analysis of pathetique sonata

8/19/2019 Analysis of Pathetique Sonata

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/analysis-of-pathetique-sonata 1/5

Nick Blue

Piano I

Carrie Carlson

2/1/16

Analysis of Movement One of Beethoven’s Patheti!ue"

Beethoven’s #th sonata in c minor$ calle% the Patheti!ue$" &as &ritten in 1'(# &hen

Beethoven &as 2' years ol% an% still &orkin) to cement his *lace in the &orl% of com*osition+

After ,e)innin) *iano at the a)e of four an% stu%yin) com*osition &ith -ose*h .ay%en in his

early 2’s$ Beethoven’s music &as often li)ht an% even airy until aroun% his late 2’s$ &hen he

,e)an to lose his hearin) an% his music ,ecame moo%y an% %ark+ Beethoven &as also an

im*ortant fi)ure in makin) the transition from the Classical 0ra to the omantic 0ra$ &hich sa&

the shift from ele)ant an% technically %eman%in) music to music &ith more emotive harmonies

an% less tra%itional structure+ he Patheti!ue is an e3am*le of ,oth of these transitions+

he first movement of the *iece is in c minor$ an% )enerally follo&s the tra%itional sonata

form of theme$ follo&e% ,y %evelo*ment$ an% en%in) &ith a restatement of the theme &ith a fe&

%e*artures+ he ,i))est e3am*le of this %e*arture is the inclusion of a )rave intro ,efore the

theme$ featurin) lar)e heavy chor%s an%$ &ell$ *athetic melo%y+ A ra*i% 64th note run a fe& ,ars

into the *iece$ set a*art from the lar)e chor%s that surroun% it$ mo%ulates the key ,riefly into 0,

ma5or$ the key relative to c minor$ throu)h a *erfect authentic ca%ence+ 0ven thou)h this key

only remains for a sin)le ,ar ,efore movin) ,ack to the home key$ the left han% no& ,e)ins to

strike 16th note chor%s an% octaves to accom*any the theme in the ri)ht han% i%eas of ,oth han%s

are later restate% in the %evelo*ment section of the &ork in a %ifferent settin)+ he music



crescen%os to airy an% mournful ri)ht han% run &ork$ en%in) in a very ra*i% an% ma)nificent

chromatic scale %o&n three octaves of the key,oar% ,efore movin) into the theme section of the

&ork &ith a *erfect authentic ca%ence+

his ne& section is marke% Alle)ro %i molto e con ,rio$ meanin) very fast an% &ith fire+

he first theme *resente% ,e)ins *iano an% crescen%os ra*i%ly an% furiously &ith !uarter note

chor%s$ the left *rovi%in) an ei)hth note octave *attern that clim,s an% %escen%s consistently

&ith the ri)ht han% after t&o octaves of ascent$ the music %ecrescen%os %o&n some&hat less

ra*i%ly to the ori)inal *osition$ &here this theme is almost e3actly re*eate%$ ,ut is cut off ,y a

half ca%ence+ At this *oint$ the music is stan%in) on the %ominant$ an% features ri)ht han% octave

chor%s follo&e% ,y scathin) ar*e))ios %o&n&ar% ,efore movin) on to a less sli)htly less frantic

se!uence of staccato !uarter note chor%s that clim, the key,oar% in a similar manner to the

ori)inal statement of the theme+ After t&o ren%itions of this *attern in %ifferent keys$ the

%ominant arrives an% is accom*anie% ,y sfor7an%o chor%s that ,e)in a %escent %o&n the *iano to

intro%uce the movements first su, theme+ his ne& theme is in e, minor an% involves the ri)ht

han% ,riefly crossin) over the left to strike out a staccato melo%y that occasionally ,ursts &ith

accente% %otte% half notes+ he left han% continuously *lays tria% chor%s$ &ith the root state% as

a &hole note an% the rest of the tria% su,se!uently state% as three !uarter notes$ another element

that is to ,e restate% in the %evelo*ment+ Before movin) to the secon% su, theme of the section

throu)h a *erfect authentic ca%ence to 0, ma5or$ the melo%y mo%ulates aroun% the circle of fifths

from C to 8 an% B,+ he secon% su, theme is incre%i,ly ra*i% in ,oth the left han% an% the ri)ht

an% is reminiscent of the *attern of an al,erti ,ass+ After remainin) stationary for four ,ars$ the

melo%y clim,s ra*i%ly u* the key,oar% an% &orks itself into a furor ,efore ,ein) re*eate%+ his

theme re*eats+ he natation of the music chan)es after the re*eat to a %ainty an% tra)ic ri)ht



han% run accom*anie% ,y the *reviously use% tria% *attern in the left+ hrou)h a *erfect

authentic ca%ence$ the ori)inal theme is reintro%uce% ,riefly$ ,efore closin) out the first section

of the movement+

Instea% of movin) strai)ht to the %evelo*ment section$ ho&ever$ Beethoven inserts

material almost i%entical to the )rave intro%uction section+ After four ,ars of this$ the

%evelo*ment section ,e)ins$ a)ain at alle)ro$ &ith a melo%y similar to *art of the main theme

an% is follo&e% ,y an octaves melo%y in the ri)ht han% also reminiscent of the intro%uction+ his

is accom*anie% in the left ,y a similar tria% *attern use% in the first su, theme of the *revious

section+ 0ventually$ the melo%y moves to the left han% an% is accom*anie% ,y a ri)ht han%

ei)hth note octave *attern very similar to the left han% of the main theme+ Beethoven

masterfully uses his *revious *atterns an% i%eas here in very %ifferent settin)s to create %ifferent

moo%s than they ori)inally %i%+ he melo%y of this section a)ain mo%ulates keys fre!uently an%

finally %escen%s to the lo& section of the key,oar% an% a ne& melo%y$ &hich stan%s on the

%ominant is achieve% ,y a half ca%ence+ After four ,ars of this theme$ the music clim,s in a

similar fashion to the main theme to the to* of the key,oar% ,efore 5um*in) ,ack %o&n an%

re*eatin) this *attern+ After the secon% clim,$ the melo%y there is re*eate% three times ,efore the

left han% %ro*s out com*letely an% the ri)ht han% %is*lays a ,rilliant ei)hth note run that s*ans

three octaves an% ,rin)s the *iece to its reca*itulation section+

he ori)inal theme is state% e3actly as ,efore$ ,ut after a re*eat the music is frantically

*oun%e% out &ith half note chor%s that traverse u* an% %o&n the key ,oar%$ ,efore a re*eat of the

first su, theme in the su,%ominant key of f minor+ his theme moves aroun% the circle of fifths

in a similar &ay to its first statement+ After a *erfect authentic ca%ence$ the secon% su, theme is

no& re*eate% in c minor+ he theme continues in a similar &ay to its ori)inal statement ,efore



returnin) once a)ain to the main theme$ &hich &orks itself into a ,rilliant tantrum an% en%s

a,ru*tly$ returnin) the *iece to a co%a section ,e)innin) &ith another statement of the intro+

.o&ever$ at this *oint$ Beethoven e3clu%es the first fortissimo chor%s of the *revious intro

sections$ *erha*s in%icatin) that the moo% shoul% ,e more em*ty than *reviously+ After this

statement$ the ori)inal theme returns yet a)ain$ an% crescen%os to finish the *iece off &ith )ran%

an% sorro&ful %ictate% !uarter note chor%s+

he moo% of the *eace is incre%i,ly ne)ative+ In some &ays$ the *iece can ,e

reminiscent of someone )rievin) a )reat loss+ he intro sections are em*ty an% *itiful$ an%

*erha*s remin% the listener of someone &ho is sim*ly e3istin) after the %eath of their *arent or

s*ouse+ he main theme of the &ork incre%i,ly an)ry an% lashes out at the listener$ &hich can

in%icate the an)er *eo*le feel at ,ein) *o&erless to re)ain their )reat loss+ he first su, theme is

more melancholy than an)ry$ an% tries to make *ro)ress to move to&ar% somethin) more ,ut to

no avail+ he secon% su, theme is sli)htly more o*timistic$ an% can *ossi,ly in%icate the

mourner thinkin) of fon% memories of the *erson they have lost+ .o&ever$ the main theme$

alon) &ith the an)er at the i%ea of havin) no further o**ortunity to create fon% memories$

inevita,ly returns$ 5ust as )rief ten%s to+ he ne3t statement of the intro in%icates the shift in the

mourner from com*lete an)er to the return of horri,le sa%ness an% em*tiness+ After the shift to

the ne3t section of the &ork$ in &hich the an)er returns$ the music seems to evoke the mourner

%enyin) &hat they kno& to ,e true$ as in%icate% ,y the octave melo%y of the ri)ht han% an% the

su,se!uent melo%y of the left+ he trille% half note some&hat further in the section is in%icative

of the shriekin) of the mourner+ he ri)ht han% run %o&n the *iano &hich lea%s to the return of

the theme can ,e vie&e% as the mourner’s com*lete %escent into an)ry an% insane )rievin)+ he

uni!ue half note chor% *ro)ressions can in%icate the mourner tryin) to move on from the loss ,ut



failin)+ he first su, theme returns a)ain$ as %oes the secon% su, theme+ his secon% su, theme$

ho&ever$ is no& not in a ma5or key ,ut a minor one$ an% can in%icate sheer an)er an% sa%ness at

not e3*eriencin) more *leasant times &ith their lost *erson+ he music then a)ain shifts to

another statement of the intro section$ ,ut &ith the first chor%s of the ,ars left out$ in%icatin) that

the *erson is$ if even *ossi,le$ yet even more em*ty than they &ere ori)inally+ he furious main

theme returns a)ain to close the *iece$ an% is reminiscent of a mourner %eci%in) to sim*ly

an)rily acce*t that they are *o&erless to chan)e their circumstances+

analysis of pathetique sonata

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