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Beethoven's Pianoforte * Sonatas * * Explained *

BEETHOVEN.

lieethoDen'is Pianofurte

Sonatas Uxjjlained.LoJfooH, W. RtEVtS.

BEETHOVEN'S PIANOEORTE SONATASEXPLAINED FOR THE LOVERS OF THE MUSICAL ART

BY

ERNST VON ELTERLEIN

WITH A PREFACE BY E.

PAUER

Translated from the

German by

EMILY HILL

REVISED TRANSLATION[Seventh Edition]

WILLIAM REEVES,

LONDON 83 CHARING CROSS ROAD,

W.C.

u^'J.

U6-

1^9^ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Poutkait of Beethoven

as fronting the title

is,

on

the authority of Mr. C. Czerny (Beethoven's most intimatefriend), the only correct likeness published of this great

man.

Beethoven's House xx Bonn facing page

1.

rrinted by The

New Temple

Press, Norbnry Crescent, S.W.

CONTENTS.PAQE

First Part

.

.

.

.

.

.11i

THE SONATASecond Part

IN GENERAL.

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.Third Part30

BEETHOVEN.Fourth Part3;

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.Op. Op.14,2,

No.

1.1.

Op.

2,

No. No.22.

2. 2.

Op. Op.20.1.

2,

No.

3.

Op.

6.

Op.

7.

10,

No.1

Op.2.

10,

10,

No.

3.

Op.1.

13.

Op.

Nos.2.

and

Op.

Op. No.

Op.

27,

No.

Op. 27, Op. 31, Op. 57.

No. No. Op.

Op.

28.

Op.

31,

Op. 31, No.53.

2.

3.

78.

Op. 49, Nos. 1 and 2. Op. Op. 79. Op. 81. Op. 90. Op. 110. Op. 111.

Op. 54.101.

Op.

Op.

106.

Op. 109.

Fifth Part

126

RETROSPECTIVE.

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

BEETHOVEN'S HOUSE AT BONN.

Heethotfit'x Viunolnrtc Si.iiotiu Hxiilnntfil

.

hy KUcilfiri.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION OF

THE TRANSLATION.Thenowtranscendent beauty and the exceeding im-

portance of Beethoven's pianoforte sonatas are factsuniversally recognised.It is

a healthy sign of

musical progress and an undeniable proof of the

spread of an improved taste and of a genuine appreciation of the excellent in musical art, that vari-

ous nationscorrect

now emulate each other's efforts in issuing

and excellent editions of these great works.possess

We

now

good and

correct editions of Beet-

hoven's sonatas at such cheap

and modest

prices,

that the entire collection of the thirty -eight sonatasis

to be

had

for the

same

price

which our grandthis

fathers paid for a single one;

and

remarkable

reduction of price has undoubtedly contributed in

no small degree to the universal popularity whichthis unrivalled

monument of musical

art

has

now

everywhere obtained.

2

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

To

describe the contents of a musicaldifficult

work

is

always a

task

;

and

it

cannot be denied that

a great deal of nonsense has been written, in the

endeavour to analyse, describe and annotate the

works of great musical composers.

No

author has

had

to suffer

more from the

indiscreet zeal of

busy

shallow annotators than Ludwig van Beethoven;

no other composer's works have been so unwarrantably and unnecessarily overladen with weak description.

The small work,fiir

"

Beethoven's

Clavier-Son-

aten

Freunde der Tonkunst

erlautert

von Ernst

von

Elterlein," stands forth as

an honourable ex-

ception amidst the host of insipid commentaries onthe great master's works

the multitudinous explanElterlein'sIt has, since

ations that explain nothing.

book apthat year,

peared in Leipzig

in

1856.

gone through many

editions,

and has obtained greatGermany.

and deserved popularityHerr von Elterleinis

in

Although

a musical amateur, he writes

with the ripe knowledge and thorough understanding of a practical musician; and as the merits ofhis

book speak

for themselves,

any further praise

would be

superfluous.Elterlein's

Herr von

design

is

not so

much

to

describe the beauties of Beethoven's sonatas, as to

OF THE TRANSLATION.direct

3

the performer's

attention

to

these beauties,

and

to point out the leading

andIt

characteristic fea-

tures of each separate piece.

was reserved

for

Beethoven to give expression,

in his sonatas, to the

highest and loftiest feelings of the

humanis

heart.

In

these unapproachable masterpieces, he

not only

pathetic, but also sincere, humorous, tender, graceful,

simple

in short,

he expresses in them every varying

shade of feeling that can agitate the human heart.

To

point out all these varying shades, to indicate to

the earnest student of Beethoven all these numberless beauties, is the object

of Herr von Elterlein's

book; and every musical student or amateur cansafely trust

him

as a competent

and agreeable guide.this valuableItlittle

Anwork

English translation ofis,

therefore,

most opportune.

will,

un-

doubtedly, assistto appreciate

manyand

a lover of Beethoven's music

more keenly the beauties of the greatwill, if possible,

master's sonatas,

enhance his

admiration of what

may

truly be called a

book of

wisdom.E.

PAUER.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE.In preparing a fresh English edition of Herr vonElterlein's

book on Beethoven's pianoforte sonatas,

the translation has been carefully revised with theoriginal,

and

the author's prefaces to the

first

and

thirdfirst

German

editions have been translated for the

time.

Thefirst

four decades which have elapsed since

the

book

appeared

in

Leipzig

have

added

largely to the literature on Beethoven's music which

has appeared in Germany.

In England, however,

the aesthetics of music have been tardy in

becoming

a branch of literature, and Herr von Elterlein's elucidation of the meaning and character of Beethoven'ssonatasis

of a nature which the master's English

admirers have not undertaken.ofit

Their appreciationfor a further

has been shown by the

demand

edition of the English translation.[/uly, i8py.]

AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION*Thefollowing pages claim indulgence as thefar asI

first

attempt so

am aware

at considering BeetTheto

hoven's sonatas from an aesthetic point of view.writer's

main object has been

furnish amateurs

with a guide and commentary to the study of thesethe greatest creations in the sphere of pianoforte

music.

Experienced

artists

and

lovers of art willis

probably find in the bookit

little

that

new.

Should

fall to

my

lot to

add hereby a few

stones towards

the edifice that has yet to be raised

a

complete

biography of Beethoven, such as that of Mozart byUlibischeffattained.to

my desire and aim would be more thanUltra Beethovenites

may

take exceptionto

my

criticisms

on some of the sonatas, and

my

views on the determining influence of the opus numbering, butit is

my*

intention to state

my

sentiments

Of the original.7

8

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

candidly, and to comment on blemishes without reserve.

The

recourse

I

have had to various sources

of information will not expose

me

to the accusation

of posing in borrowed plumes, for

my

object in this

book has not beenhonour

my own

glorification but to

do

to Eeethoven, while to

many

readers this col-

lecting together of scattered information

may

prove

welcome.

My

special thanks are

due

to

Riihlmann

(state

musician at Dresden),

my friend to whom II

am

indebted for

much help and advice and manyWiththese

valuable suggestions.

words

com-

mend

the book to the lovers of Beethoven.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE THIRDEDITION.*This book now appearsbeenpartlyrewritten,its

in a third edition.

It

has

and additions have beenpublication inrespects,

made.

Since

original

1856 the

author's views have, in

many

changed con-

siderably,

and

his opinions

on

certain sonatas havethis

been modified accordingly.literature

During

period the

about Beethoven has been much increased.

First

and foremost we have had Marx's biographyepoch-making work, thoughthatthisit

an

cannot but be

regretted

great

authority

on Beethoven

should have passed over some works in silence andreferred

much

too

briefly

to

others.

What was

said in the preface to the

first

edition about glean-

ing informationless

from various sources applies nobio-

to the

ample use now made of Marx'sthis in

graphy.

Far from

any way rendering the

study of that work superfluous, the present writerOf theoriginal.

lO

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.it

would strongly recommendgo deeply into thesubject.

to all

who wish

to

The

last part

of this

volume may perhaps be found a welcome addition

by not a few

readers.

The dates of

publication

and of probable composition have been taken fromThayer's latest work.In conclusion the author has

only to express his grateful thanks for the kindreception given to the former editions by the critics,especiallyZeitschrift

by Dr. Laurencin, of Vienna,fiir

in the "

Neue

Musik"; andis

also

by the musicfor a third

loving public, asedition.

shown by the demand

[August

II,

i86^?[

BEETHOVEN'S PIANOFORTE SONATASFIRST PART.THE SONATA IN GENERAL.

[HE

sonata

is

the greatestin

and mostprovince

ori-

ginal

production

the

of

pianoforte

music itsaim.

highest

exercise

andof all artistic

its loftiest

Beauty, the ideal

efforts,

may

be expressed in the sim-

plest music, but its complete realisation

can only

be attained in the highest forms.

The sonata may be consideredform of pianoforte music.

the most perfect

The

theoretical reasons

for this statement are most successfully

propounded

by Marx,lehre."

in the third part of his "

Compositions-

Marx

there explains the development of thein organic order.

different

forms of pianoforte music

12

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.begins with the study, proceeds to the fantasia,

He

variation

and rondo, and then

to the sonata, theall the

key-stone and crowning point of

forms.f iir

In

another way, Kriiger, in his

"

Beitragen

Lebenat

und Wissenschaft der Tonkunst,"sameresult.

arrives

the

Like Marx, he establishes a system of

musical forms, of which he makes the song formthe central point:

treating

firstviz.,

of the forms thatpreludes,toccatas,

preceded the song

form,

fantasias; secondly, the song form itself, variations,

rondos, fugues; and thirdly, the development of the

song form, that

is,

the union of existing song formsthe

the

sonata

and

symphony.

Kriiger

con-

sidered the three primary forms to be the prelude,

song and sonata, and that out of these have been developed.the sonata formtion of the

all the others

The supreme importance ofis

a

form which

also the founda-

symphony, string

quartet, etc.

is

shown

by

its

capability of forming a higher union of the

other forms, namely, the song, variation, rondofugue.the

and

This was, in"

fact,

indicated by Kriiger in

expression,

composition

of

existing

song

forms."cur,

Indeed, in the sonata, all these forms reare,

and

so

to

speak,

fused into a concretethis view, the son-

and

actual unity.

According to

3

THE SONATA IN GENERAL.atais

1

the organic product of these forms,

and

this

the Beethoven sonata pre-eminently proves.If

we consider more

closely the construction of theit

sonata,

we

shall find

to be divided into several

movements

two,

three,

four,

five,

or even

more

and the

plurality of

movements may be generally

stated as the former principle of composition.particularcharacter,

The

however,

of

the

life-pictureits

which a work depicts must always be considereddetermining basis.(""

The

soul

moulds

its

own body."

Die Seele schafft sich ihren Leib.")

Musical science

must, therefore, in this respect desist from laying

down binding laws and immutablelin

principles.

Kost-

(in Vischer's

"^sthetik") and Marx

(in Beet-

hoven's Leben und Schaffen") have, ably and exhaustively,

propounded and undertakenformis

to

prove

that the three or four-movementprinciple of construction.

the normal

Indeed, most sonatas doBut, on the other

contain three or four movements.

hand,

it

may

be urged that, as will presently beofBeethoven'ssonatas,

shown, in

many

even in

some of

his

most important ones, the two-movement

principle strikingly predominates,

and

to this,

from

the three

and four-movement form, the great master

of the sonata, in the last of these works (Op. in),

:

14

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

significantly returns."

Marx

says, in another place

That

these are only suggestions as to

what may -

have been the determining causes of form, not fixedconclusions (who can bind thefectly clear that the threeis

mind

?)

for

it is

per-

as practicable as the

four-part form, and that in the future the twothe severalable."

and

movement form

will be equally justifi-

This freedom of form appears also in the

design and arrangement of the different movements.It

will be decided

by the character of the

entire

work, whether, for example, the so-called andanteor adagio

generally the slow movement forms theit

second or third movement (in the four-movementform), or whether

should stand at the commence-

ment.

It is

surely unnecessary to specify, that theis

point in discussion

not the want of form in the

composition, but the model on which that form has

been framed.ideais

Equally indisputable

is

it

that the

the only determining principle of the form.

This brings us from the form to the matter of thesonata.

Thethe"

actual essence of music

may

be described aslife,

far dark currents of the soul, the fleeting

the constant whirl of the world into which all existence

and

all

repose are drawn; as all that

rises,

5

THE SONATA IN GENERAL.hovers,

1

and trembles

in the air,

and

in the heart of

man,

all

that the soul re-echoes to itself from the(Kriiger).:

varied

phenomena of movement "

Or wemusic

may

say, with Carriere (" ^Esthetik ")

" It is

which discovers and explains for us the beautiful inthe worldus, in the

and

in the

mind, or

still

more which shows

movements of the world and of the mind,

that inner life which a spiritual nature reveals, sothat,

amid the external action

in

which we are en-

gaged, the conditions of mind and soulthemselves, or through sound

may

express

makeTheis

us acquainted

with the things of theirthe ideal in a concrete

life.

representation of

form

the

aim of music

because music

is art.

Theis

tone-art

shows the play of

various emotions

it

an ideal representation ofits

the individual lifethis

and of

soul-melodies."

As

holds good of music in general, the substance

of the sonatajective life of

may

be briefly described as the subsoul.

mind andis

As Kostlin

says, the

object of the sonata

to display a rich, expressive

and

subjective state of feeling, whether this flows

forth in a rich full stream of emotional images, or

whether, in the form of a great tone-picture, one of the different phases of the prevailing sentiment ofthe emotional lifeis

depicted.

6

1

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

What

instrument could be better adapted to such

a purpose than the pianoforte?says Kostlin, sinceit

The

pianoforte,

blends harmony with melody,into the

and yet gives the formerject, is

hands of the sub-

the principal organ for the free, fulllatter; in thisits

and safe

conduct of theis

instrument the subjectsake,

introduced purely for

own

and

is

thus in

a position to express itself clearly and completely.

The pianoit

is

an orchestra

in miniature.

Marx

calls

the ideal instrument.

As

is

well known, Hanslick has recently* again

brought forward his charge of the emptiness ofmusic.

He

considers

it

to be only "

sounding forms,"

and compares music with arabesque; but Brendel("Neue ZeitschriftCarrierefiir

Musik," Vol. 42, No. 8) andVol.II,

(" ./Esthetik,"

page

322)

havealso,

thoroughly

refutedIII,

this

opinion.

Vischer

("^sthetik," Part

page 790) shows the contra-

diction in which Hanslick involves himself,

when

he

is

afterwards obliged to admit that " thought and

feeling, the

warmest and strongest impulses of theare the "substance" of music.

human mind,"del

Bren-

aptly says "the feelings of the soul are the

substance of music

material which

is

equally avail-

Written about 1865.

[Translator's note.]

THE SONATA IN GENERAL.able for all artists.

1/

Now

this

does not represent

mind

as having only a

vague external connection

with technical principles, as a something fleeting

and vanishing.

Mind and substance

are indispensis

able to music; the succession of sounds

the direct

expression of them, the thingform.

itself,

and not mere

Nevertheless, the whole life of music restsbasis,

on a real psychological

and we have no mere

combination of sound to deal with."Let us now turn to the historicalart.

realities

of the

Before occupying ourselves exclusively withit is

Beethoven,

necessary, for

many

reasons, to give

a brief chronological account of the sonata, fromits

commencement

to

its

perfection bythis sketch, as

Beethoven.far as the

For the ground-work oftime of Haydn, we will

make

use of the excellentJ.

contributions to the historyFaisst, in"

of the sonata, by

Cacilia," a

newspaper now discontinued.

SECOND PART.THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.

)HE

earliest

beginnings of the sonata are

found towards the close of the seventeenth century.

Thefor

first

sonatas apsolo,

peared

in

1

68 1,

violin

by

Henry Biber; then

in

1683 there appeared twelve

sonatas for violin, violoncello and piano, by theviolinist,

Corelli.

But of more

importance

as

a

composer of sonatas was Johann Kuhnau, Sebastianin

Bach's predecessor.

He

first

wrote a sonataPartII

"B"

in

"New

Pianoforte

Practice,"").

("Neuer Clavieriibung anderer Theila whole, the formconsisting ofis

Taken

as

the present one, the sonata

a quick,stylefails

a slow, and then a quick ofin

movement.butthe

Thework

writing

is

polyphonic,unity.

inward

aesthetic

Kuhnau's' next work appeared in 1696, under thetitle

of "Fresh

Fruit

for18

the

Piano;

or

Seven

9

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.

1

Sonatas for the Pianoforte, Excellent in Design

andnau,

Style,

by Johann Kuhnau."Clavierfriichte,

("Johann

Kuh-

frische

oder sieben

SonatenClavierin

von guter Invention und Manier aufzuspielen.")

dem

These sonatas show an advance

form andcity,

in matter;

they are full of energy, vivaalso of deep feeling.

fresh grace,

and

They

contain sometimes four, sometimes five movements,

which contrast well with one anotherof repose and agitation.is

in alternations

The polyphonic treatment

predominant, though the homophonic sometimes

breaks through, launching forth into free melodies.Single movements showstill

greater artistic merit.

Kuhnauhis free

is

intellectually associated with

Handel, by

polyphony and energetic or

clear treatment

of melody.aesthetic

In some of the movements an inwardis

connection

discernible.

The next comis

poser to be mentioned in this category

Mattheson.

A

sonata appeared by him, in 17 13, "dedicated toit

whoever will playgewidmet, diesists

best" ("derjenigen

PersonIt

sie

am

besten spielen wird").;

conits

of one movement onlyis

the treatment of

different parts

richer than with former composers,its

nor

is

the theme without merit; but

development

shows more external brilliancy than internal wealth.

20

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

We

come

to

Domenico

Scarlatti.

In

the

first

decade of the eighteenth century, he wroteSonate percembalo."il

"

30il

clavicembalo" and "6 Senate per:

Every sonata contains two parts

the

present so-called fantasia (Durchfiihrungstheil)the third part being blended into one; thereis

andalso

a similarity to the two-part fcrm-song.part

The twois

form predominatesfitted to the

;

the

style

of writing

morelatti's

instrument than was that of Scar-

predecessors;

and

the crossing of the

hands

claims notice.

With

respect to the matter of the

sonatas, Scarlatti himself describestricks of art."intelligent,

them

as "clever

They

are bright, fresh, lively

and

and often overflow with humour, with

touches also of a softer and more earnest feeling;

though of a deeper meaning thereScarlatti did not give ain the sense of

is

no

trace.

new form

to the scnata,

making

it

a combination of severalin a style of writing

movements, but he produced

freed from the fetters of polyphony

and

fitted to

the true nature of the instrument, a form regularly

matured from the early kernel of the single move-

ment scnata.

This form as the standard,

if

not

for all, at least for the

most important movement

of the sonata, and as the most considerable gener-

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.ally

21in-

among

the

non-polyphonic

forms of anfirst

strumental movement, must have

developed a

degree of excellence corresponding to the lofty aimof the sonata, before what afterwards happened

could have been possible, namely, the giving to thesonata, as a combination of several movements, a

systematic and logical shaj)e.

Francescotioned:

Durante,

the

Italian,

must be men-

he produced a unique work

"

Sonate perIn formal

cembalo divise

in studiei divertimenti."

construction, these sonatas are a transition between

the song-form

and the sonata formConsidered

;

they are homothelight

phonically

written.

in

of

historical development, they are deeperlatti's

than Scar-

sonatas; in a free, natural style of writing,are

they

a

stage

beyond Kuhnau

;

while,

as

re-

gards matter theyingenious.

may

be

called

valuable

and

We

now approach

that musical giant, Sebastian

Bach, ofatas in

whom we

will give

two examples, the son-

C minor and Dof

minor.

The sonata formmovementsinto

the combination

several

one

whole reappears

with him.is

In the sonatas men-

tioned he certainly

not, either in

form or

style,

equal in freedom to Scarlatti; he stands nearer to

22

Beethoven's sonatas explained.is

Kuhnau; but heness

far superior to the latter in rich-

and a

free

command

of means; and on the

other hand, he shows himself in advance of Scarlatti, in

that he combined several

movements

into a

whole, in accordance with the characteristic style ofthe sonata, so that a higher intellectual inner mean-

ing was more apparent

than before.

Altogether,

Bach

is

the intervening transition step.Martini, "perI'or-

The twelve sonatas by Fathergano

vel cembalo," are another intermediary work.their

Judging by the character of

composition the

sonatas should have been styled "for the piano"

not

" for the organ."

In form, they are a

medium

between the so-called suite and the sonata proper,being a mixture of polyphony and homophony, andcontain plenty of intelligence andskilfullife,

with very

workmanship.the middle of the eighteenth centuryin 1788,till

From

the

death of Emanuel Bach,

was the beginningit

of a new period for the sonata whenregular form, and one adequate to

acquired aconception.

its

Pianofortereckons inthirty-fi.ve

literatureall

increased

rapidly.

Faisst

two hundred and eight sonatas andAfter thetrue, or at least the

composers.

predominant, form had been found for the single

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.23

movement ofsonata

the sonata, the object

was

to give to the

as a wholeBut

formed of several movementsits

a systematic shape corresponding to

design.

These

sonatas, therefore, regularly contain several

move-

ments.

this

union of several movements into onein

whole took placeso

many

different ways,

and

is

not

much

to be considered as

an expression of greatersuit-

freedom as of indecision, of a striving after aable form.

The three-movement form predominates,in the

two and four movements are the exception;latter,

the minuet

already appears as the secondis still

movement. The form of the single movement

partly like Scarlatti's, partly more perfect than hiswas.

Movements with a second theme already apis

pear, but the latterfirst

more

like ait;

complementits

to theis

theme than a contrast to

substance

notis

so characteristically different,

its

existence even

often doubtful

;

hence the weakness of this period.

Weits

observe further an enrichment and extension of

the song-form, although only an outward one, forinternal expansion leadsit

into the

rondo and

sonata-form.

Movements with

variations, the dance-

forms of the minuet and polonaise, and more rarelythe rondo-form, already appear. ent

The most prominEmanuel Bach,

name

in this period is that of

:

24

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

while Johann Christian Bach and Leopold Mozart

may

be briefly mentioned.sonatas of Johann Christian Bach are full offresh grace;

Thefire,

humour and

they resemble to someMozart.

extent those of

Haydn andwe seem much do

In Leopoldlistening

Mozart's sonatas

to be alreadytheir style

to his great son, so

and

spirit

remind us of the

latter.

Emanuel Bach's works display agent, exceedingly intellectual

refined, intelli-

and pleasing natureis

we

feel

with him that everything

the expression

of an, enthusiastic and noble-minded man.

He

is

Haydn's forerunner bothhis works.

in the

form and matter ofperfect three-move-

The complete and

ment form becomes a regular principle of construction with him.first

His sonatas contain, as a

rule,

a

movement,

allegro, in the short sonata-form; a

second movement, andante, in the song- form; and athird

movement,

presto,is

in

the

rondo-form.

His

style of writing

generally homophonic."

Brendel":

says of him, in his excellent

History of Music

"Bach, by representing, contrary to former composers,writer,

the

individual

mind and

feeling

of

the

directly

brought in the new instrumentalsetting

music,

and by

forth

individualism in

its

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.

2$

changing and diverse forms became the founder of

modernfor

music."

His chief works are his

"

Sonatasf iir

Connoisseurs

and Amateurs."").

("

Sonaten

Kenner and Liebhaber

A

new epoch now began

:

the grandest which the

sonata has ever known, that of Haydn, Mozart andBeethoven.

As

in the principal

departments ofas

in-

strumental

music,

Haydn

appears

an

epoch-

maker, a genius breaking through the old bound-

in proof of which we have only to refer to his symphonies and quartets so also did he give to thearies

pianoforte

sonata an important impetus

and, de-

velopment, both in form and matter.

Although the

three-movement form

is

mainly

to be attributed to

Emanuel Bach,

the contributions:

made by Haydnthat he repeated

to the progress of the sonata were

the principal theme of the

first

part of a move-

ment

in the third part, that

he regularly settled the

second, so-called fantasia part,

and the

third, so-

called repetition part, into the sonata form; that he

reduced what had before been the mere humour andcaprice of the composer,

and

in

many

of the earlier

works had not even been found

at all, into

an un-

changing principle of construction; that by these

means he

raised, enriched

and amplified the

single

;

26-

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

movement

which

means the sonata generally, that

he reached a higher unity, and created a stronger

and more uniform whole.

There necessarily

fol-

lowed the development of the substance of the sonata.

The

chief

thought

gained

importance

byto

repetition;it

more especially as Haydn had given

a decided and characteristic expression, whichIn-

he firmly maintained throughout the movement.

deed the principal movements of the Haydn sonatahave a uniform

fundamental thought firmly and

decidedly stamped on them.singletive.

Not only does theunity, but

movement show

this

the collec-

movements of the sonata form a much morebasis,

uniform whole, proceed more from a settled

and are much morein

closely connected together thanwriters.I

the

works of previous

say

"much

more," for the unity thatunitythat

we

find in Beethoven, ait

was

absolute,is

because

rested;

on a

psychological basis,rather, ifI

not yet apparent

we have

may

use the expression, the stringing

together of several movements united by one com-

monItis

sentiment.

But what

is

the ruling sentiment

?

that spirit of naive

and

childlike cheerful-

ness, that

teasing

play

of

jest

and. mirth, thatf rolicsomeness

roguish humour, that caprice and

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.in

2/

short,

all

Haydn's musicof his artistic

reflects

the thoughts

and

feelings

nature.

Kostlin wellstyle,art,is

says that

Haydn

brought in the epoch of free

the golden agethat with

and spring-time of the musical

him music becomes conscious that she

not a mere system and science, but a free impulse

and aest

lyric

poem.

Brendel calls

Haydn

the great-

master of jest and humour.be,

However limitedto the boundlessto us,

Haydn's world mayvistaslittle

compared

which Beethoven has revealed

however

Haydn's childlike nature may show us of thesoul, yet heis

deep secrets of the

in his

own

sphere

so inventive, so rich in genius, that a place belongsto

him among the

first

of the tone artists; and heinto the gigantic constill

who has thoroughlyceptions

entered

of

Beethoven

may

turn back,

now

andasit

then, to a sonata of " Father

Haydn,"

to enjoy,

were, a picture of his

own

past childhood, andfirst

to pass once again through thelife.

paradise of

Among Haydn's numerous:

sonatas, two only

need here be specifieda smaller one in

the one in

E

flat

major and

B

minor.real successor in the depart-

Mozart was Haydn's

ment of the sonata.mentin

He

gave

it

a further develop-

many

directions.

Mozart adhered also to

28

*

Beethoven's sonatas explained.

the principle, received from

Haydn, of

starting withit

a definite and expressive theme, and makingbasis of the

the

movement.

But

this

did not satisfy

nim; he wanted a something by which a greaterdiversity,

together with a more intellectualthis

unity,

should be attained, andtabile,

something was the can-

or the second subject,first

which Mozart

intro-

duced into the

movement ofricher

the sonata.

He

composed longer andlarger

phrases

of

melody,

and broader

periods, established a

more de-

fined difference between light

and shade, dividedtime,

both

into

larger

divisions

of

and

precise

periods,

and thus produced a

definite

distinction

between the tender and the vigorous parts, a greaterclearness

and decision

in the

form and in the

se-

quence of thought.of his sonatasinis

Another characteristic feature

the perfect beauty of form, which,itself

system, symmetry and regularity, shows

alike in small

and

great.

This

is

the natural result

of a perfect and harmonious nature.

As Brendel

and

others have well shown, Mozart's artistic indi-

viduality revealed,

from

tlie

very beginning

andsoul,

throughout, the purest harmony of

mind and

a quiet, self-contained balance of powers, a condition of the inner life in which the moral struggles

;

THE SONATA BEFORE BEETHOVEN.are hushed, or at most

29

form but the

far

dark back-

ground.

This primary adjustment imparted thatis

gracefulness of thought, whichistic

another character-

feature of his music.

This

is

such an essential

quality with him, thatsion,

when he

depicts violent pas-

he holds himself far aloof from roughnessis

everything

so closely enfolded in a beautiful garb,is,

that the passion

so to speak, stifled.

It is

only

Mozart, the

artist,

who

strugglesago.

;

Mozart, the man,Ininthis

came out conqueror longMozart's

respect,

Symphony and Quintet

G

minor areit

especially characteristic.

As regards

the sonatas,

must be frankly admitted that Mozart stands

far

higher in other departments of instrumental music.

The most important sonata

is

unquestionably theit;

C

minor with the fantasia beforethein

beside this rank

F

major,

A

minor, the sonata for two performers

F

major, and a few others.

On

the foundation

laid

by the

Haydn and Mozart

sonata, Beethoven

reared his gigantic edifice, to the consideration of

which we now turn.*

*

From

this historical

sketch Clementi

may with

pro-

priety be omitted, for his forteforte playing in

was the technique

of piano-

which eAen Beethoven

scarcely excelled

him.

THIRD PART.BEETHOVEN.

S Beethoven,

in

his

instrumental music

generally, took his starting point from

Haydn andfirst

Mozart, so in his sonatas he

trod in the footsteps of these com-

posers.

But when he had reached greater maturityleft these paths, struck

and independence, Beethovenout a new

way and took

a fresh aim.

He improvedneveras

both the form and matter of the sonata, breathedintoit

a spirit such asin a

Haydn and Mozart hadit

known;yet

word, gave to depth

that peculiar,

and

unreached,

and grandeur, which

ever

awaken afresh

the unqualified

admiration of theMozart,ofthe

true lover of music.

Unlike

Haydn andthis

^Beethoven became

so

absorbed init

species

composition, and displayed in

so

much ofHand,

essential character of his genius, that

in his

1

BEETHOVEN.

3

"Esthetics of Musical Art," comes to the conclusion that

Beethoven's originality

is is

pre-eminentlyoverstating the

displayed in his sonatas.case, for

This

Beethoven

is

at his greatest in theit is

sym-

phonies and quartets, though

true that the son-

atas give us one of the best opportunities for fully

understanding him.

It

is

in

these

pre-eminently

that the stages of Beethoven's artistic development

may

be traced with the greatest certainty, for evenall

Beethoven was nothis prime.

at once

what he became

in

The gradual growth and ripening of

his

mind

surely

one of the most interesting psycho-

logical periods in the course of a great artist's evo-

lutionis more clearly illustrated

in

his

sonatas

than

in his ether works.

Nowhere

else are those finein-

gradual changes, that progress towards an evercreasing independence, so noticeableable.

and

so trace-

For what an unbridged chasm

exists

between

the secondtets,

and8,

third symphonies, between the Quarthree Constellations, Op. 59.

Op.

1

and those

The sonatas surrounding and connecting these worksform the intermediarythe chasm,stages, build the bridge over If the question

and solve the problem.:

be

now asked

what are

the

contents

of

the

Beethoven sonatas? the answer will be found in the

32

BEETHOVEN

S

SONATAS EXPLAINED.

following analyses of each separate work.while

Mean-

we must

set forth

some leading considerations

and the general point of view from which the examination of details must proceed;in other

words,

we must

depict the nature of Beethoven's artistic

individuality

and

the general features of his instru-

mental music in order to get a sound basis for theapprehension of the particular and the special.

The

essential characteristic of his genius

is,

in

my

opinion, wealth of imagination, united with a naturefull of

foreboding and unfathomable depths,* but

irradiated by a lofty intellect,

and sustained byIn

strong moral determination.!gination, feeling,intellect

Beethoven, imaare

and character

dein

veloped withperfect

equal

potency

and import, andIt is to these

harmony with eachfinest

other.

fun-

damentals that thebetraced,' indeed,

works are unmistakably to

they seem to

me

to

be their in-

evitable outcome.*

Nor can

this close connection of

Kullak says, in his excellent work on " The Beautiful Music": ''No one has ever felt more devoutly than Bach, more happily than Mozart, or with more giganticin

power than Beethoven."t

with regard to the

Richard AVagner says (''Kunstwerk der Zukunft") C minor symphony, " Beethoven raised

the expression of his music almost to a moral determination."

BEETHOVEN.fancy,feeling,intellect

33realised

and character be

except by a strong subjectiveness, not one-sided or

wrapped up

in itself, but in unison with objective

qualities equally potent.

In contrast to Mozart

and other composers,

Beet-

hoven has been called a pre-eminently subjectiveartist,

with

whom form wasThereis

subservient to subjectivein this assertion, but

contents.

some truth

we must guard

against misunderstanding, for, with

all his self-absorption,

Beethoven had more true obof the soi-disant objective

jectiveness than

many

composers.

Such fully developed, tensely strung

subjectiveness can rarely exist without a struggle,at least not without violent agitation

and emotion

could

it

come

into being,

and

into contact with other

existences.

Do we?

not find this to be the case withsays,

Beethoven

Kostlin

that

with

Beethoven

music, being a reflection of himself and his relationto the objective world,is

alike the attraction

and

re-

pulsion of the subjective through the objective infothe innermostpeculiarities

and all-pervading

ego.

All thesein-

appear prominently in Beethoven'sit

strumental music; andthat his forte

has long been recognised

lies in this,

and not

in vocal music.in-

Concerning the idiosyncrasy of Beethoven's

4

34

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

strumental music, Brendel, with admirable conciseness, writes thus, in his"

Musical History

"

:

"

The

chief characteristic of Beethoven's instrumental musicis

the increased power of the subject-matter, which

results in the heightening

and extending of

all the

means of expression.

Following

this increased sig-

nificance of the matter,

we

see a striving after the

utmost clearness of expression by which music alone,not united to words,is

made capable

of representing

definite states of mind.

In earlier times, with

Haydn

and Mozart,

the

common

character of instrumental

music was a free play of vague, general expression.Beethoven, on the contrary, expressed definite situations

and portrayed

clearly recognisable states of

mind.set

Closely allied with this was his endeavour to

a poetical image before the mind of the hearer,life

while the dramatic

of

his

compositions

was

evolved by development of the matter.

Mozart's

aim had been an

intelligent

and

logical working-out

of the form which a piece of music took.

But with

Beethoven the formal treatment ceases to be a leading consideration, and the tone-poet, following hispoetical object, brings before us a

grand

soul-picture,

portraying every variety of emotion.

Finally, the

humorous element also plays

its

part in his works."

;

BEETHOVEN.

35

Beethoven's sonatas, reflecting as they do the artistic

personality of their composer, are distinguishedtheir contents, the

by the increased importance of

representation of definite states of mind,poetic tendency.

and

their

The range

is

indeed in no wayit

so comprehensive as, for example,

is is

in the

sym-

phony.

In the latter the sentiment

preponder-

atingly objective

and general

in character,

pervaded

though by a Beethoven subjectiveness.atas

In the sonself.

Beethoven refers only to his innermostin the secrets

Buried

of his

own

heart, to the

piano

alone does he confide the concerns of his inmostsoul.

These works we

will

now

review; but before

doing so we must say a few words on the style andperiodsof

Beethoven's

creations.first

It

has

been

already intimated that at

Beethoven trod in

the paths of his predecessors,

Haydn and MozartThis

yet in the works belonging to that time his individuality continuallyis

becomes more conspicuous.

the

first

period.

Then Beethoven has emancipatedandin-

himself, stands alone, has reached maturity

dependence, has become aof the word.

man

in the fullest sense

This

is

the second period.

In the

course of his artistic

life,

partly in consequence of

outward, partly of inward circumstances, Beethoven

36

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.;

con tinually retreats into himself

he.

so to spea k.to

^^ isolatesbeing,

his soul's

life,

raises his subjectivenessartist

a ^oin t at which

th e

appearsan_2Solatedfeelings a re

and only the most individu alThisis

represented. thefirst

called the third period.

Toare,

period the

first

twenty or thirty works

on an average, assigned; to the second, those up toa

hundred and;

to the third period, the

works beyondis

that number.

To draw

a definite boundary line

in the nature of things impossible; since at the

time

of publication as now, the numbers prefixed to the

works did

not, in a great measure, at all

correspond

to the time of their composition; therefore, the so-

called opus numbers can afford no criterion.

Then,

again, everything in Beethoven's works flows in such

a living stream that abstract divisions cannot beset

up between single works; theMarx,in

transitions are too

fine.

his

excellent

book on Beethoven,

goes too far when he rejects these periods as lifelesslimitations.

In

its

essence, indeed, Beethoven's style

certainly

is

but one and the same; that somethingis

which distinguishes him from other mastersparent from the very beginning.

ap-

Yet such characeach period

teristic differences arise in this unity, that

surely has

its

raison d'etre.

FOURTH

PART.

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.

jEETHOVEN'Spresent,

sonatas

may

be divided

into groups; but deferring this for the

we

will,

without further preto

face, closely

examine them according

their

opus numbers, and reserve other considerations

for the last part.

OP.

2,

No.

I,

F MINOR.to

Appeared

in ijg6.is

Dedicated

Joseph Haydn.

This sonata

distinguished throughout by the

consistent development of a fundamental thought,

by which, with much diversity ofcharacteris

detail, a

uniformit,

given to the whole,

or,is

as

Marx puts

a series of

moods and

feelings

psychologically

developed as a subjective whole.

A

certain discontentedness runs through the first37

38

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.allegro,

movement,

F

minor, | time; a mild rest-

lessness, a half -shy seeking for

something and notat the

finding

it.

This we see

if

we do but lookand secondwhich eachI,

characteristic

form of the

first

subjects,receives.122.)

and

at the opposite treatment

{Compare Marx, "Beethoven," Vol.

page?

What

then remains but quietly to submit

Does notfirst

the third subject, shortly before the close of thepart,

and

also before the end of the whole move-

ment, the passage marked con expressione, suggestthis?

There

is

all

through the movement a breathit

of really passionate yearning, but only a breath;

does not come to a real struggle, and to sharp contrasts;

theit.

piece

has

a

sort

of

bitter-sweetness

about

Marx

calls the

second movement, adagio," It

F

major,it

f time, a child's prayer.

comforts

if

does

not find a hearing, yet the anxiety depicted in thefirst

movement has not disappeared, butsubject quietly,felt.";

in the tribu-

taryitself

though unobtrusively, makes

Perfect peace breathes through these

strains

it is

only in passing that anything painful

arises to

darken the picture; and then the cloudletit is

soon disappears, and

clear sunshine again.

Few

of Beethoven's movements bear such an impress of

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.placidity.

39

This gentleness

is

also to

some extent ex-

pressed in the other movements.

Thethird

repose of the adagio was but passing.

In thef

movement, menuetto

allegretto,

F

minor,

time, the

mind of

the tone-poet falls back into thefirst

discontent and restless yearning of the

move-

ment.keine

"NoRuh")

restis

and no peace" ("keine Rast undthe

impression

produced by the

minuet and by the

trio in

F

major, and the climax

of this sentiment in the second part of the minuetis

very

fine.

But now,

in the fourth

movement, prestissimo, F:

minor, | time, a storm rises in the soulfinely says,

as

Marx

when fortune

fails

we behold

the cour-

age of suffering and the indignation of a noblemind, struggling with unworthy troubles, andif

notIn

crowned with conquest, possessed of thethis

victory.

movement, the dominant and basic sentimentwhichis

rises to real passion,

effectively expressed

by the sweepingtheme.

trills

and

the well-marked chiefin the first partis

Only

for a

moment

a

quieter sentiment perceptible; then, at the beginning

of the second part, a soothing melody predominatesfor a time,vent.

andthis

the expression becomes deeply fer-

But

image of

bliss

gradually disappears,

:

40for the

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.waves of passion sweep onward again, ever

stronger

and more

irrepressible, the

storm and rush-

ing begin afresh and retain the mastery until theend.

The

finale

is

indisputably the finest move:

ment of the sonatathedistributionin "

it

is

beautifully finished, and

of

lightet sessi

and shade

is

excellent.it

Lenz,

Beethovensi

Trois Styles," says of

"Untait

morceaupas dansradical

franc

dramatique,lui

qu'il n'en exis-

le

temps qui put

etre compare."is

The

principle of the sonata

decidedly

Mozartish, whether as regards the form or the matter,

especially the principal subject, though therein the finale, both as a

is

no doubt thatdetail,

whole and;

in

the

later

Beethoven already appearslast

the

elevationtransition

and energy of the

movement, and theit

from the second to the third part of

exhibit the true Beethoven.

OP.

2,

No.

2,

A MAJOR.to

Appeared

in

ijg6.is

Dedicated

Joseph Haydn.

This sonata

distinguished by an almost equallyif

uniform and consecutive,

not quite so compact

and

clear a

development of the primary thought, asit

the preceding work, to which

is

throughout

in-

ferior in elevation of style, while to a certain extent

1

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.superior in originality.

4alle-

In the

first

movement,

gro vivace, | time, Beethoven at once strikes quitea

new

chord.

Howis

courageously and self-reliantly

the

firstit

themeis

announced,out,!

how

boldly andare

cleverlyscales

carried

how

striking

the

and modulationsis

A

youthful

and evensees into give

wanton humour

the leading idea.

Marx

fancy, a restless boy

who does

not

know how

vent to his overflowing vitality.

However, a deep,

yearning feelingof

arises, just as if this

wanton play

humour could not possibly ensureThisis

true

and

last-

ing satisfaction.

the tributary subject in

E

minor, which appears in

Ais

minor

in the

second

part.

The whole movementis

cast in one mould,

and

full of a fresh

and uniformly harmonious exAlready, the original geniusfirst

pression of feeling.

of Beethoven distinctly appears, and theings of the later Beethoven

dawn-

humour

are perceptible.as the oneis

The movement

contains passages

such

which, at the entrance of the second part,

first

worked up

in C,

and then comes

to rest in the

same

'key, the passage further on in

E

major, just before

the return of the

first

subject,

and

others

also^

which contain nothing akin to Mozart.In the second movement, largo appassionato,

D

42

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

major, f time, feeling, humour and fancyfor a

make waysomething

more exalted sentiment.

There

is

sublime in the procession of those quiet, measuredmelodies andstyle of the

harmonies.piece reminds

Lenz- remarks that the

one of Handel.

Pro-

found but restrained agitation pervades the movement.

Very impressivein the

is

the entrance of

the

D

minor

second half of the piece, the diver-

sion into

B

major, and then the return intofirst

D

major

with the repetition of theoctave; by this,

subject in a higher

and by the conclusion which immeis

diately follows, a quiet touch of glory

added

to

the picture,

and the whole

is

roundedis

off in

beauty,

Marx

well says:

"The song

quiet

and solemn,the

like the thoughts of a noble

mind alone under

starry firmament

"

;

and the entrance of the minor,if

he adds, produces a thrilling emotion aslike

words

death and eternity had fallen on the heart.scherzo allegretto,

The

A

major, f time, whichis

follows as the third movement,

a lively, bright

composition, "charmingly alluring," reminiscent, asis

also the minor (trio), of the

Haydn-Mozart minuet

form, and in nothefirst

way

attaining to the originality of

two movements.

Lenz finds

in the trio the

character of Russian

and Slavonic melodies.

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.

43

Thef time,

fourth movement, rondo grazioso,is

A

major,

a picture of easy, cheerful life; with nofirst

touch of the Beethoven in the

movement;is

this

movement, the chief theme especially,Mozartish in conception; thereis

decidedly

an agreeable playis

of sounds, but a deeper meaning

wanting.

The

formal musical structure

is,

however, interesting; the

rondo-form being originally treated.I

On

this point

would

refer the reader to the third part of Marx'sin

"

Compositionslehre,"

which he speaks of the rondo-form

movement

as the best specimen of theus.

Beethoven has givenconsists of

The;

sonata, as a whole,the last

two unequal parts

two move-

ments not fully corresponding in style and expression to the twofirst.

Marx

also thinks that theis

psychological unity of the last movement

not in

harmony with

the

first

movements.

OP.Appearedin

2,

No.

3,

C MAJOR.to

ijg6.also,

Dedicated

Joseph Haydn.

This sonata

though resting as a whole on

Mozart's principles, reveals the later Beethoven inparticular passages, and, with the exception, per-

haps, of the second movement,

it

has a steadily de-

veloped uniform idea lying at

its basis.

A

bright.

*

44active

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.life,

full

of youthful freshness and vigour,

pervades themajor, | time.

first

movement, allegro conis

brio,

C

Nor

gracefulness wanting,, as the

passages marked dolce, inrespectively,in

G

major and

E tmajor,abunis

the

first

and second

parts,

dantly prove.withoutits

On

the other hand, the picture(see

not19,

humorous side

motive at bar

before the conclusion of the

first part).

Storm and

hurry are well depicted by the rolling up andof the octaves.

down

The

so-called fantasia part contains

some verythanin the

fine

writing,

and shows more freedommost on

works of

earlier composers, but the

original part seems to

me

to be the point d'orgue

the chord of

A

flat

major, followed by an interestfirst

ing cadence, leading back to the

theme, andIn

ending

in a

powerful and magnificent conclusion.

the whole of the coda, Beethoven boldly discards thestrict

sonata-form for the free form of the fantasia.

Aof

deep devoutness pervades the

first

theme of the

second movement, adagio,

E

major, f time; a sense

inwardits

contentmenttones.

and

happiness

breathes

through

Soon, however, with the appear-

ance of theout painthe

E

minor, a yearning impulse, not withis

and sorrow,

manifested (entrance ofFurther on, the

A

and B minor

in fortissimo).

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.first

45

theme returns soothingly, andit

in

C major

for-

tissimo

evenItit

rises tois

an expression of courageousthat the

confidence.

true

yearningthe

begins

again, but

is

materiallyfirst

subdued,

pain

is

dulled,

and the

theme

is

heard for theit

last time,

an octave higherfied

sounding, asin

were,

from a

glori-

height

and,ends.

a

calm, beatifiedcolouring,

mood, thethe

movement

Theall

the shading,

modulation, areeven magicaling, such as;

fresh, new, original,

sometimes

we have

true tone-poetry, soul-paintto

was peculiar

Beethoven alone.

After this movement what can the third movement

theform

allegro scherzo,is

C

major, f time

mean?;

Its

characteris

careless, self-satisfied cheerfulness; the

still

that of the

Haydn-Mozart minuet

thein

Beethoven scherzo has not appeared.

Theits

trio

A

minor

is

not without originality, with

almost

wilful sequence of the upper

and lower

registers;

the former restless, fleeting, surging, in contrast to the hopefulness of the latter.

The

tone colouring

of the whole

is

original,

and an excellent prepara-

tion for the character of the finale.

This fourth movement, allegrotime,is

assai,

Clife,

major, falittle

full

of the

most

sparkling

Bacchanalia, the product of bold youthful

petu-

;

46lance,

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.an episodeinin a

period of

"

Sturm und Drang."middle of the

The motive

F major

(dolce) in the

movement forms an agreeable

contrast,

and

serves to

enhance the sparkle and dash of the whole.

This

movement reaches

its

climax in the shake towards

the end; the shake here becomes the most direct

and the mostwhirl.

striking expression of the Bacchanalian

The

A

major, which follows without inter-

mission, has a striking effect,ful conclusion,

and

like theis

powera trueus,it

which immediately ensues,Particular

Beethoven

trait.

passages

remindis,

now and

then, of Mozart, but the

whole

as

were, cast in one

mould by some newits

being,

and

it

seems, sometimes, with

Bacchanalian revelry, toquitefaintly, the

foreshadow, though

as

yet

Ais

major Symphony.

Lenz says that the movement

a sort of rondo a la chasse,

and he perceives the

"Halali" quitehe will;

distinctly.

Let him have that as

the law of working up the sentiment to afulfilled in this sonata

climaxI

is

by

this finale.

But,to

ask again, what has the second movement

do

with the organism of the whole?tion betweenitit

An

inner connecis

and the other movements

wanting

belongs to a later stage of development.this opinion.

Lenzfan-

seems also to be of

He somewhat

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.cifully

47

says that one lingers before the piece as

before the Venus of Milo in the Louvre; and adds,

one would do well to play the movement apart fromthe whole sonata.

OP.

6,

D MAJOR.Date of com-

Appeared

in the winter of iyg6-y.

position uncertain.

This

is

the only sonata for two performers on theItis

pianoforte which Beethoven has written.the small sonata- form,

in

and

is

certainly a

work of

Beethoven's earliest youth, a work which can in no

way be comparedwhichlittleis

to

the preceding sonatas,

and

far surpassed even

by Mozart's charmingThereis

pianoforte

duet sonatas.It is

nothing

more to say about the work.ful whether Beethoven

decidedly doubtto

had anythingit

do with

its

publication, as Op. 6;

is

far

more

likely that this

was the work of some uncalled-for hand.

OP.

7,

E FLAT MAJOR.Dedicatedto

Appeared

in

lygy.

the

Countess

Babette von Keglevics.

As regardsIS

the

first

two movements

this

sonata

an important one.brio,

The

first

movement, allegrois

molto con

E

flat

major, f time,character.

a tone-pic-

ture rich in colour

and

The aroma of

48

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.feelingis

the later romantic

shed over

its

tone-

images

;

one has the impression of going into a gar-

den, gorgeous with a profusion of the finest

and

brightest flowers, most skilfully arranged

so splentime, this;

didly do the tone-pictures group themselves, and

enhance each other's glory.

At

theis

same

many-coloured play of sounds

full of soul

that

shadow may not be wanting

to

the light, a

few

earnest touches are interspersed here

and

there, the

humoroussuffice to

strains

not being forgotten.

This will

indicate the richness of the picture; the

reverent player

and hearer

will easily understand

everything,

and the

rare beauties of the music will

speedily reveal themselves.

The second movement,

largo con gran expressione,

E

major, f time, strikes a higher note.

The

sub-

stance of the

movement may be described

in a single

word, deep thoughtfulness (Tiefsinn).

A

sacred and

exalted tone pervades these strains, which give aninsightinto the depths of the soul.

The master

seems to have been caught up into higher spheres

than those in which he had just lingered.

I

only

say he seems to have been caught up, for he soonfeels that a yet higher

world

lies

before him, and a

strong yearning after it moves his soul (see the motive

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.in

49

A

fiat

major, bar;

25).

Stroriger

and stronger

becomes the pressureheart

blows resound that shatterasif

and marrow;

it

is

fate were knocking at

the door,

and the

soul were reminded of the pain

of living by the rough reality of existence.a powerful, dramatic passage!

Whatbefall

The yearning

comeson thetion,

less ardent,

and touching, plaintive tonescalms

ear, the soul

itself into quiet resignafirst

and with the return of theits

theme sinks

intotion.

former deep reflection and reverent meditais

Once again

the tone-poet seized with

a

painful longing after those lighter spheres; but thefeeling of

what he has been soaringhe has won,

after, of

what

in spite of all things,

now

takes per-

manent possession of him, and hetrance.

rises into a

happy

In thisit

moodisit

the

movement

closes.

We:

find in

what

as yet the most melancholy ofreal soul-secrets are unveiledus.

adagios, for in

we

have the tone-poet Beethoven again withfollowing

In the

movements,to

Beethoven,

alas,

descends

from the height

which he had attained.allegro,

Thetime,

third

movement,

E

flat

major,is,

f

and minore,latter,

E

flat

minor, certainlypej-sistent

as retrills,

gards theits

with

its

restless

harmony and modulations, of a highly

original5

50

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED."

stamp, a

fanciful

and

plaintive melody, like that(Ulibischeff), inclining

of an olditself,

German ballad"says, to an

as

Marx

inward unquiet ruminin

ation

and brooding, beingto

no way an unworthy

successorallegro,

the

first

two

movements

;

but

the

and

especially the fourth movement, rondoflat

allegretto,

E

major,

f time,a

are,

as

regards

substance

and

form,

of

strikingly

Haydn-

Mozartish character, without any prominent originality.

They merelyand

present a vague, general playis

of sounds,interesting

the finale

overloaded with un-

figures

and passages.is

The

defect:

of

the sonata throughout

a want of climax

it

showsstill

what a stronghold Beethoven's predecessors

had over him.triumph asyet.

He

has only attained a temporary

OP.

lo.

No.

I,

IN C MINOR.to

Appeared

in

ijgS.

Dedicated

the

Countess

von Browne.In the sequence of the movements this sonatais

characterised by one very steadily developed funda-

mental thoughtperhaps of the manner.

;

it

is,

however, with the exception,in the

lastfirst

movement, written movement,if

Mozart

The

allegro

molto,

C

minor, f time, seems as

the composer

had been

1

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.overhearinghis

5

great

forerunner,

to

whom

one

might unhesitatingly ascribe the movement, so entirely in Mozart's spirit, are the chief

themes and

their

working

out.

Everything recalls Mozart's great

C minor

Sonata.

The underlying thought of

the

movement may be called subdued, restrainedThroughflat

passion.

the second movement, adagio molto,

A

major, f time, there breathes that Mozartish

spirit (Innigkeit)tal

which was not the result of a men-

struggle,

and which has no such dark backfrom a mindatis

ground, but emanatesitself.

rest

with

In correspondence with this

the whole

style of the composition, which, without

any very

special originality in melody,lation,is

harmony and moduMozart,though,of

a

reproduction

of

course, not a slavish but

an intelligent one.

The

difference

between Beethoven and Mozart will be

fully appreciated by

comparing

this

movement withby playing the

the largo of the previous sonata, or

two immediately after eachof the movementis

other.

The conclusion

very well-devised.the sonata, prestissimo,

The

third

movement ofis,

C

minor, | time,

on the other hand, the most

original.

The two

chief subjects

and

their develop-

ment are quite unique; something of the

true Beet-

52

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.spirit

hoven

pervades the whole.

The master

de-

parts from hisis

model and

seeks his

own

path.

Therefills

no more reticence or

restraint, lively

emotion

the heart, a small battle almost begins.tion,

The

agitaif

however,

is

not profound.

It

seems as

the

aim of the struggle were to shakecharacter ofthe minor,is

off

the melancholy

the

C major

continually

breaks through, and'

in the

end triumphant.it."

One

might say

" that's

the

humour of2,

OP.

lo.

No.

F MAJOR.to

Appeared

in

ijgS.

Dedicated

the

Countess

von Browne.In thefirstis

and

last

movements of

this

sonata

Beethoven

under the influence of Haydn.

The

jocose, cheerful, easy nature of the

merry roguish

Haydn

runs through the

first

movement, allegro, Fis

major, | time.stance ofthis.

TheIt is

first

subject

a striking in-

a delightful ensemble, full ofsurprises, such

diverse changes,

and of

as an en-

trance of the

D

major, while certain passages bear

decided marks of originality.

But;

this is all that

can be said for the movement

even the enthusiastic

Lenz

calls

it

meagre.allegro,

The second movement, however,

F

minor,

I time, transports us into Beethoven's world.

Here

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.are the

53

germs of the Beethoven scherzo; the master

stretches out far

bsyond the forms of the Haydn-

Mozart minuet, and produces a most original creation.

The whole

is

so imaginative, so ethereal,effect,

anda

has such a magical

that

it

awakensin "

in

me":

feeling like that of Goethe's

words

Faust

Wolkenzug und NebelflorErhellen sich von oben,

Luft im Laub und

Wind im Rohr

Und AUes

ist

zerstoben.

Lenz says that

it

brings before us a"

Brockencalls

mountain scene from

Faust,''

whilst

Marx

attention to the reposeful harmonies inin the

D

flat

major,it

middle movements, and justly asks: "Is

then, only in melody, only inis

movement, that poetry

to be

found

?"

In the third movement, prestissimo,

F

major, |

time, Beethoven relapses into the style ofIt is

Haydn.

constructed on one motive, and pervaded by aspirit;

Puckish

as

Marx

observes,is

a

mischievous

game between fugue and sonata

carried on; the

former seeming to resemble an oldpulling his beard.

man

with a child

To

this apt observationit

we have

nothing to add but that

is

useless to seek in this

movement

for

a

trace

of

the

Beethoven

whose

idiosyncrasy has already frequently been revealed.

54

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.

OP.

lo,

No.

3,

D MAJOR.to

Appeared

in

1798.

Dedicated

the

Countess

von Browne.In^

this,

which Marx

calls the first great sonata,

we

clearly recognise the later Beethoven, especially

in the first

two movements.

WJaat storm and dashpresto,

there

is

in the first

movement,is

D

major, \first

time

!

How

characteristic

the ascent of the

notes in unison from the bass note

D

to to

A

the fifth

above, above,

and then the broken octaves

the tenth

F

sharp, which

by the combination of an

opposite descending passage to the A, below thestaff,

are rendered

still

more

expressive."

The

resist-

less

rushing and hurrying, the

Sturm und Drang,"

depicted in the opening passage are repeated and intensified, till there is scarcely a

moment offirst

rest; the

reposeful motive in

A

major, in the

part,

is

powerless to

still

the raging of the storm.is

The

whole movementspecial beauty.terlynotes,

extremely rich in passages ofis

Particularly noticeable

the masfirst

power with which the motive of theD,

four

C

sharp, B, A,

is

worked

out, theit

numerous

andstill

characteristic forms in

which

appears,

and

more remarkable

is

the iron energy displayed inat bar 38, before the conclu-

the fantasia part,

and

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.sion of thefirst

55

part, in the

proudly pacing bassoctaves, interwovenat bar 32

notesv^ith

and stormily descendingwhichis

the

humorous motive

a pasin the

sage which reappears in the third part.

This moveis

ment

is

not only full of lyric power, butit

highest degree dramatic;ful vigour

is

pervaded by youth-

and heroism; and in fancy,in the

we can

see,

though only as yetof the"

dim

distance, the creator

Eroica

"

symphony.largo,

The second movement,is

Dfirst.

minor, f time,

a worthy

associateits

of

the

Marx aptly

characterises

meaning

as one of dismal frettingIt

and

depressing

melancholy.

bespeaks

deep,

manly sorrow borne with

fortitude; in therest,

A

major

motive the mind finds temporaryspeedilysorrow,

only to be

overwhelmed with awhichslowlysubsides,

deep,

impassionedgentlydies

and

away.

And now!

for the musical representation of

such a subjectpredecessorsin?

Does

it

remind us of Beethoven'sHere, as in fact,laterori-

Not

in the least.

the

firstis

movement, the greatness of thealreadyapparent,so

Beethovenginalis

new and

the composition.

And

again the dramatic

feeling

makesis

itself felt, especially

where the chiefrestless,

subject

heard in the low bass, with a

a

56

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.accompaniment,first

stormythenin

in

demisemiquavers,in

semidemisemiquavers!

the

treble

powerful and striking passagedoes the thrice-repeated

And how

well

G

sharp, shortly before the

close, depict the keen, cutting,

inward woe

!

This

largo surpasses any of the slow movements hitherto

mentioned, andatas.

.also

many

of those in the later son-

Unfortunately, the other parts of the sonata

are not

up

to the level of the first

two movements.major, f time,

The

third movement, minuetto,it

D

sunnily bright as bothtrio are,

and the teasing

G

major

does not accord well with the unfathom-

able depths of sorrow of the largo. thinks differently,correctpiece.

Marx, however,as a

and considers the movementin the

and necessary member(Compare

organism of the

his " Compositionslehre," Part III).in the

Supposing that in the inward, asworld, thereis

outward

a refreshing sunshine clearing up all

the mysteries of darkness,

and granting

that psycho-

logical correctness requires that brightness

and

light

should follow the night which had gathered roundthe largo,still it

seems to

me

that the

movement

in

question has toofulness, I

much of

that lightlittle

Haydnish

cheer-

might say too

of the ideality ofBeethoven,

form which was peculiar

to

when

in

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.

57

good

spirits

and quite himself,

to be considered as

in clear

and necessary connection withI

the previous that

movements.Beethoven

always

haveI

the

impression

lost his cue here;

miss the working up

of the ruling thought.

Nor does the fourth movement, rondomajor, | time, supply this want.It

allegro,

Dis

certainly

morefirst

characteristic

than the third movement; the

motive

is

original

and worked out

into

the

most diverse forms,

in a masterly

manner, while the

whole

is

exceedingly lively and not without humour.

But the influence of Beethoven's predecessors, whichin

the largo,

was slightly

perceptible,all,is

and

in

the

first

movement

scarcely seen at

apparent atfirst

intervals.

After the depth and grandeur of the

two movements, the tone and keeping of the wholeof thising,

movement appears

to

me

too light and

fleet-

and the humour too shallow,

to give an impres-

sion of any striking internal unity, or to

form an

adequate conclusoin to the whole work.

OP.

13,

C MINOR.to

Appeared

lygg-

Dedicated

Prince Lichnowsky.

In this sonata

Beethoven again attains a very

close unity between the movements.

The work has

58

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS EXPLAINED.dilet-

always enjoyed a special preference amongtanti.It

may be described as one ofis

the master's most

popular compositions, andthose

the ne plus ultra with

who havelater

not arrived at an understanding

of the

works, such as

Op.

57.

The namethis, as

"Pathetique"

may have

contributed tois

has

also the fact that the sonata

easy to play, more

easy to play than, for example, the last-named composition.

But the intellectual contents of the work,

the plastic soul-pictures, explain the preference; the

sonata comes very near to the emotionalstanding,not

under-

and the

title "

Pathetique

" is

striking

andare

easilyif

mistaken,not

althoughpathetic.

other

works

equally,is

more,

Here the pathos

deep, earnest passion, which, however, does not

overstep a certain measure of gravity

and dignified

deportment.

The

first

movement, grave, then allegrois

molto con

brio,

C

minor, | time,

the most telling

expression of his primary character, a lifelike picture

of

manly,Inthe;

earnest,

painful

and passionatethe

emotion.

stately

introductionthere thefire

ardour

seems restrainedin a

here

and

breaks out,

marked rhythm, but onlyBut

to be immediately

quenched.

at the entrance of the allegro, theits

lava stream bursts

bounds, and rushes forth.

In

BEETHOVEN'S SONATAS.the tributary subject, in

59

E

flat a

minor, and then more

intensely inis

D

flat

major,

pleading, soothing voice

heard restraining the storm.

Butis

in vain

is

the

stream arrested.the passage

A

moment's pause

perceptible in

marked grave; then

the storm beginsin

anew and with increased vehemence

E

minor.

And

again arise those beseeching, soothing strains inminor.

F minor and Cspenditself,

But

in vain; theit

storm must

till

at length

subsides in a diminthe grave

ished chord of the seventh.appears,

A^hird time

and then arepose.

last

short outburst, followed

by deep

Marx

points out the repeated ap-

pearance of the grave as particularly significant.

Says he

:

" It

does not stand there as an empty clangits

of sounds or chords, but hasin the min.d of the

own

specific

purpose

composer, and

is

in accordance

with the character and intention of the whole; threetimes before the endit

portentously points back to

the solemn introduction to the work."

The natureit

of

this

grave gives the impression that

coulddeter-

be

the

product

only

of

some

strong

mination.

The sharp

struggle being

over,

in

the

second

movement, adagio cantabile,

A

flat

major, | time,

a profound peace takes possession of the master's

6osoul,

Beethoven's sonatas explained.

and

is

well expressed in the sustained singingfeeling becomes

theme.

The

more and more deep

andOnce

reverent,

and

rises,

in the end, to real rapture.is

only,

when

the theme

heard

in

AEof

flat

minor,

a cry of sorrow escapes; but this produces courageous, joyful exaltation

(transition

to

major); arest

moment, and the untroubledpeace again hover roundus.

forms

and

The

third

movement, rondo

allegro,

C

minor, f

time, gives completeness to the whole.

The stormmovement

which swept through the soul

in the first

has subsided, the tcne-poet has saved and ensuredhis

inward peace;

his

mind

has, in a measure, puri-

fied itself.

Theprocess

finale

seems the outcome of

this

purifyingstrictly

its

most

direct expression.is

More

speaking, the result

a certain submission to some-

thing that was inevitable, but a happy, courageoussubmission, full of power for fresh exertions,

andthis

renewed

activity.

There

runs

also

through

movement anin

active,

though not unquiet life-current

many changing

forms, "bewegt

und doch massIt is

vol Alles"

a

satisfactory conclusion.last

not to

be denie