Piano Sonata in D major, D 850 (Schubert)

Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata in D major D. 850, Op. 53, known as the Gasteiner, was written during August 1825 whilst the composer was staying in the spa town of Bad Gastein. A year later, it became only the second of his piano sonatas to be published.

Movements

I. Allegro vivace

D major. The autograph has alla breve Allegro while the first edition (published during Schubert's lifetime and thus probably a revision) gives common-time Allegro vivace.

II. Con moto

A major

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Trio

D major

Trio in G major

IV. Rondo: Allegro moderato

D major

The work takes approximately 40 minutes to perform.

Synopsis

The sonata is noticeably faster in tempo than many other of Schubert's sonatas. Whereas Schubert would regularly restrain an Allegro movement with markings such as moderato or ma non troppo, in this sonata, both the first and third movements are marked with vivace. Even the slower second movement is marked with con moto, meaning with movement.

In the lively first movement, the themes mainly consist of repeated scales and chords. However, the pace and excitement of the movement still places considerable technical demands on the soloist. Also the second theme bears a resemblance to the opening melody of one of the songs Schubert also composed whilst staying in Bad Gastein, Das Heimweh, D. 851. The slower second movement has a brooding main theme combined with a sense of lively animation. Then follows a typical playful scherzo, but the trio section is more stately and serious, contrasting well with the other music. The rondo finale opens in the upper register with a march-like theme. The middle section starts with a lyrical theme that suddenly turns stormy. Like the first movement, the movement presents considerable challenges to the pianist throughout, both technically and interpretively.

External links

Piano Sonata D. 850: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
Performance of Piano Sonata D. 850 by Benjamin Hochman from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format

Piano sonatas (2 hands) by Franz Schubert
Preceded by Sonata in A major (D. 664)	AGA, Series 10 (15 sonatas) No. 11	Succeeded by Sonata in G major (D. 894)
Preceded by Sonata in A minor (D. 845)	21 Sonatas numbering system No. 17
Preceded by Sonata in A minor (D. 845)	23 Sonatas numbering system No. 19

Piano compositions and sonatas by Franz Schubert

Two hands

Sonatas	E major–B major, D 157 C major–A minor, D 279 E major, D 459 E minor, D 769A A minor, D 537 (Op. posth. 164) A-flat major–E-flat major, D 557 E minor–A-flat major, D 566 D-flat major, D 567/568 E-flat major, D 568 (Op. posth. 122) F-sharp minor, D 571 B major, D 575 (Op. posth. 147) C major, D 613 F minor, D 625 C-sharp minor, D 655 A major, D 664 (Op. posth. 120) A minor, D 784 (Op. posth. 143) C major "Reliquie", D 840 A minor, D 845 (Op. 42) D major "Gasteiner", D 850 (Op. 53) G major "Fantasy", D 894 (Op. 78) C minor, D 958 A major, D 959 B-flat major, D 960
Fantasies	Wanderer Fantasy, D 760 "Fantasy" Sonata, D 894
Piano pieces	Allegro in E major, D 154 Minuet in A minor, D 277A Rondo in C major, D 309A Allegretto in C major, D 346 Fünf Klavierstücke (Five Piano Pieces), D 459 Drei Klavierstücke (Three Piano Pieces), D 459A Adagio in D-flat major, D 505 Rondo/Allegretto in E major, D 506 Scherzo/Allegro vivace in D major & Allegro in F-sharp minor, D 570 (Andante) in A major, D 604 Adagio in E major, D 612 Moments musicaux, D 780 (Op. 94) Impromptus, D 899 (Op. 90) & D 935 (Op. posth. 142) – Impromptus/Klavierstücke, D 946
Variations	Vaterländischer Künstlerverein II: Variation No. 38 on a waltz by Diabelli, D 718 Impromptu, D 935 (Op. posth. 142) No. 3 "Rosamunde"
Dances	Minuet in A minor, D 277A Valses Sentimentales, D 779 (Op. 50) – Valses Nobles, D 969 (Op. 77)

Four hands

Three Marches héroiques, D 602, (Op. 27)
Sonata in B-flat major for piano four-hands, D 617 (Op. 30)
Three Marches Militaires, D 733 (Op. 51)
Sonata in C major "Grand Duo", D 812 (Op. posth. 140)
Six Grandes marches, D 819, (Op. 40)
Fantasia in F minor, D 940 (Op. posth. 103)
Two Marches caractéristiques, D 968b (Op. posth. 121)

Sonatas

violin and piano	Violin Sonata in A major "(Grand) Duo", D 574 (Op. posth. 162)
arpeggione and piano	Sonata in A minor for Arpeggione and Piano, D 821

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