1- Pathetique - Beethoven Flashcards
Beethoven Context
Virtuosic pianist
Sonata
Written between 1796 and 1799
Pathetique - meaning moving or emotional
Classical period
Showed early signed of Romantic style
Sonata Definition
is a piece for solo instruments and contains three or four movements, each with different tempo.
Melody in Beethoven
Intro melody - a short six note motif (used as a basis for most of the intro) sometimes heated with 5 notes or second last note rising instead of falling.
Scalic Passages
Descending chromatic scale (end of intro)
Ascending scale (bar 11) on the tonic key of C minor with major thirds
Augmented second from A b to B
Arpeggios
Broken chords (bar 29)
Ornaments - acciaccaturas bar 53, Mordents, trills (before recapitulation)
Sequences (in development)
Pathetique defintion
Moving or emotional
Classical period
1750 - 1820
Romantic Period
1810 - 1900
Upper Mordents defintion
main note, the note above the note then main note again, played quickly.
Sequence Definition
The repetition of a melodic phrase at a higher or lower pitch than the original.
Acciaccatura definition
A crushed note, played as quickly as possible
Articulation Beethoven
Rising tremolos bar 38
Staccato note bar 39
Upper mordent bar 73
Acciaccatura bar 53
Stacatisimo bar 207
Dynamics Beethoven
Pianoforte creates all kind of dynamics
Frequent crescendos
Diminuendos
Sforzando
Staccato
Legato
Sforzando (sf) Defintion
Suddenly loud accents
Pianoforte Definition
Getting louder than immediately soft
Texture Beethoven
Homophonic
intro - homophonic chordal
Right hand plays in octavos (bar 5)
descending monophonic (leading into recapitulation)
- second subject material features melody and accompaniment style
two-part music with broken chords (bar 93)
thirds where the trills (bar 181-187)
Staccato Definition
Playing in a detached fashion
Legato Definition
Playing in a smooth fashion
Homophonic Defintion
Chordal or accompaniment and solo
Structure Beethoven
Sonata form
Exposition. section containing the two main subjects, the first in the tonic (main home key), the second in the dominant or other related key. (then repeated)
Followed by development - modulation
Recapitulation restates the exposition but with both subjects now mainly in the tonic key.
Then Coda
Sonata form Defintion
A larger scale form invented in the classical period
Exposition, development, recapitulation
Intro Beethoven
bar 1-10
grave tempo
six-note motif
homophonic texture
rapid scalic flourishes
ends with a long descending chromatic scale.
key of C minor, modulating briefly to the relative major key of E♭.
constant dynamic contrast - use of fortepiano and sf
Grave meaning
slow tempo
Exposition Beethoven 1st subject
Bar 11-50
Allegro di molto e con brio
C minor
rises mainly scalically a distance of two octaves -– over a tonic pedal in the bass
staccato
Sf
Descending arpeggios
Sequences (bar35)
Modulated to Eb major through dominant preparation
Allegro di molto e con brio meaning
very fast and with vigour
Exposition Second subject
bar 51-132
beings Eb minor
Acciaccatura and hand crossing technique
Stepwise descending phase with mordents
new theme bar 89 - relative major of Eb, broken chord texture, crescendo, contrary motion
New theme - bar 113, Scalic melody, Eb major, Codetta
then whole exposition repeated