Piano Sonata

Question 1

Briefly explain Sonata form

Answer 1

Sonata form is a piece of music written in the 3 different sections: Section 1 - Exposition
Section 2 – Development
Section 3 – Recapitulation
It is the general form for most classical music written.

Question 2

Compare the Piano with the Harpsichord and how more effective the piano could be

Answer 2

The piano is a more modern version of the Harpsichord. It has:
Different note lengths
Keys can go deeper than the Harpsichord
Played with ease (i.e it didn’t need multiple chords to sound loud, unlike the Harpsichord)

Question 3

What other keyboard instruments can you think of?

Answer 3

Pipe Organ
Accordion
Electric Piano/Keyboard
Synthesiser

Question 4

Describe three ways in which Beethoven creates a sense of excitement and drama in this piano sonata movement

Answer 4

Sudden change in dynamics and tempo are deliberately unexpected and unpredictable, making it dramatic

Question 5

Find TWO examples of different textures in the movement. Write a bar number followed by a single word describing the texture: MONOphonic; HOMOphonic; POLYphonic.

Answer 5

Bar 5 – Homophonic
Bar 10 – Monophonic

Question 6

Explain how this piece demonstrates some of the features of the Classical style

Answer 6

Range of dynamics
Different note lengths

Question 7

Explain a DIMINISHED 7TH chord

Answer 7

A type of chord that consists of four notes played together. It is composed of a root note, a minor third, a diminished fifth, and a diminished seventh. It is often used in jazz and classical music.

Question 8

What is unusual about the key of the second subject? Why do you think Beethoven chose this key?

Answer 8

It is unusual because it does not use the relative major of the piece (that being E flat major). Instead, it uses E flat minor (beginning in bar 137). Beethoven may have chosen this as E flat minor is a similar key to E flat major, but has a slightly different harmonic shape to it, allowing modulation and change between keys to be made.

Question 9

Describe the opening ten bars, highlighting three features of the music

Answer 9

The first 10 bars of the piece consist of a homophonic introduction. It also has dotted rhythms which provide a sense of interest to the listener. Furthermore, its dynamics vary, many of which being sforzando (as shown in bar 3 beat 3 and bar 4 beat 1), piano and forte. These provide a sense of drama and create tension in the piece’s atmosphere.

Question 10

The piano underwent changes to its structure, range etc during the romantic period. Why was this necessary?

Answer 10

This was necessary as more composers had begun experimenting with different expressive techniques (such as ones used within dynamics and different note lengths). It underwent changes to its range, to allow composers to shift between different octaves and allow themselves to express furthermore. More drama could also be enhanced with a broad range of dynamics. As shown in Beethoven’s introduction to the Pathetique, he uses lots of different dynamics, especially crescendos which were not implemented before the romantic era. This allows him to create a very powerful and expressive opening to his piece, and it furthermore allows other composers to do the same.