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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Piano Sonata No. in C minor, op.
(“Pathétique”)
When Beethoven arrived in Vienna in
, he
immediately began composition lessons with
Joseph Haydn. From the outset, Beethoven con-
sidered the elder composer’s instruction inade-
quate, and he sought the guidance of other local
musicians. However, the association with “Papa
Haydn” proved a valuable connection as Beetho-
ven made his way into Viennese social circles.
e elder musician introduced Beethoven to
his rst aristocratic acquaintances—Prince Karl
and Princess Maria Christiane von Lichnows-
ky—avid patrons of music who hosted private
performances in their home every week.
eir
resident ensemble, a string quartet under the
leadership of Ignaz Schuppanzigh, introduced
many of Beethoven’s quartets. In
, Prince
Lichnowsky granted Beethoven an annual sala-
ry of
orins.
Beethoven dedicated the Piano Sonata No. in
C minor, op. ( – ), to Prince Lichnows-
ky. e title page of the printed score by Joseph
Eder contained the soubriquet “Grande Sonate
pathétique,” an expression presumably suggest-
ed by the composer. Later in life, Beethoven
came to regret the application of this nickname,
as he once told his personal assistant and biog-
rapher, Anton Schindler: “One day, this author
heard the master lament that he had ever add-
ed the designation
pathétique
to the op. so-
nata. ‘ e whole world,’ he complained, ‘seizes
upon a single sonata because it has a name that
the pianists can exploit.’ Music dealers say that
while piano music in general is now in greater
demand, the
Sonate pathétique
sells more copies
than any other piece. No wonder a German pub-
lisher once told the composer that he would pay
,
gulden for a new
Sonate pathétique
! Such
is the strength of a foreign word whose meaning
remains unknown to the majority of the pia-
no-playing public. How o en Beethoven would
have had to append the designation
pathétique
to every kind of composition if he had wanted to
be consistent. When we look at the meaning of
the word, ‘ at which is truly pathetic expresses
a strong emotion earnestly and with dignity,’ we
realize that it is a word that summarizes the fun-
damental character of all of Beethoven’s music.”
e Sonata in C minor is remarkable for its
structural and expressive innovations. Beetho-
ven exploits textural density and dynamic ex-
tremes with true “symphonic” mastery.
ese
characteristics account for the dramatic force
of the opening movement, which contrasts the
solemn
Grave
chords with the driven
Allegro
di molto e con brio
theme. Transference of or-
chestral textures to the piano continues in the
Adagio cantabile
as luxuriant accompaniments
surround all three melodies. e sonata culmi-
nates in a dark, minor-key
Rondo
.
Piano Sonata No. in F major, op.
From the time of its creation, the Piano Sona-
ta No. in F major, op. —perhaps the least
known of Beethoven’s sonatas—has been a
work in search of an identity. Its few mentions
in Beethoven’s correspondence come as part of
a collection of new compositions. e compos-
er initially approached Breitkopf & Härtel on
August ,
, with an o er to sell this sonata
along with the Piano Sonata No. in C major,
op.
(“Waldstein”); Symphony No. in E- at
major, op. (“Eroica”); “Triple” Concerto in C
major, op.
; Piano Sonata No.
in F minor,
op.
(“Appassionata”); and the oratorio
Chris-
tus am
Ölberge (
Christ on the Mount of Olives
),
op.
. A er an eight-month delay, Beethoven
resumed negotiations in a follow-up letter to the
publisher on April ,
.
Breitkopf & Härtel responded with a feeble
countero er, arguing “since you have probably
based the greatest part of your proposed fee on
your oratorio, and justi ably so, it is precisely
this work that will make an agreement between
us most di cult. Other than gaining honor for
our publishing rm, we would earn little or no
pro t from it.” Beethoven withdrew his o er
and published these scores, minus
Christus am
Ölberge
, through the Bureau des Arts et d’Indus-
trie in April
.
Established in
, the Bureau des Arts et d’In-
dustrie was the only Viennese publisher in the
rst decade of the th century to regularly is-
sue symphonic scores. One of its co-founders,
Joseph Sonnleithner, occupied a critical position
in Beethoven’s career. His German adaptation of
Jean-Nicolas Bouilly’s
Léonore, ou L’amour con-
jugal
served as the basis of the composer’s only
opera,
Fidelio
. Initially scheduled for production
in
, the opera’s premiere was delayed until
the following year, when it received a meager
three performances.
Amid work on the opera, Beethoven conceived
a collection of three piano sonatas, with the
Sonata No.
in F major, op.
, as its center-
piece.
is somewhat diminutive two-move-
ment sonata was, and still is, overwhelmed by
its powerful three-movement companions, the
“Waldstein” and “Appassionata” Sonatas. How-
ever, within the context of the collection, this
compact keyboard essay ful lled an important
role by providing relief from the surrounding
seriousness. One writer in the
Allgemeine musi-
kalische Zeitung
(July ,
) was not alone in
failing to grasp this function, criticizing its “inef-
fectual peculiarities” and “arti cial di culties.”
Scholars have continued to struggle to make
sense of this sonata over the succeeding two
centuries. e English critic Sir Donald Francis
Tovey perceived a humorous intent and wrote,
in somewhat uncomplimentary terms, in
,
“Its material is childlike, or even dog-like, and
those who best understand children and dogs
have the best chance of enjoying an adequate
reading of this music.” More recent analyses
have emphasized the intensity of contrast and
opposition—perhaps in the service of humor
or wit—that Beethoven introduced into his the-
matic, textural, and structural content.
Two-movement piano sonatas were not un-
common, as Beethoven’s teacher Joseph Haydn
demonstrated. However, this work reverses the
expected order, beginning with a minuet-style
movement and ending with a sonata-allegro.
Both movements are in the key of F major,
though the second is more harmonically adven-
turous.
e
In tempo d’un menuetto
presents a
compressed ve-part rondo (A–B–A–B–A) in
which textural and thematic contrast reign su-
preme. Its repetitious opening theme bears an
almost antiquated galant character, while the
loud, staccato second theme provides textural
and expressive variety through an octave-laden
canon. Beethoven took a divergent approach to
the second movement, where unity and con-
stancy are the goals. All thematic material is
derived from a single source, the texture is re-
duced to two independent lines, and the th-
note, toccata-like patter remains unbroken and
unvaried from beginning to end.
Prince Karl von Lichnowsky
Ludwig van Beethoven by Christian Horneman (1803)
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