Domenico Scarlatti

Sonatas for keyboard

K.426 & K.427

Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer of the 17th centry born in 16!"# the same year $.S.

%ach and rideric 'andel were born. (hile $.S. %ach and 'andel are considered the leadin) fi)res

of the %aro*e era# Scarlatti on the other hand# is known to be the pioneer of the +lassical era.

,hro)hot his life# Scarlatti prodced an enormos otpt of msic of di-erse msical forms.

'owe-er# he is best known today for his """ sonatas for the keyboard# each of the them an ori)inal

work.

nlike mlti/ mo-ement sonata form sed later the 1!th centry# Scarlatti0s Keyboard sonatas are in

sin)le mo-ement and almost all of them are written in binary form. K.426 and K.427 are arran)ed

chronolo)ically net to each other by Scarlatti0s pblisher# alph Kirkpatrick. ,his two sonatas are

often performed to)ether as a set for their contrast in character and tonality.

In contrast to the calmer and dance/like character of the 3 minor# K.427 has a more li-ely and

festi-e character. ,he se of harmony in K. 427 are more con-entional in comparison to K. 426.

 

Enrique Granados

lle)ro De +oncierto# op. 46

3ranados was ine-itably one of the most nderrated Spanish composers of the late omantic

 period# o-ershadowed by his contemporaries sch as lbeni5 and anel De alla. ,his may be

also de to his short li-ed artistic career when a boat accident took his life in the mid of the )olden

years of his creati-e career. 8ften known as the 00Spanish +hopin00 or 00Spanish 3rie)00# 3ranados

was a tre romantic in essence# both in his personal life and in his creati-e otpt. 'e was also

hailed as 00,he 9oet of the 9iano00# for his poetic and intimate writin) for the instrment.

work lar)ely ne)lected today# lle)ro De +oncierto was the work that bro)ht 3ranados to

national attention. It was written in 1:;< for a competition by the adrid +onser-atory. work of

 brilliance and )rander# it featres =is5tian -irtosity of fast octa-es passa)es# rapid arpe))ios and

chordal melodies. 'owe-er# despite its technical and brilliant *ality# it also has rich colorfl

harmony and charmin)# cantabile melodies.

 

Ludvig Van Beethoven

9iano Sonata no.17 in D minor# op. <1 no.2

=d-i) >an %eetho-en is one of the most celebrated msician in the history of msic# both as a

composer and pianist. %eetho-en0s creati-e otpt co-ered almost all )enres of msic known to

him. 'is -ast otpt of composition incldes : Symphonies# +hamber sic# an opera as well as <2

9iano Sonatas which are known as the new testament of piano msic# after $.S. %ach0s (ell

,empered +la-iers. %eetho-en ecelled in almost all )enres he has written# for instance# his :

symphonies has been a monment and enormos inflence not only to his contemporaries# bt

composers a)es after him. obert Schmann# who was a )reat admirer of %eetho-en modelled his

third symphony after %eetho-en0s symphonies.

,he <2 9iano Sonatas were written in the whole span of %eetho-en0s career. part from the

 pblished sonatas# %eetho-en has also written three sonatas# (oo. 47 as a child. %eetho-en0s 9iano

Sonatas can be )enerally di-ided into three periods of his career# each represents a different style

and prpose. ,he early period consisted of the first 1" sonatas# op.2/ op.2!. In these works#

%eetho-en0s inno-ation and of the traditional sonata form can be clearly seen. or instance# the

famos ?oonli)ht Sonata? which is marked by the composer as ? Sonata @asi na antasia?#

challan)es the traditional form and starts with a slow mo-ement. ,he same inno-ation can also been

in its sister sonata# the op.27 no.1# which bears the same title markin).

,he middle period marks the peak of %eetho-en0s career both as a composer and pianist. Sonatas in

this period are often marked with heroism and -irtosity# as a tool for %eetho-en to establish

himself as a -irtoso pianist. %eetho-en prodced some of his best known sonatas drin) this

 period# sch as the ? (alstein? Sonata# op. "< and ?ppasionata?# op."7. ,he late period of

%eetho-en0s otpt in the form of piano sonata is often associated with the last fi-e sonatas. ,his

 period represents %eetho-en0s writin) in a more comple form and polyphony. or instance# three

of the fi-e sonatas consist of etended and complicated f)e.

,he 9iano Sonata op. <1 no.2 is famosly known as the ?,empest?. ,he title of which# was

introdced by %eetho-en0s secretary and bio)rapher# nton Schindler. ,he sonata consists of three

mo-ements# each in itself is a sonata form. ,he first mo-ement featres an interplay between a slow

short section marked ?=ar)o? and a more li-ely section marked ?lle)ro?. ,he followin) mo-ement

is ar)ably one of %eetho-en0s most sccessfl slow mo-ement of his piano sonatas. ,he closin)

mo-ement is in sonata/ rondo form. ,his mo-ement present a strctre typical of the +lassical

 period.

 

Franz Liszt

3randes Atdes de 9a)anini/ Atde Bo.2 in A/ flat maCor# ndante +apriccioso

ran5 =is5t is known as the )reatest pianist in the history of piano playin). %orn in the era of

inno-ation and freedom of epression# =is5t not only bro)ht piano playin) to a new le-el# bt also

 prodced a -ast creati-e otpt thro)hot his life. ,his incldes the famos 9iano Sonata in %

minor# a lar)e nmber of piano transcriptions of operas# symphonies# son)s# ect# sch as

%eetho-en0s fi-e 9iano +oncerti# (a)ner0s operas# son)s by Schbert and +hopin# amon) many

others. part from that# =is5t also in-ented a new )enre of orchestral pro)rammatic msic based on

etra/ msical ideas and inspirations# sch as poem# story# no-el and paintin)# which he called

00Symphonic 9oem00# or 00,one 9oem00.

,he 3randes Atdes de 9a)anini was ori)inally composed and pblished in 1!<! as Atdes de

Aection ,ranscendante d0 pres 9a)anini. =ater# after =is5t heard the comments abot its eessi-e

difficlty# he re-ised and repblished them in 1!"1# with a thinned down tetre# and omit of

ecessi-ely lar)e stretches.

,he set consists of si piece# each of them a technically demandin) etde. ,he inspiration of the

composition comes from an e-ent when the yon) composer heard the Italian -iolin master# Bicolo

9a)anini and decided to creates the e*i-alent of it on the piano. It was reported that# =is5t

withdrew from his florishin) performin) career and de-oted years on works of techni*e. ,he

otcome of which was the set of Atdes based on works by 9a)anini/ the 1 st# :th# 17th# 24th +aprices

and the second >iolin +oncerto in % minor.

,he second work of the series is a stdy de-oted to rapid and delicate rnnin) notes and octa-e

techni*es. arked 00ndante +apriccioso00# the etde is based on the 17th +aprice by 9a)anini. ,he

 piece starts with an eclamatory introdction which leads to a delicate and li-ely section. =is5t sed

-ariations and the thickenin) of tetre to de-olop the msic ntil its clima in the middle section#

which is in the relati-e minor. short trills transition leads back to its openin) section and a short

coda in the main theme.