Piano sonata 'Pathetique' Flashcards
(34 cards)
What key does this piece start in and is it the tonic key?
C minor- tonic key- dramatic key.
Chromatic notes are heard along with diminished chords
Is the opening monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic?
Homophonic- heavy low chords
What is the time signature of the piece?
The introduction has a 4/4 time signature.
The exposition changes to a 2/2 time signature with a clear two beats in a bar.
What is the structure of this piece?
It is in sonata form.
introduction - bars 1 to 10
exposition - bars 11 to 132:
first subject - bars 11 to 34
transition bars - 35 to 50
second subject - bars 51 to 120
codetta - bars 121 to 132
development - bars 133 to 194
recapitulation - bars 195 to 294
coda - bars 295 to 310
What are the dynamics of this piece and what effect does this create?
Spans from pp-ff.
Introduction- opens at fp.
Sf to p in just one beat in bar 4.
The first subject starts at p and crescendos- to aid the excitement bars in 15 to 18.
By bar 132 there is another
What does ‘pathetique’ stand for?
solemn, sorrow
What type of passage is there in bar 4?
A virtuosic passage.
What instruments play in this piece?
The full work spans five and a half octaves - nearly the full range of notes on a piano.
Contrary motion is used in bars 105 to 110.
A murky bass is frequently present, for example, in bar 11 in the left hand.
What are the key features of bar 5 ?
Perfect cadence in E flat minor-relative major is g flat.
There is a consonant harmony.
There is a melody dominated homophony.
There is a dissonant harmony+ chromatic- creates restlessness and discomfort.
What is key about bar 10?
It is a virtuosic passage- leads to CM resolution at the start of rocket theme- bar 11.
It is a descending chromatic scale.
What happens in bar 35?
There is a transition section.
It is in g major.
What key does it modulate to in bar 39?
A flat major- for one bar.
What does the left hand-accompaniment play from bar 44-48?
It plays a dominant pedal in e flat major.
What happens from bar 51-58?
It is the second subject of the piece.
The right hand starts in bass and the left hand starts in treble clef.
The piece is sotto- whispered- creates a calm effect.
The left hand plays a dominant pedal.
Bar 52- right hand shifts to treble clef so both hands now playing treble.
Sf dynamics.
There are upper mordents- create an ornamented sense.
What changes in the bass in bar 91-94?
There is alberti bass- gives the piece a lighter texture- key classical feature.
Right and left hands play in contrary motion.
What key goes into bar 89?
E flat major- major version of the first theme.
What happens in bar 133?
there is the development.
first bar is g minor.
What happens in bar 137?
Begins with the rocket theme - 1st subject.
Played in e minor.
There is an e pedal.
There is material from the transition and intro.
What key is bar 143-146?
D major- turns into g minor in bar 146- the dominant.
What does inverted pedal mean (bar 149)?
The themes are swapped between hands
What is the accompaniment like in bar 167?
Pedal- broken chords.
Played on the very bottom of the piano.
What happens in the melody in bar 187-194 in both hands alternating?
It is monophonic for 8 bars.
There are descending, conjunct, sequential quavers spanning nearly 5 octaves.
They are chromatic.
What key is bar 195?
C minor
What happens in bar 195?
There is the recapitulation- new version of transition- based on 2nd half of 1st sub.
