Pathetique Sonata- Ludwig Van Beethoven
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) is perhaps one of the most renowned classical composers the world has seen. Beethoven was born as the second eldest child of court musician and tenor singer Johann Van Beethoven in Bonn and, consequently, as a child was pushed by his father to become a child prodigy. Learning to play the piano from an early age, Beethoven’s first public performance was at just eight years old.8
continuing from this, Beethoven, at eleven, received systematic training in performing on piano from organist and court musician Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 17, Beethoven was employed as musician in the Bonn court orchestra, but was granted a leave of absence early that year to study under Mozart in Vienna.8
Five years later, Beethoven moved to Vienna to then learn from the likes of Haydn, Albrechstberger, Schenck and Salieri. By 1892, Beethoven had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and vigor, particularly admired for his improvisations. Nobility began to offer Beethoven their patronage and in return he dedicated his works to them.8
However, in 1789, Beethoven began to suffer from a hearing disorder and accordingly started to withdraw from the public and his friends until he eventually become completely deaf. By 1820 he substituted conversation for notebooks to communicate with friends and visitors with, calling them ‘conversation notebooks.’8
The last years of the famous composer’s life were perhaps the darkest. Beethoven was recorded to have changed his living quarters no less than fifty- two times and was darkened by a struggle with both severe illness and for the guardianship of his nephew Karl, onto whom he poured his suffered solitude, jealousy, expectations and threats in an attempt to shape the boy to his wishes.8 Beethoven passed away on the 26th of March, 1827.10
The Pathetique Sonata (Piano Sonata no. 8) was written between 1797 and 1799 and was dedicated to Prince Karl Lichnowsky. The sonata is part of Beethoven’s 13th Opus and was written during his period of deafness.9
continuing from this, Beethoven, at eleven, received systematic training in performing on piano from organist and court musician Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 17, Beethoven was employed as musician in the Bonn court orchestra, but was granted a leave of absence early that year to study under Mozart in Vienna.8
Five years later, Beethoven moved to Vienna to then learn from the likes of Haydn, Albrechstberger, Schenck and Salieri. By 1892, Beethoven had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and vigor, particularly admired for his improvisations. Nobility began to offer Beethoven their patronage and in return he dedicated his works to them.8
However, in 1789, Beethoven began to suffer from a hearing disorder and accordingly started to withdraw from the public and his friends until he eventually become completely deaf. By 1820 he substituted conversation for notebooks to communicate with friends and visitors with, calling them ‘conversation notebooks.’8
The last years of the famous composer’s life were perhaps the darkest. Beethoven was recorded to have changed his living quarters no less than fifty- two times and was darkened by a struggle with both severe illness and for the guardianship of his nephew Karl, onto whom he poured his suffered solitude, jealousy, expectations and threats in an attempt to shape the boy to his wishes.8 Beethoven passed away on the 26th of March, 1827.10
The Pathetique Sonata (Piano Sonata no. 8) was written between 1797 and 1799 and was dedicated to Prince Karl Lichnowsky. The sonata is part of Beethoven’s 13th Opus and was written during his period of deafness.9
Pathetique Sonata Instrumentation
- piano
Duration
- Pathetique Sonata is 73 bars in length
Expressive Devices
- P (piano)
- Chromatic accidentals
- Appoggiatura
- crescendos
- pp (pianissimo)
- sf (sforzando)
- fp (forte piano)
- rf (rinforzando)
- pauses
Structure
A, A1, B, A, C, A2, A3, CODA
Texture
The texture of the Pathetique Sonata is generally very structured and repetitive. The melody and Harmony move in a parallel motion and often there is fugue- polyphonic movement between the melodic and harmonic parts. There are also sections in which the parts are played in unison or contrary motion.
Timbre
The piece has a simple, waltz- like colour and creates a sense of comfort, calm and reminiscence, like a lullaby. It contains serene and calm rhythms that create the audience to feel as such.
Tonality
The piece begins in Ab Major and Remains in this key with no key signature modulation, only chromatic accidentals in the music. The clefs of both harmonic and melodic parts change frequently throughout the piece.
- piano
Duration
- Pathetique Sonata is 73 bars in length
Expressive Devices
- P (piano)
- Chromatic accidentals
- Appoggiatura
- crescendos
- pp (pianissimo)
- sf (sforzando)
- fp (forte piano)
- rf (rinforzando)
- pauses
Structure
A, A1, B, A, C, A2, A3, CODA
Texture
The texture of the Pathetique Sonata is generally very structured and repetitive. The melody and Harmony move in a parallel motion and often there is fugue- polyphonic movement between the melodic and harmonic parts. There are also sections in which the parts are played in unison or contrary motion.
Timbre
The piece has a simple, waltz- like colour and creates a sense of comfort, calm and reminiscence, like a lullaby. It contains serene and calm rhythms that create the audience to feel as such.
Tonality
The piece begins in Ab Major and Remains in this key with no key signature modulation, only chromatic accidentals in the music. The clefs of both harmonic and melodic parts change frequently throughout the piece.
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) is perhaps one of the most renowned classical composers the world has seen. Beethoven was born as the second eldest child of court musician and tenor singer Johann Van Beethoven in Bonn and, consequently, as a child was pushed by his father to become a child prodigy. Learning to play the piano from an early age, Beethoven’s first public performance was at just eight years old.8
continuing from this, Beethoven, at eleven, received systematic training in performing on piano from organist and court musician Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 17, Beethoven was employed as musician in the Bonn court orchestra, but was granted a leave of absence early that year to study under Mozart in Vienna.8
Five years later, Beethoven moved to Vienna to then learn from the likes of Haydn, Albrechstberger, Schenck and Salieri. By 1892, Beethoven had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and vigor, particularly admired for his improvisations. Nobility began to offer Beethoven their patronage and in return he dedicated his works to them.8
However, in 1789, Beethoven began to suffer from a hearing disorder and accordingly started to withdraw from the public and his friends until he eventually become completely deaf. By 1820 he substituted conversation for notebooks to communicate with friends and visitors with, calling them ‘conversation notebooks.’8
The last years of the famous composer’s life were perhaps the darkest. Beethoven was recorded to have changed his living quarters no less than fifty- two times and was darkened by a struggle with both severe illness and for the guardianship of his nephew Karl, onto whom he poured his suffered solitude, jealousy, expectations and threats in an attempt to shape the boy to his wishes.8 Beethoven passed away on the 26th of March, 1827.10
The Pathetique Sonata (Piano Sonata no. 8) was written between 1797 and 1799 and was dedicated to Prince Karl Lichnowsky. The sonata is part of Beethoven’s 13th Opus and was written during his period of deafness.9
Pathetique Sonata Instrumentation
- piano
Duration
- Pathetique Sonata is 73 bars in length
Expressive Devices
- P (piano)
- Chromatic accidentals
- Appoggiatura
- crescendos
- pp (pianissimo)
- sf (sforzando)
- fp (forte piano)
- rf (rinforzando)
- pauses
Structure
A, A1, B, A, C, A2, A3, CODA
Texture
The texture of the Pathetique Sonata is generally very structured and repetitive. The melody and Harmony move in a parallel motion and often there is fugue- polyphonic movement between the melodic and harmonic parts. There are also sections in which the parts are played in unison or contrary motion.
Timbre
The piece has a simple, waltz- like colour and creates a sense of comfort, calm and reminiscence, like a lullaby. It contains serene and calm rhythms that create the audience to feel as such.
Tonality
The piece begins in Ab Major and Remains in this key with no key signature modulation, only chromatic accidentals in the music. The clefs of both harmonic and melodic parts change frequently throughout the piece.
Melody
The most important elements in the Pathetique Sonata are firstly the melody, followed by the bass.
The melody begins on the third of the piece’s chordal scale, starting the theme (A). The first three bars contain an ostinato where the only change is the different pitch of the upper melody, where the first note of each bar steps down to a G in bar 2 and the jumps up in bar 3 to a C and is held as a hovering suspension. The lower melodic fragment remains the same whilst the upper melody changes into an ascending arpeggio scale, and then again holds a suspended note over the melody below, creating a sense of consistency and safety. The two melodies continue to play polyphonically
(Figure 1)
In bar 5, the melody changes from treble clef to bass clef. Whilst this occurs the melody continues to play contrary rhythms until bar 8 when it reverts to treble clef and the briefly singular melody plays a triplet, creating a resolution to end the theme.
(Figure 1)
From bar 9, the first variation of the theme begins (A1). The melody enters a contrary motion to the accompaniment whilst the upper melody provides chords vii and ii6. Continuing a pattern of chord notes whilst the lower melody continues a contrary rhythm to the harmony in unison. The upper melody then, in bar 11, begins to repeat the melody of the theme and continues this melodic fragment whilst the lower melody plays an accompanying pattern of quavers that are still similar to the rhythm played by the accompaniment in the melodic part. This contrary motion doubles the accompaniment to create a thicker background of sound.
(Figure 2)
At bar 17, a different verse altogether begins. Starting in F relative Minor, section (B) reduces the melody to a single part and in this, the melody plays a different melodic fragment in which a crotchet leads to a descending scale of quavers; this pattern is repeated three times, the second time the entire ostinato is brought up an octave to create variation, before the melody continues on to a different section.
(Figure 3)
In bar 22, the melody plays a scale first briefly ascending and then descending, started with an appoggiatura (an ornamental note that, in its duration, temporarily displaces and subsequently dissolves into a main note12)
In bar 23, the melody drops to a bass clef.
(Figure 3)
In bar 25 the melody experiences a moment of pause, before the top melody plays a scale an octave higher than previously written. The melody then enters a countermelody contrasting to the melody played previously, and an accidental flat at the end of the section (bar 28) hints to the audience that with this dominant chord, the melody is about to change again.
(Figure 4)
The melody then enters the origin theme (A) and is the same as before.
The melody then enters a third different verse ( C ) and in this the melody and harmony engage in call and response, in which the melody first plays a melodic fragment and then this is copied in the next bar by the harmony. The upper melodic part serves as the melody and the lower melodic part serves as the melodic accompaniment.
(Figure 5)
At bar 44 the melody then moves on to add accidentals into the next pattern of melodic fragments. These F sharps, in both octaves, transform the piece into a major key. Also, the dynamic sf (sforzando) cause the rhythm to be accented and forced2, this melody then becomes a sequence of triplets, containing new accidentals, and decrescendos as the volume of the melody decreases.
(Figure 6)
At bar 45 the melody has again changed to bass clef. The melodic accompaniment remains playing the triplet rhythms whilst the melody above plays a contrary rhythm, adding accidentals.
At bar 48, the melody enters a section in which the melodic accompaniment expands to a seven note range whilst the upper melody plays suspended notes above this rhythm. The sudden intensity and volume indicates the ending of this section to the audience and, consequently, the section moves into a new verse.
(Figure 7)
At bar 51, a second variation of theme (A) begins. This is a pattern of triplets played by the lower melody whilst the upper melody plays notes relevant to the chord in which the piece is written. At bar 52, the upper melody only changes to a suspended note and the lower melody stays the same, however in the next bar (53) the upper melody ascends in quavers, creating an interesting rhythm.
(Figure 7)
The upper melody again creates interest in bar 55 and then in bar 57, briefly engages in a contrary motion to the lower melody.
Before the end of this section, the last bar of the section (58) changes the melody back to treble clef.
In section (A3), a variation of section (A1), the lower melody enters into contrary motion with the accompaniment again, whilst the upper melody again provides notes relevant to the chord. Interestingly, the upper melody is in contrary motion with the lower accompaniment from bar 59 to bar 61. In bar 61, both the melodic and harmonic parts diverge briefly, but the lower melody again moves into contrary motion with the upper accompaniment, followed in bar 64 by the upper melody moving contrarily to the accompaniment’s rhythm. In bar 65 the parts diverge again.
(Figure 8 and Figure 9)
In the second beat of bar 66, (A3) ends and the piece enters a CODA section. In this the melody is reduced to one part and descends a scale of semiquavers in accordance with the dominant chord V. In bar 68, a perfect cadence is created by a chord I (1) played in the accompaniment, this hints at the approaching end of the song. In bar 69, the melody descends on a scale with the two parts almost the same, doubled an octave. From bar 70, the two parts enter a sequence of chord notes and in bar 72 the melody changes to bass clef. In the final bar, the melody and harmony end in unison, each playing chord I in a drawn out pause where “The heartbeat of the song is slowing” (Papas, E. 2014)
(Figure 9 and 10)
Harmony
In bar 1, the beginning of theme (A), the accompaniment moves in a contrary motion with the upper melody, creating unity between the two parts. This continues throughout the entirety of the theme. The resolution of the theme is played only by the melody.
In Section (A1), from bar 9 and through the section, the accompaniment again moves in contrary motion to the melody, though this time it is the lower melody. This action doubles the accompaniment and provides a supporting background of rhythm to the upper melody. In bar 12, the only variation to this rhythm is an arpeggio, creating an interest.
(Figure 1)
In bar 14, the accompaniment adds in bass notes relevant to the chord, and then in bar 16, plays an Ab note, clashing with the previous rhythm. The rest at the end of the A1 section depicts to the audience that something is coming.
(Figure 2)
Entering a new section (B) the accompaniment begins to play an ostinato of semiquavers, all playing the same note, until bar 18 where the accompaniment triples, providing a larger range and functioning as an accompaniment to the melody. This pattern is continually played at different pitches. At bar 19, the accompaniment changes to bass clef. The pattern is continued.
(Figure 3)
The rhythm of the accompaniment changes in the later bars of the section (bars 22 and 23) but remains expanded until bar 25 where it is reduced to a single part. Whilst the melody plays a counter melody, the accompaniment provides a suspended note as support.
In section ( C) the accompaniment engages in call and response with the melody, repeating a fragment of rhythm played by the melody. In bar 42, the accompaniment expands into an octave range, repeating a sequence of triplets at different pitches, including several accidentals.
(Figure 6)
In bar 48, the accompaniment plays a repeated melodic fragment in which it ascends chromatically. This is repeated four times, each time the fragment becomes shorter and contains less notes, slowing the piece down. This provides an interest to the piece whilst the melody continues an unchanging expanded rhythm.
(Figure 7)
In section A3, the upper accompaniment moves in contrary motion to the lower melody whilst the lower accompaniment moves in contrary to the upper melody. This in continued from bar 59 until 61 and then briefly diverges. In bar 64, however, the accompaniment has reduced and moves in contrary motion to the upper melody.
(Figure 8 and 9)
In the CODA section, the accompaniment expands into an octave range for a bar ( bar 67) and then reduces to a single range, before again expanding to an octave range in bar 69 to accompany the descending scale played by the melodic part. In bar 70, the accompaniment changes to treble clef for a single bar as a suspended note before once more becoming bass clef again for the final three bars. In the final bar, the harmony plays in unison with the melody to create the suspended ending note.
Notes:
Simple music
Reminiscent, calm, comforting, safe, waltz- like, lullaby- like texture/ feelings- prove this through analysis11
continuing from this, Beethoven, at eleven, received systematic training in performing on piano from organist and court musician Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 17, Beethoven was employed as musician in the Bonn court orchestra, but was granted a leave of absence early that year to study under Mozart in Vienna.8
Five years later, Beethoven moved to Vienna to then learn from the likes of Haydn, Albrechstberger, Schenck and Salieri. By 1892, Beethoven had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and vigor, particularly admired for his improvisations. Nobility began to offer Beethoven their patronage and in return he dedicated his works to them.8
However, in 1789, Beethoven began to suffer from a hearing disorder and accordingly started to withdraw from the public and his friends until he eventually become completely deaf. By 1820 he substituted conversation for notebooks to communicate with friends and visitors with, calling them ‘conversation notebooks.’8
The last years of the famous composer’s life were perhaps the darkest. Beethoven was recorded to have changed his living quarters no less than fifty- two times and was darkened by a struggle with both severe illness and for the guardianship of his nephew Karl, onto whom he poured his suffered solitude, jealousy, expectations and threats in an attempt to shape the boy to his wishes.8 Beethoven passed away on the 26th of March, 1827.10
The Pathetique Sonata (Piano Sonata no. 8) was written between 1797 and 1799 and was dedicated to Prince Karl Lichnowsky. The sonata is part of Beethoven’s 13th Opus and was written during his period of deafness.9
Pathetique Sonata Instrumentation
- piano
Duration
- Pathetique Sonata is 73 bars in length
Expressive Devices
- P (piano)
- Chromatic accidentals
- Appoggiatura
- crescendos
- pp (pianissimo)
- sf (sforzando)
- fp (forte piano)
- rf (rinforzando)
- pauses
Structure
A, A1, B, A, C, A2, A3, CODA
Texture
The texture of the Pathetique Sonata is generally very structured and repetitive. The melody and Harmony move in a parallel motion and often there is fugue- polyphonic movement between the melodic and harmonic parts. There are also sections in which the parts are played in unison or contrary motion.
Timbre
The piece has a simple, waltz- like colour and creates a sense of comfort, calm and reminiscence, like a lullaby. It contains serene and calm rhythms that create the audience to feel as such.
Tonality
The piece begins in Ab Major and Remains in this key with no key signature modulation, only chromatic accidentals in the music. The clefs of both harmonic and melodic parts change frequently throughout the piece.
Melody
The most important elements in the Pathetique Sonata are firstly the melody, followed by the bass.
The melody begins on the third of the piece’s chordal scale, starting the theme (A). The first three bars contain an ostinato where the only change is the different pitch of the upper melody, where the first note of each bar steps down to a G in bar 2 and the jumps up in bar 3 to a C and is held as a hovering suspension. The lower melodic fragment remains the same whilst the upper melody changes into an ascending arpeggio scale, and then again holds a suspended note over the melody below, creating a sense of consistency and safety. The two melodies continue to play polyphonically
(Figure 1)
In bar 5, the melody changes from treble clef to bass clef. Whilst this occurs the melody continues to play contrary rhythms until bar 8 when it reverts to treble clef and the briefly singular melody plays a triplet, creating a resolution to end the theme.
(Figure 1)
From bar 9, the first variation of the theme begins (A1). The melody enters a contrary motion to the accompaniment whilst the upper melody provides chords vii and ii6. Continuing a pattern of chord notes whilst the lower melody continues a contrary rhythm to the harmony in unison. The upper melody then, in bar 11, begins to repeat the melody of the theme and continues this melodic fragment whilst the lower melody plays an accompanying pattern of quavers that are still similar to the rhythm played by the accompaniment in the melodic part. This contrary motion doubles the accompaniment to create a thicker background of sound.
(Figure 2)
At bar 17, a different verse altogether begins. Starting in F relative Minor, section (B) reduces the melody to a single part and in this, the melody plays a different melodic fragment in which a crotchet leads to a descending scale of quavers; this pattern is repeated three times, the second time the entire ostinato is brought up an octave to create variation, before the melody continues on to a different section.
(Figure 3)
In bar 22, the melody plays a scale first briefly ascending and then descending, started with an appoggiatura (an ornamental note that, in its duration, temporarily displaces and subsequently dissolves into a main note12)
In bar 23, the melody drops to a bass clef.
(Figure 3)
In bar 25 the melody experiences a moment of pause, before the top melody plays a scale an octave higher than previously written. The melody then enters a countermelody contrasting to the melody played previously, and an accidental flat at the end of the section (bar 28) hints to the audience that with this dominant chord, the melody is about to change again.
(Figure 4)
The melody then enters the origin theme (A) and is the same as before.
The melody then enters a third different verse ( C ) and in this the melody and harmony engage in call and response, in which the melody first plays a melodic fragment and then this is copied in the next bar by the harmony. The upper melodic part serves as the melody and the lower melodic part serves as the melodic accompaniment.
(Figure 5)
At bar 44 the melody then moves on to add accidentals into the next pattern of melodic fragments. These F sharps, in both octaves, transform the piece into a major key. Also, the dynamic sf (sforzando) cause the rhythm to be accented and forced2, this melody then becomes a sequence of triplets, containing new accidentals, and decrescendos as the volume of the melody decreases.
(Figure 6)
At bar 45 the melody has again changed to bass clef. The melodic accompaniment remains playing the triplet rhythms whilst the melody above plays a contrary rhythm, adding accidentals.
At bar 48, the melody enters a section in which the melodic accompaniment expands to a seven note range whilst the upper melody plays suspended notes above this rhythm. The sudden intensity and volume indicates the ending of this section to the audience and, consequently, the section moves into a new verse.
(Figure 7)
At bar 51, a second variation of theme (A) begins. This is a pattern of triplets played by the lower melody whilst the upper melody plays notes relevant to the chord in which the piece is written. At bar 52, the upper melody only changes to a suspended note and the lower melody stays the same, however in the next bar (53) the upper melody ascends in quavers, creating an interesting rhythm.
(Figure 7)
The upper melody again creates interest in bar 55 and then in bar 57, briefly engages in a contrary motion to the lower melody.
Before the end of this section, the last bar of the section (58) changes the melody back to treble clef.
In section (A3), a variation of section (A1), the lower melody enters into contrary motion with the accompaniment again, whilst the upper melody again provides notes relevant to the chord. Interestingly, the upper melody is in contrary motion with the lower accompaniment from bar 59 to bar 61. In bar 61, both the melodic and harmonic parts diverge briefly, but the lower melody again moves into contrary motion with the upper accompaniment, followed in bar 64 by the upper melody moving contrarily to the accompaniment’s rhythm. In bar 65 the parts diverge again.
(Figure 8 and Figure 9)
In the second beat of bar 66, (A3) ends and the piece enters a CODA section. In this the melody is reduced to one part and descends a scale of semiquavers in accordance with the dominant chord V. In bar 68, a perfect cadence is created by a chord I (1) played in the accompaniment, this hints at the approaching end of the song. In bar 69, the melody descends on a scale with the two parts almost the same, doubled an octave. From bar 70, the two parts enter a sequence of chord notes and in bar 72 the melody changes to bass clef. In the final bar, the melody and harmony end in unison, each playing chord I in a drawn out pause where “The heartbeat of the song is slowing” (Papas, E. 2014)
(Figure 9 and 10)
Harmony
In bar 1, the beginning of theme (A), the accompaniment moves in a contrary motion with the upper melody, creating unity between the two parts. This continues throughout the entirety of the theme. The resolution of the theme is played only by the melody.
In Section (A1), from bar 9 and through the section, the accompaniment again moves in contrary motion to the melody, though this time it is the lower melody. This action doubles the accompaniment and provides a supporting background of rhythm to the upper melody. In bar 12, the only variation to this rhythm is an arpeggio, creating an interest.
(Figure 1)
In bar 14, the accompaniment adds in bass notes relevant to the chord, and then in bar 16, plays an Ab note, clashing with the previous rhythm. The rest at the end of the A1 section depicts to the audience that something is coming.
(Figure 2)
Entering a new section (B) the accompaniment begins to play an ostinato of semiquavers, all playing the same note, until bar 18 where the accompaniment triples, providing a larger range and functioning as an accompaniment to the melody. This pattern is continually played at different pitches. At bar 19, the accompaniment changes to bass clef. The pattern is continued.
(Figure 3)
The rhythm of the accompaniment changes in the later bars of the section (bars 22 and 23) but remains expanded until bar 25 where it is reduced to a single part. Whilst the melody plays a counter melody, the accompaniment provides a suspended note as support.
In section ( C) the accompaniment engages in call and response with the melody, repeating a fragment of rhythm played by the melody. In bar 42, the accompaniment expands into an octave range, repeating a sequence of triplets at different pitches, including several accidentals.
(Figure 6)
In bar 48, the accompaniment plays a repeated melodic fragment in which it ascends chromatically. This is repeated four times, each time the fragment becomes shorter and contains less notes, slowing the piece down. This provides an interest to the piece whilst the melody continues an unchanging expanded rhythm.
(Figure 7)
In section A3, the upper accompaniment moves in contrary motion to the lower melody whilst the lower accompaniment moves in contrary to the upper melody. This in continued from bar 59 until 61 and then briefly diverges. In bar 64, however, the accompaniment has reduced and moves in contrary motion to the upper melody.
(Figure 8 and 9)
In the CODA section, the accompaniment expands into an octave range for a bar ( bar 67) and then reduces to a single range, before again expanding to an octave range in bar 69 to accompany the descending scale played by the melodic part. In bar 70, the accompaniment changes to treble clef for a single bar as a suspended note before once more becoming bass clef again for the final three bars. In the final bar, the harmony plays in unison with the melody to create the suspended ending note.
Notes:
Simple music
Reminiscent, calm, comforting, safe, waltz- like, lullaby- like texture/ feelings- prove this through analysis11