L van Beethoven: 1st Movement from Piano Sonata no. 8 in C minor ‘Pathétique’

Question 1

Pathetique: Rhythm, metre, tempo

Answer 1

• 4/4 Common time
• 2/2 time
• Dotted rhythms
• Rapid notes including sextuplets and septuplets
• Use of semi-hemi-demi-semi-quavers
• Grave - very slow (introduction, intro to development, intro to coda)
• Ostinato
• Allegro di molto e con brio (very fast and with vigour)

Question 2

Pathetique: Tonality

Answer 2

• C minor (tonic)
• E^b major (relative major)
• F minor (unexpected subdominant)
• Many unrelated keys: E^b minor G minor E minor D^b major (??? What can I say, he was weird ???)

Question 3

Pathetique: Timbre (Instrumentation/Orchestration)

Answer 3

Fortepiano (piano) Full range used

Question 4

Pathetique: Melody

Answer 4

• 6 note motif
• Contrary motion
• Chromatic descending scales
• Scalic flourishes
• Wide leaps
• Sequences (bridge)
• Trill Passage (development)
• Descending monophonic quaver passage (end of intro and dev.)
• Ascending 2 octave melody (1st subject)
• Tremolo
• Upper/lower mordents
• Trills
• Acciaccaturas
• Arpeggios and broken chords

Question 5

Pathetique: Harmony

Answer 5

• Tonic pedal
• Dominant pedal
• Murky Bass (Octave tremolo)
• Chromatic harmony/chords
• Aumented 6^th chord
• Diminished 7^th chord
• Dominant 7^th chord
• Secondary dominant
• Interrupted cadence (bar 9)
• Chromatic quaver chords
• Ends on perfect cadences

Question 6

Pathetique: Structure

Answer 6

Sonata form (Exposition-Development-Recapitulation)

• Introduction
• Exposition:
  
  • ​1^st subject, ‘rocket’ theme
  • subsidary theme/bridge
  • 2^nd subject (3 themes)
  • Codetta (intro and rocket theme)
  • Repeats
• Development:
  
  • ​4 bar intro to G minor
  • ‘rocket’ theme in E minor
  • Bridge (fragmented ‘rocket’ theme and tremolo in RH)
• Recapitulation:
  
  • ​1^st subject, ‘rocket’ theme back in C minor
  • 2^nd subject in unexpected F minor (sub-dominant)
  • Back to C minor for themes 2 and 3
  • Coda (introduction returns)
  • ‘rocket’ theme

Question 7

Pathetique: Articulation

Answer 7

• Pauses
• Accents
• Staccato notes
• Extreme use of dynamics (romantic feature)
• Crescendos and diminuendos
• Sudden dynamic contrast (e.g sfz and fp)

Question 8

Pathetique: Texture

Answer 8

• Homophonic
• Melody dominated homophony
• Octaves
• Short monophonic bursts
• Second subject - Melody and accompaniment
• Descending monophonic quaver phrase
• Hand crossing technique
• Broken chord arpeggios (2nd subject, 2nd theme)

Question 9

Pathetique: Genre/period features

Answer 9

Classical with many features of romantic.

• Piano sonata
• Would be performed in salons/social rooms
• Piano was developed during the classo-romantic period and had many new features that are used extensively (sustain pedal, dynamic contrast, tone)
• Extreme dynamic contrast (romantic)
• Virtuosic player
• Unusual structure (introduction reoccurs)
• ‘Pathetique’ means emotional or moving…..
• (at least it does in this case apparently. Everywhere I’ve checked it mean pathetic so……)

Question 10

Main theme

Answer 10

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