Piano sonata 'Pathetique' Flashcards
What key does this piece start in and is it the tonic key?
C minor- tonic key- dramatic key.
Chromatic notes are heard along with diminished chords
Is the opening monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic?
Homophonic- heavy low chords
What is the key signature of the piece?
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.
What is the structure of this piece?
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
What are the dynamics of this piece and what effect does this create?
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
What does ‘pathetique’ stand for?
solemn, sorrow
What type of passage is there in bar 4?
A virtuosic passage.
What instruments play in this piece?
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.
What are the key features of bar 5 ?
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.
What is key about bar 10?
It is a virtuosic passage- leads to CM resolution at the start of rocket theme- bar 11.
It is a descending chromatic scale.
What happens in bar 35?
There is a transition section.
It is in g major.
What key does it modulate to in bar 39?
A flat major- for one bar.
What does the left hand-accompaniment play from bar 44-48?
It plays a dominant pedal in e flat major.
What happens from bar 51-58?
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.
What changes in the bass in bar 91-94?
There is alberti bass- gives the piece a lighter texture- key classical feature.
Right and left hands play in contrary motion.
What key goes into bar 89?
E flat major- major version of the first theme.
What happens in bar 133?
there is the development.
first bar is g minor.
What happens in bar 137?
Begins with the rocket theme - 1st subject.
Played in e minor.
There is an e pedal.
There is material from the transition and intro.
What key is bar 143-146?
D major- turns into g minor in bar 146- the dominant.
What does inverted pedal mean (bar 149)?
The themes are swapped between hands
What is the accompaniment like in bar 167?
Pedal- broken chords.
Played on the very bottom of the piano.
What happens in the melody in bar 187-194 in both hands alternating?
It is monophonic for 8 bars.
There are descending, conjunct, sequential quavers spanning nearly 5 octaves.
They are chromatic.
What key is bar 195?
C minor
What happens in bar 195?
There is the recapitulation- new version of transition- based on 2nd half of 1st sub.
What happens in bar 214?
There is the second subject this time in FM.
How is the coda in bar 215 played?
Grave
Briefly brings back introduction material.
Who wrote this piece?
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.
When was this piece composed and what era was this?
1798- in the classical era.
harmony key features
Augmented 6th
Chromatics
Diminished 7th
Perfect cadences
Diminished chords
Dominant pedal
Melody key features
Mostly conjunct, some leaps.
Starts on tonic
Chordal
Chromatic
Dotted semi quaver motif
Acciacituras and mordents
Heavy accented chords
Dissonance created -to raise tension
Accompaniment key features
Played in the left hand.
Alberti bass-lighter texture which is a key classical feature-broken chordal accompaniment played by the left hand.
Murky bass heard in the repeating section of the exposition-heard in the repeating octaves
How long is the introduction?
10 bars- unusual length
how does it show the romantic style
Virtuosic playing
Adventurous harmony
Dramatic chords
Use of accented notes
