Piano Sonata No. 1 (Beethoven)
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Beethoven's Piano Sonata in F minor, op. 2, no. 1, was written in 1796 and dedicated to Joseph Haydn.
A typical performance lasts about 19 minutes.
[edit] Structural Analysis
The sonata is in four movements:
The first movement, in 2/2 time, is in Sonata form (typical for the first movement of a Sonata). The first theme is driven by a rising arpeggio, very similar to the opening of the last movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40. The second theme, in A flat minor, is accompanied by eighth-note octaves in the bass. There are two codettas; the first consists of a series of energetic descending scales in A flat major, and the second returns to A flat minor. The development opens with the initial theme, but is mostly dedicated to the second theme and its eighth-note accompaniment. The retransition to the main theme uses its sixteenth-note triplet. The recapitulation repeats the material from the exposition without much change, except that it stays in F minor throughout. There is a short coda.
The second movement opens with a lyrical theme in 3/4 time in F major. This is followed by an agitated transitional passage in D minor, followed by a passage full of thirty-second notes in C major. This leads back to a more embellished form of the F major theme, which is followed by an F major variation of the C major section.
The third movement, a minuet in F minor, is conventional in form. It contains two repeated sections, followed by a trio in F major in two repeated sections, after which the first minuet returns.
The fourth movement, like the first, is in F minor, 2/2 time, and sonata form. The exposition is accompanied by ceaseless eighth-note triplets. The first theme is based on three staccato quarter note chords. A transitional passage leads to a more lyrical but still agitated theme in C minor. The chords of the first theme return to close the exposition. Where the development would be expected to start, there is a completely new theme in A flat, with the first respite from the eighth-note triplets. This is followed by an extended retransition based on the first theme. The recapitulation presents the first and second themes in F minor. There is no coda, only a descending arpeggio -- in eighth-note triplets, of course -- to conclude the piece.
[edit] External Links
Sheet music: [1]
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For the score of this sonata, see http://www.imslp.org/images/8/8e/Beethoven%2C_L.v._-_Piano_Sonata_01.pdf
