Ludwig Van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 In C Minor Pathetique, 1st Movement

Question 1

What period is this piece?

Answer 1

Romanticism

Question 2

Romanticism def

Answer 2

An artistic and intellectual movement that begun in Europe in the early 1800 and lasted approximately 100 years. Charecterised by an emphasis on the individuals emotion and their freedom of imagination as well as love for the natural world.

Question 3

What are the Pianos in Beethoven time like?

Answer 3

• Delicate structure, housed in a lighter case
• Hammers covered in leather, produced a strident tone
• Thin strings, producing a lighter sound
• Very responsive keys, requiring a lighter touch
• Key board range of about 6 octaves (72)
• no sustaining pedal on earlier modals
• Bass note had a buzzing resonance and the high notes had a light treble sound

Question 4

What are modern pianos like?

Answer 4

• more solid, metal frame
• hammers covered in felt, producing a softer tone
• thicker strings resulting in a more robust sound
• less responsive keys needing a heavier touch
• keyboard range of 7 and 1/3 octaves(88 notes)
• sustaining pedal invented in 1783
• tone quality across the register is more consistent

Question 5

Sforzando def

Answer 5

An accent showing that note or chord should be played with greater force than other notes surrounding it. Often shown in the score as sf or sfz

Question 6

What is the structure of sonata form?

Answer 6

• exposition
• development
• recapitulation

Question 7

What is the exposition?

Answer 7

The first theme/ first subject in the home key. Most lively and dramatic. Bridge passage into second subject which is contrasting in terms of mood. The key is usually subdominant, dominant or relative major or minor.
Exposition is usually repeated so listener is familiar with both subjects before development

Question 8

What is development?

Answer 8

Central section where composers develop one or both of the subjects from the exposition. Adventurous, restless and constantly changing

Question 9

What is recapitulation?

Answer 9

Final section balances with the opening exposition. Composer recaps the first subject in the home key as before. A transition section follows like exposition but doesn’t modulate as second subject will be in home key. Ends with coda, short rounding-off section

Question 10

Analysis of into

Answer 10

Slow(grave) intro of 10 bars. Sonata form starts at bar 11 with the exposition.
- heavy chords (fp)
- dotted rhythm
- melody in right hand with dramatic chromatic descending phrases
- chordal accompaniment in left hand. Homophonic
- accented diminished 7th chords
- sudden contrast in dynamics

Question 11

What is the sonata form of the work Pathetique?

Answer 11

• slow introduction (1-20)
• exposition with Concetta then repeated(11-132)
• development (133-194)
• recapitulation (195-294)
• coda (295-310)

Question 12

What are the features of the romantic period?

Answer 12

-chromaticism
- sudden changes in dynamics
- minor keys
- diminished chords
- accented notes
- tempo ‘emotions’

Question 13

Tempo through piece

Answer 13

Grave-slow as it gets
Allegro di motto e con brio-fast with movement

Question 14

What is the meter?

Answer 14

4/4. Simple time
2/2 in development

Question 15

What key does it start in?

Answer 15

C minor

Question 16

How many octaves are covered in the exposition?

Answer 16

2

Question 17

What is the accompaniment of the exposition?

Answer 17

Tremolo octaves forms a pedal C. Mucky bass

Question 18

How many subjects does the exposition have?

Answer 18

2 themes

Question 19

Commentary on the exposition

Answer 19

Perfect cadence before repetition. Imperfect cadence develops accented dominant Gs with the descending broken chords in right hand. Transition section where music modulates for 2 subject

Question 20

What is the texture of the intro?

Answer 20

Melody dominated homophony

Question 21

What is the key bits of the exposition?

Answer 21

• 2/2 alla brava
• mainly scalic ascending movement
• stacatto minimums no crotches in melody
  -last 2 bars legato and descending

Question 22

What is the texture just before the second subject?

Answer 22

Monophonic

Question 23

What key is the 2nd subject?

Answer 23

Eb minor

Question 24

What ornamentation in 2nd subject?

Answer 24

Mordant, acciacctura

Question 25

What is the key bits of subject 2?

Answer 25

Starts on tonic Eb minor chord has dominant pedal. Melody jumping from bass to treble clef crossing 2 octaves right over left hand - 2nd subject repeats

Question 26

Commentary on subject 2

Answer 26

More lyrical uses grace notes and crossing hands creates an antiphonal dialogue effect. Simple accompaniment in left hand semibreves and 3 two note chords. Dominant pedal. Theme is repeated in different keys Db major, Eb minor, F minor. Melody alternates between staccato crotchets and legato phrases. Mordant decorates the melody

Question 27

Commentary on transition section

Answer 27

Based on first subject theme and uses Romantic chromatisim. Tremolo octaves in left hand ascending music modulates to Ab major , Bb major. Bass Bb tremolo form dominant pedal. Linking bar of crotchets oscillating around the notes Bb and A natural. We expect the 2nd subject to be in Eb major relative major of C minor because of the Bbs.

Question 28

Commentary on Subject 3

Answer 28

In the expected key Eb major. Accompaniment changes to Alberti bass. Melody is quavers and then there is contrary motion in left and right hands. 2 bars of stabbing chord then 3rd subject repeats

Question 29

Commentary on codetta

Answer 29

Return to tremolo left hand octaves. Right hand plays the 1st theme in Eb major. It ends on secondary dominant. The second chord is dominant seventh chord in C minor preparing for repeat of exposition. Following the repeat the dominant seventh chord in G minor is played to be followed by the development

Question 30

Commentary on development of first 4 bars

Answer 30

Grave section starts in G minor and ends in the dominant chord in E minor. Eb changes enharmonically hinting change of key . Perfect cadence links to the next section.

Question 31

Commentary of development

Answer 31

E minor. Quaver bass first 2 bars. The left hand plays simple chord accompaniment repeated in G minor. Descending tremolo octaves played in the right hand while left hand plays the melody . Left hand plays G quavers dominant preparation. First subject reference Chromatic broken quaver chords, right hand quavers monophonic descends all the way down to C for the start of recapitulation

Question 32

Key things of development

Answer 32

- starts with the slow intro 4 bars - develops music from 1 and 2 subject and transition section, exploring distant keys - wide range of dynamics - long dominant preparation on G ending

Question 33

Key things for recapitulation

Answer 33

- reprise of first and second subject - second subject in subdominant instead of tonic key - balance exposition - ends with coda that reminds us of the grave section

Question 34

Commentary on recapitulation first subject

Answer 34

In tonic key C minor, same as exposition

Question 35

Commentary on recapitulation second and third subject

Answer 35

In F minor should be in tonic key but changes to home key in third subject

Question 36

Commentary on coda

Answer 36

Slow into broken up with rests, continues rising, 1st subject concludes. Dynamics from p to ff. Diminished chords. Ends on a perfect cadence