Piano sonata 'Pathetique'

Question 1

What key does this piece start in and is it the tonic key?

Answer 1

C minor- tonic key- dramatic key.
Chromatic notes are heard along with diminished chords

Question 2

Is the opening monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic?

Answer 2

Homophonic- heavy low chords

Question 3

What is the key signature of the piece?

Answer 3

The introduction has a 4/4 time signature.
The exposition changes to a 2/2 time signature with a clear two beats in a bar.

Question 4

What is the structure of this piece?

Answer 4

It is in sonata form.
introduction - bars 1 to 10
exposition - bars 11 to 132:
first subject - bars 11 to 34
transition bars - 35 to 50
second subject - bars 51 to 120
codetta - bars 121 to 132
development - bars 133 to 194
recapitulation - bars 195 to 294
coda - bars 295 to 310

Question 5

What are the dynamics of this piece and what effect does this create?

Answer 5

Spans from pp-ff.
Introduction- opens at fp.
Sf to p in just one beat in bar 4.
The first subject starts at p and crescendos- to aid the excitement bars in 15 to 18.
By bar 132 there is another ff.

Question 6

What does ‘pathetique’ stand for?

Answer 6

solemn, sorrow

Question 7

What type of passage is there in bar 4?

Answer 7

A virtuosic passage.

Question 8

What instruments play in this piece?

Answer 8

The full work spans five and a half octaves - nearly the full range of notes on a piano.
Contrary motion is used in bars 105 to 110.
A murky bass is frequently present, for example, in bar 11 in the left hand.

Question 9

What are the key features of bar 5 ?

Answer 9

Perfect cadence in E flat minor-relative major is g flat.
There is a consonant harmony.
There is a melody dominated homophony.
There is a dissonant harmony+ chromatic- creates restlessness and discomfort.

Question 10

What is key about bar 10?

Answer 10

It is a virtuosic passage- leads to CM resolution at the start of rocket theme- bar 11.

Question 11

What happens in bar 35?

Answer 11

There is a transition section.
It is in g major.

Question 12

What key does it modulate to in bar 39?

Answer 12

A flat major- for one bar.

Question 13

What does the left hand-accompaniment play from bar 44-48?

Answer 13

It plays a dominant pedal in e flat major.

Question 14

What happens from bar 51-58?

Answer 14

It is the second subject of the piece.
The right hand starts in bass and the left hand starts in treble clef.
The piece is sotto- whispered- creates a calm effect.
The left hand plays a dominant pedal.
Bar 52- right hand shifts to treble clef so both hands now playing treble.
Sf dynamics.
There are upper mordents- create an ornamented sense.

Question 15

What changes in the bass in bar 91-94?

Answer 15

There is alberti bass- gives the piece a lighter texture- key classical feature.
Right and left hands play in contrary motion.

Question 16

What key goes into bar 89?

Answer 16

E flat major- major version of the first theme.

Question 17

What happens in bar 133?

Answer 17

there is the development.
first bar is g minor.

Question 18

What happens in bar 137?

Answer 18

Begins with the rocket theme - 1st subject.
Played in e minor.
There is an e pedal.
There is material from the transition and intro.

Question 19

What key is bar 143-146?

Answer 19

D major- turns into g minor in bar 146- the dominant.

Question 20

What does inverted pedal mean (bar 149)?

Answer 20

The themes are swapped between hands

Question 21

What is the accompaniment like in bar 167?

Answer 21

Pedal- broken chords.
Played on the very bottom of the piano.

Question 22

What happens in the melody in bar 187-194 in both hands alternating?

Answer 22

It is monophonic for 8 bars.
There are descending, conjunct, sequential quavers spanning nearly 5 octaves.
They are chromatic.

Question 23

What key is bar 195?

Answer 23

C minor

Question 24

What happens in bar 195?

Answer 24

There is the recapitulation- new version of transition- based on 2nd half of 1st sub.

Question 25

What happens in bar 214?

Answer 25

There is the second subject this time in FM.

Question 26

How is the coda in bar 215 played?

Answer 26

Grave
Briefly brings back introduction material.

Question 27

Who wrote this piece?

Answer 27

Ludwig van Beethoven.
Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany.
He was born into a musical family, learnt the piano and violin, and was performing publicly at the age of just 8.

Question 28

When was this piece composed and what era was this?

Answer 28

1798- in the classical era.