2nd mvt: The Emotional Power of Structural Simplicity

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From the course by Curtis Institute of Music

Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Part 2

65 ratings

Curtis Institute of Music

Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Part 2

65 ratings

Welcome to Part 2 of Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas! I'm delighted to launch another set of new lectures of this course as Part 2. As before, this class is meant for people of all levels of experience with Beethoven's music (including no experience at all!). Remember that you are able to watch the lectures as many times as you like, at whatever pace is comfortable for you. As I’ve done with the first set of Beethoven lectures, I look forward to meeting with students—online and in person, in various cities. The dates and locations will be posted in the Announcements and Events section, as part of the course content. So please remember to check back there for details. In these four new lectures, we will explore the following sonatas: • Sonata Op. 2, No. 3 • Sonata Op. 13 (“Pathetique”) • Sonata Op. 53 (“Waldstein”) • Sonata Op. 90 The Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation supports Curtis’s lifelong learning initiatives.

From the lesson

Op. 13, "Pathetique"

The course continues with Beethoven's Op. 13 Sonata, nicknamed the "Pathétique." Known for its high drama and pathos, the "Pathétique" is a gem from Beethoven's early period and is one of Beethoven's most popular piano sonatas. In this lecture, Mr. Biss uncovers how Beethoven achieves these intense characters within the context of a classical sonata.

A Groundbreaking, Overexposed Masterwork4:02

1st mvt: The Slow Introduction as a Major Addition to Sonata Form6:46

1st mvt: An Exposition in Constant Upward Motion8:44

1st mvt: The Introduction's Complex, Revolutionary Role9:16

1st mvt: Subverting Expectations until the Bitter End5:56

2nd mvt: Beethoven at his most Sublimely Lyrical9:47

2nd mvt: The Emotional Power of Structural Simplicity7:03

3rd mvt: Introducing an Element of Ambiguity3:23

3rd mvt: Tying the Movement to the Rest of the Work, Devastatingly10:15

Meet the Instructors

Jonathan Biss
Neubauer Family Chair in Piano Studies
Performance Faculty

(MUSIC)

The strange, complicated form of the Pathetique’s first movement is perfect for its mood of

turmoil and nervosity; the second movement, by contrast, has an extremely settled,

even predictable structure which only enhances the tranquility of the movement.

The opening section that I played for you comes three times, with only cosmetic alterations.

These three appearances are separated by two brief episodes, each of which provides contrast

and brings a hint of darkness.

Here is the first:

(MUSIC)

This now, obviously, is the second iteration of the theme, and it has become even more

intimate, following that episode, with its suggestion of unrest.

It's also enhanced by the really spectacularly beautiful way the return is prepared.

Its power comes from the fact that the inner voice moves entirely chromatically, not diatonically. So,

VERY brief theory lesson, I promise: the diatonic scale is the seven note scale that forms the

basis of the major and minor modes.

(MUSIC)

That was eight notes, but the last is a reiteration of the first (MUSIC).

The chromatic scale uses all twelve of the notes on the keyboard – the twelve

notes in common use throughout the history of western music.

(MUSIC)

Now, since in the chromatic scale, it takes twelve notes to get from e flat to E-flat (MUSIC),

rather than seven, as it is in the diatonic scale (MUSIC), obviously that

means the notes are closer together.

So chromatic writing tends to have a slightly gnarled quality, giving it a heightened intensity.

If this return of the theme had been approached with diatonic motion (MUSIC),

and excuse my hideous recomposition, it would be more easygoing.

The actual, all-chromatic version (MUSIC),

that heightens the stakes, and deepens the moment of return.

The second episode is a bit stormier – it recollects the “sturm und drang” of the

first movement without taking us too far away from the overall tenor of this movement.

(MUSIC)

This last, somewhat busier appearance of the opening material retains the episode’s

accompanimental triplets (MUSIC).

This is again a beautiful balancing act – it gives the music an added richness, without

compromising its quiet.

When the third appearance of the theme comes to an end, we get a very brief coda:

(MUSIC)

It is the simplicity of this that makes it so very touching.

Beethoven was capable of – even drawn to – massive codas.

For example, the slow movements of the trio opus 1 number 2 and the “Kreutzer” sonata for violin and piano

have codas of proportions that completely alter the scope and shape

of the movements themselves, taking them in directions one could not have predicted,

listening to what precedes them.

This coda is nothing like that – it features exactly zero gilding of the lily.

Beethoven’s incredible mastery of form meant that he was responsible for innovation

after innovation, but equally, it meant that he instinctively knew

when to leave well enough alone.

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