Allegro assai, 6/8 The first movement follows the Sonata-Allegro format of the Classical period. The movement opens with the main theme in the tonic key, beginning with a double-thirds trill-like pattern. This pattern leads into an energetic outburst of a broken-chord and broken-octave section. The second theme of the exposition is written in G Major, the dominant key of C Major. In the Development section, the composer opens it by improvising on trill patterns introduced in the end of the exposition. Following a broken-chords section filled with harmony changes, the main theme is restated in D Major, the supertonic key of C Major. The first movement has a coda at the end of it, in A-flat Major. Following this, the main motive reappears. The movement closes with a broken-octave scale passage in C Major, ending with a perfect cadence. The second movement is marked Adagio and written in the key of E Major. This is written in the style of a string quartet, as they are four clear voices. The middle section, in E minor, contains numerous examples of Romanticism, and is considered a prelude to the masters later sonatas. This is perhaps one of the most beautifully written slow movements by Beethoven. The third movement, as Scherzo, is written in Minuet-Trio form. It opens with a joke-like statement, and the composer uses some polyphony. The trio is in the relative minor key of C Major (A minor) and contains running arpeggios in the right hand with the left hand playing a melodic line in octave form. The coda of this short movement ends the Scherzo with a perfect cadence. The final movement is in the Sonata-Rondo form. The movement opens with sixths in the right hand, which is its main theme. Like the first movement, the second theme in the exposition is also written in G Major. The great speed of this movement make this a challenging movement for pianists
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 17:13:36 +0000
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