Piano Sonata No. 15 (Beethoven)

The Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op 28 Ludwig van Beethoven wrote in 1801. It is dedicated to Joseph Noble of Sun Rock. The autograph is called Grand Sonata. The work is published as Grande Sonate pour le pianoforte, and was later published by Cranz in Hamburg Sonata pastorale. This results in the epithet Pastorale.

It is not clear why the Sonata Pastorale received the nickname, perhaps because of the rural folk character, especially the last two sentences or because of the quiet and lyrical basic mood of the work, which dispenses with large mood swings and harsh contrasts.

Construction

• First movement: Allegro, in D major, 3/ 4 time, 461 strokes
• Second movement: Andante in D minor, 2 /4 time, 99 bars
• Third movement: Scherzo, Allegro vivace, D major, 3 /4 time, 94 bars
• Fourth sentence: Rondo, Allegro ma non troppo, D major, 6/ 8 time, 210 strokes

First Set

A special feature of the outer movements is that the main theme developed in each case over a pedal point, which already appears a clock in front of the subject. Especially the first movement is characterized by the uniform neighborhoods in the bass on D, which - partly placed in the middle voices - almost 40 cycles form the foundation.

The main theme has a descending melodic motif, starting acts by the dominant on D. This first period less as a subject, but rather gives the impression that would put the music in the middle of a piece. Only by repeated ever increasing in repetition to consolidate the topic.

In the page set brings Beethoven interesting characters, so a four-part record type with parallel bass and melody and an eighth accompaniment in the middle voice, which was acquired by the Romantics, especially Schubert. At the end of exposure has a Oktavfigur with staccato chords in the bass back to the scherzo.

Second sentence

In the second movement (Andante, D minor ), a stylized funeral march, attests to the staccato semiquaver accompaniment of Beethoven's sound experiments at the pianoforte. The chorale-like, catchy theme is repeated several times (partly in F major ). The second part is to a contrast: a punctured, almost dance -like motif followed by sixteenth-note triplets ( in major). The first part of the sentence is a total of four times, performed only slightly changed before the sentence with a quotation of the second part (now in a minor key ) ends.

Third set

The sketchy Humorous Scherzo has as a theme only in octaves descending dotted half notes in F followed by a rural motif.

Fourth proposition

Similar to the first movement opens a pedal point, this time with bordunartiger effect, the last sentence one, again the issue is a rather short, descending, the main theme of the first movement related motif that is repeated immediately. Only arpeggiated chords, release the tension generated by the monotonous bass on.

Formal is this sentence aloud title Rondo before, specifically a bow Rondo: ABACABA plus coda. How often in the final movements of Beethoven's piano sonatas, one can detect a Sonatenhautpsatzform. This results in the following form parts: Exposure T. 1-50, fundamental theorem from measure 1, page set from bar 29 ( with prelude ) in the dominant key of A major; Implementation T. 51-113; Reprise clock 114-167, page set from bar 145 in the home key; Coda T. 169 - end. All the big moldings begin with the main theme, so the A- part of the rondo form. The sonata ends with virtuosic semiquaver figures in the right hand, accompanied by the left hand with the pastoral bass of the main theme in octaves.