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Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as ', was written in
1798 Events January–June * January – Eli Whitney contracts with the U.S. federal government for 10,000 muskets, which he produces with interchangeable parts. * January 4 – Constantine Hangerli enters Bucharest, as Prince of ...
when the composer was 27 years old, and was published in 1799. It has remained one of his most celebrated compositions. Craig Wright, ''Listening to Western Music'', pp. 209–212. Cengage Learning. Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky.Beethoven Pathetique Sonata Op. 13
All About Beethoven. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually named ' (to Beethoven's liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata's tragic sonorities. Prominent
musicologists Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some ...
debate whether or not the ' may have been inspired by
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
's piano sonata K. 457, since both compositions are in
C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : ...
and have three very similar movements. The second movement, "Adagio cantabile", especially, makes use of a theme remarkably similar to one in the spacious second movement of Mozart's sonata. Close similarities have also been noted with
Bach's Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
Partita no. 2 in C minor. Both works open with a declamatory fanfare marked ''Grave'', sharing a distinct combination of dotted rhythms, melodic contour, and texture. Furthermore, the first four notes of the Partita's ''Andante'' (G-C-D-Eb, prominently repeated throughout the work) are found in the ''Pathétique'' as the first notes of important themes – first in the hand-crossing second subject of its first movement (initially transposed), then in the main theme of the ''Rondo''. It is known that Beethoven was familiar with the works of Bach, studying '' The Well-Tempered Clavier'' as a youth and returning to his predecessor's compositional styles later in life.


Movements

In its entirety, encompassing all three movements, the work takes approximately 19 minutes to perform. The sonata consists of three movements:


''Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio''

The first movement is in
sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...
. It begins with a slow introductory theme, marked ''Grave''. The exposition, marked ''Allegro di molto con brio'', is in time (
alla breve ''Alla breve'' also known as cut time or cut common timeis a musical meter notated by the time signature symbol (a C with a vertical line through it), which is the equivalent of . The term is Italian for "on the breve", originally meaning t ...
) in the home key of
C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : ...
and features three themes. Theme 1 features an aggressive
rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entire ...
theme covering two
octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s, accompanied with constant
tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single note, particularly used on bowed string instruments, by rapidly moving the bow back and fo ...
octaves in the left hand. Beethoven then makes use of unorthodox mode mixture, as he presents theme 2 in
E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes nee ...
rather than its customary
parallel major In music theory, a major scale and a minor scale that have the same tonic note are called parallel keys and are said to be in a parallel relationship. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony'', p.9. 3rd edition. Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson. . "When ...
. This theme is more lyrical than the first and makes use of grace notes and crossed hands. Theme 3 modulates to the mediant,
E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equiv ...
, and features an Alberti-type figuration for the bass with tremolo. A codetta, with ideas from the opening allegro, closes the section. Some performers of the sonata include the introduction in the repeat of the exposition ( Rudolf Serkin and
András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Mu ...
, for example), but most return to the beginning of the allegro section. This movement is one of the few compositions that contain hundred twenty-eighth notes. The development section begins in the key of
G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the ...
. In this section, Beethoven extends Haydn's compositional practice by returning to the introductory section. After this reappearance of the ''Grave'', the composer generates suspense with an extended
dominant preparation In music theory, a predominant chord (also pre-dominant) is any chord which normally resolves to a dominant chord.Benward & Saker (2009). ''Music in Theory and Practice: Volume II'', Glossary, p.359. Eighth Edition. . "Any chord in functional ...
. The recapitulation brings back the themes of the exposition in different keys: themes 1 and 3 are played in the tonic key of C minor, then theme 2 is played in the unexpected key of F minor but then returns to the tonic key. The coda is very dramatic and includes a brief reminder of the ''Grave'' before ending with a swift
cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards. Don Michael Randel ( ...
. :


''Adagio cantabile''

This movement exemplifies the expressive ''Adagio'' style of many slow movements in the classical period. The famous ''cantabile'' melody is played three times, always in A major, separated by two modulating episodes; the movement is thus a simple
rondo The rondo is an instrumental musical form introduced in the Classical period. Etymology The English word ''rondo'' comes from the Italian form of the French ''rondeau'', which means "a little round". Despite the common etymological root, rondo ...
rather than the
sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...
more common for movements of this seriousness. The first episode is set in F minor (the relative minor of A major), further modulating to
E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equiv ...
before returning to the main theme. The second episode begins in A minor and modulates to
E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equiv ...
. With the final return of the main theme, the accompaniment becomes richer and takes on the
triplet A triplet is a set of three items, which may be in a specific order, or unordered. It may refer to: Science * A series of three nucleotide bases forming an element of the Genetic code * J-coupling as part of Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrosc ...
rhythm of the second episode. There is a brief coda. : The main theme of this movement opens nearly identically to an episode in the slow movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 14, K. 457. The ''cantabile'' theme from this movement was used as the
theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances ...
for radio's most widely listened-to classical music program, '' Adventures in Good Music'', which aired nationally in the United States and in many other countries from 1970 to 2007. The theme was performed by Karl Haas, the program's host. Several rock songs have also sampled the ''cantabile''.
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
used the main theme as the basis for their song "Great Expectations" on 1976's '' Destroyer'' and on 2003's '' Kiss Symphony: Alive IV'' (featuring the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the
Australian Children's Choir The Australian Children's Choir (ACC), founded in 1976, is a mixed-voice children's choir based in Melbourne, Australia, and consisting of some 200 boys and girls aged 5 to 20 in six different training ensembles. The choir has developed a stro ...
, both of whom performed while donning the band's makeupArchived a
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).
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the " Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...
also used the ''cantabile'' as the melody for the chorus of his 1983 song " This Night" from the album ''
An Innocent Man ''An Innocent Man'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel's adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of di ...
''. "L.v. Beethoven" is credited on the album sleeve as co-writing the chorus with Joel. All three movements (with the 2nd Movement played in total) were featured and played by Schroeder (and the recording performed by
Ingolf Dahl Ingolf Dahl (June 9, 1912 – August 6, 1970) was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Biography Dahl was born Walter Ingolf Marcus in Hamburg, Germany, to a German Jewish father, attorney Paul Marcus, and his Swe ...
) in the 1969 animated film '' A Boy Named Charlie Brown''. In addition, ''cantabile'' was partially performed by Schroeder (actually by composer
David Benoit David Bryan Benoit (born August 18, 1953) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer, based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Benoit has charted over 25 albums since 1980, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. He is a ...
) but interrupted by the "sports mice" in the 2000 TV film '' It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown''.


''Rondo: Allegro''

The sonata closes with a cut time movement in C minor. The main theme closely resembles the second theme of the ''Allegro'' of the first movement: its melodic pattern is identical for its first four notes, and its rhythmic pattern for the first eight. There is also a modified representation of the melody from the second movement, so it connects all three movements together. The movement's sonata rondo form includes a brief coda. The three rondo episodes are in E major, A major, and
C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor a ...
. The common use of ''sforzando'' creates a forceful effect. :


Reactions of Beethoven's contemporaries

The sonata ''Pathétique'' was an important success for Beethoven, selling well Maynard Solomon, ''Beethoven'', p. 80. Revised Edition, Schirmer Trade Books. and helping create his reputation as a composer, Jan Swafford, ''Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph'', p. 219. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt not just as an extraordinary pianist. Not only was it instantly popular, it also exposed the world to the characteristics that Beethoven would continue to develop in the coming years. When the pianist and composer
Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano at the ...
discovered the work in 1804, he was ten years old; unable to afford to buy the music, he copied it out from a library copy. His music teacher, on being told about his discovery, "warned me against playing or studying eccentric productions before I had developed a style based on more respectable models. Without paying heed to his instructions, however, I laid Beethoven's works on the piano, in the order of their appearance, and found in them such consolation and pleasure as no other composer ever vouchsafed me." H. C. Robbins Landon, ''Beethoven: A Documentary Study'', pp. 61–62. Thames & Hudson 1970.
Anton Schindler Anton Felix Schindler (13 June 1795 in Medlov – 16 January 1864 in Bockenheim (Frankfurt am Main)) was an Austrian law clerk and associate, secretary, and early biographer of Ludwig van Beethoven. Life Schindler moved to Vienna in 1813 to s ...
, a musician who was a friend of Beethoven in the composer's later years, wrote: "What the ''Sonate Pathétique'' was in the hands of Beethoven (although he left something to be desired as regards clean playing) was something that one had to have heard, and heard again, in order to be quite certain that it was the same already well-known work. Above all, every single thing became, in his hands, a new creation, wherein his always ''legato'' playing, one of the particular characteristics of his execution, formed an important part."


See also

* Beethoven and C minor


References


External links

*
Score
from the Ricordi edition, William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University School of Music
Public-domain recording
of this sonata at Musopen
A lecture
by
András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Mu ...
on Beethoven's piano sonata Op. 13, via ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
''
Recording by Paavali Jumppanen, piano
from the
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was foun ...
{{authority control Piano Sonata 08 1798 compositions Compositions in C minor Music with dedications