Beethoven's 8th Piano Sonata (Pathetique) 17:00

April 14, 2002 AT NOON Played on the Yamaha Clavinova

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The Pathetique Sonata in C minor was writen in 1798 but not published until 1799. It is the 8th of Beethoven's numbered sonatas. Its original title was the Grande Sonate Pathetique and was dedicated to Prince Carl von Lichnowsky, a friend of Beethoven's.

1st Movement

The first movement of this sonata is in sonata form and is very fast. There are three main sections. The first is the exposition. This begins with a slow dramatic introduction marked grave and is in c minor. This introduction ends up reappearing later in the movement. The first theme is quick and is also in c minor. The second theme is in e-flat minor and is quieter than the first theme. The third theme, in E-flat major, involves separation of the hands--low with the left hand and high in the right. The closing resembles the first theme but is in E-flat major. This leads into the second section--the development. There is a return of the grave section and is in g minor. This leads into a very fast section in which the first theme makes a return, this time in e minor. The third section--the recapitulation--begins with the first theme in c minor. This is followed by the second and third themes, also in c minor. The closing resembles the first theme. The grave section returns a final time and the movement ends by returning to the first theme.

2nd Movement

The second movement is marked Adagio cantabile, which can be translated as 'hymn-like.' It is in A-flat major. It is in the rondo form A-B-A-C-A. Section A is 16 measures long, with the melody being 8 measures long and repeating twice. The second time through the melody is one measure higher and has broken chord harmonies. This section is in A-flat major. With the B section comes a different melody and a new key--E-flat major. The return of section A has the same melody as before, only now it is only 8 measures in duration. In section C the key changes to a-flat minor. There is a new melody with repeating block chords. This section includes the climax of the movement in which there is a dramatic crescendo. The final return of section A is similar to the opening. The melody is repeated two times--the second time an octave higher. There are broken chords in triplets. The ending is a little bit of an extension-it is short and very quiet.

3rd Movement

The third movement is a fast rondo in c minor. It is in the form A-B-A-C-A-B-A. The first section is a very lively quick section. There is a distinct end to this section. The B section is in E-flat major and is long and fast. There is a short passage with block chords. The return of the A section is identical to the first section. The C-section is in A-flat major. The A section then returns a third time, but the length is cut in half. When the B section returns a second time it is in C major. The end of this section rises and leads into the final section. The last section is the A section again. This time it is expanded and parts are soft and calm. The ending is fast and the final chord is a powerful c minor chord.

Here's a diagram of a typical Sonata Form movement:

Today's performance is entirely digital. It uses a technology called MIDI. First Lutheran has both a midi piano and a midi-hybrid pipe organ.