Piano Sonata No. 3 (Brahms)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 of Johannes Brahms
was written in 1853 and published the following year. The sonata is unusually large, consisting of five movements, as opposed to the traditional four. When he wrote this piano sonata, the genre was seen by many to be past its heyday. Brahms, enamored of Beethoven and the classical style, composed Piano Sonata No. 3 with a masterful combination of free Romantic spirit and strict classical architecture. As a further testament to Brahms' affinity for Beethoven, the Piano Sonata is infused with the instantly recognizable motive from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
during the first, third, and fourth movements. Composed in Düsseldorf
, it marks the end of his cycle of three sonatas
, and was presented to Robert Schumann
in November of that year; it was the last work which Brahms submitted to Schumann for commentary. Brahms was barely 20 years old at its composition. The piece is dedicated to Countess Ida von Hohenthal of Leipzig.
A performance of the work generally lasts 40 minutes or more.
, it is essentially composed of two musical subjects. The exposition is repeated and leads to a complex development section in which the "fate motif" from Beethoven
's Symphony No. 5
is unmistakably incorporated. At nearly the onset of the recapitulation, the piece moves to the parallel key
of F major
, and finishes in that key.
The second movement begins with a quotation above the music of a poem by Otto Inkermann under the pseudonym C.O. Sternau.
Perhaps symbolizing the two beating hearts in this Andante are its two principal themes, one in A flat major
and the other in D flat major
, which alternate throughout the movement. This movement is also a very rare instance of progressive tonality
in a Brahms work, as it ends in D flat major rather than the key in which it began, A flat major.
The third movement, a scherzo
and trio
, begins in F minor
with a musical quotation
of the beginning of the finale of Mendelssohn
's Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 66
. In contrast to the tumult of the scherzo, the trio in D flat major
is calm and lyrical, and the accompanying bass too refers to Beethoven's "Fate" motif. Once the trio brings back the movement's opening material at its close, the scherzo is repeated.
The fourth movement is marked as an intermezzo and is given the title "Rückblick," literally "Remembrance." It begins with the initial theme of the second movement, except in the key of B flat minor
. Like the opening and third movements, the "Fate" motif from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 figures prominently throughout the intermezzo.
The fifth and final movement is a rondo
in the home key of F minor
. It explores several ideas that become intertwined in the virtuosic and triumphant close. Notably, the first diversion from the rondo theme begins with a musical cryptogram
that was a personal musical motto of his lifelong friend Joseph Joachim
, the F-A-E theme, which stands for Frei aber einsam (free but lonely). Like Brahms's second piano sonata
, this sonata's finale also ends in the parallel major
.
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
was written in 1853 and published the following year. The sonata is unusually large, consisting of five movements, as opposed to the traditional four. When he wrote this piano sonata, the genre was seen by many to be past its heyday. Brahms, enamored of Beethoven and the classical style, composed Piano Sonata No. 3 with a masterful combination of free Romantic spirit and strict classical architecture. As a further testament to Brahms' affinity for Beethoven, the Piano Sonata is infused with the instantly recognizable motive from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast...
during the first, third, and fourth movements. Composed in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, it marks the end of his cycle of three sonatas
Piano sonata
A piano sonata is a sonata written for a solo piano. Piano sonatas are usually written in three or four movements, although some piano sonatas have been written with a single movement , two movements , five or even more movements...
, and was presented to Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
in November of that year; it was the last work which Brahms submitted to Schumann for commentary. Brahms was barely 20 years old at its composition. The piece is dedicated to Countess Ida von Hohenthal of Leipzig.
A performance of the work generally lasts 40 minutes or more.
Form
The sonata is in five movements:- Allegro maestoso (F minorF minorF minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
, ending in the parallel majorParallel keyIn music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
) - Andante. Andante espressivo - Andante molto (A flat majorA flat majorA-flat major is a major scale based on A-flat, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats .Its relative minor is F minor, and its parallel minor is A-flat minor....
- D flat majorD flat majorD-flat major is a major scale based on D-flat, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats .Its relative minor is B-flat minor...
) - ScherzoScherzoA scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
. Allegro energico avec trio (F minorF minorF minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
- D flat majorD flat majorD-flat major is a major scale based on D-flat, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats .Its relative minor is B-flat minor...
) - IntermezzoIntermezzoIn music, an intermezzo , in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work...
(Rückblick / Regard en arrière) Andante molto (B flat minorB flat minorB minor or B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B-flat, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has five flats. The harmonic minor scale would use an A instead of A....
) - Finale. Allegro moderato ma rubato (F minorF minorF minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
, ending in the parallel majorParallel keyIn music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
)
Movements
The first movement begins with fortissimo chords that almost span the entire range of the piano register. A movement in sonata formSonata form
Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
, it is essentially composed of two musical subjects. The exposition is repeated and leads to a complex development section in which the "fate motif" from Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Symphony No. 5
Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast...
is unmistakably incorporated. At nearly the onset of the recapitulation, the piece moves to the parallel key
Parallel key
In music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
of F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
, and finishes in that key.
The second movement begins with a quotation above the music of a poem by Otto Inkermann under the pseudonym C.O. Sternau.
| Der Abend dammert, das Mondlicht scheint, Da sind zwei Herzen in Liebe vereint Und halten sich selig umfangen |
Through evening's shade, the pale moon gleams While rapt in love's ecstatic dreams Two hearts are fondly beating. |
Perhaps symbolizing the two beating hearts in this Andante are its two principal themes, one in A flat major
A flat major
A-flat major is a major scale based on A-flat, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats .Its relative minor is F minor, and its parallel minor is A-flat minor....
and the other in D flat major
D flat major
D-flat major is a major scale based on D-flat, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats .Its relative minor is B-flat minor...
, which alternate throughout the movement. This movement is also a very rare instance of progressive tonality
Progressive tonality
Progressive tonality is the name given to the compositional practice whereby a piece of music does not finish in the key in which it began, but instead 'progresses' to an ending in a different key...
in a Brahms work, as it ends in D flat major rather than the key in which it began, A flat major.
The third movement, a scherzo
Scherzo
A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
and trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, begins in F minor
F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
with a musical quotation
Musical quotation
Musical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
of the beginning of the finale of Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
's Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 66
Piano Trio No. 2 (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 was composed and published in 1845. The work is scored for a standard piano trio consisting of violin, cello and piano...
. In contrast to the tumult of the scherzo, the trio in D flat major
D flat major
D-flat major is a major scale based on D-flat, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats .Its relative minor is B-flat minor...
is calm and lyrical, and the accompanying bass too refers to Beethoven's "Fate" motif. Once the trio brings back the movement's opening material at its close, the scherzo is repeated.
The fourth movement is marked as an intermezzo and is given the title "Rückblick," literally "Remembrance." It begins with the initial theme of the second movement, except in the key of B flat minor
B flat minor
B minor or B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B-flat, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has five flats. The harmonic minor scale would use an A instead of A....
. Like the opening and third movements, the "Fate" motif from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 figures prominently throughout the intermezzo.
The fifth and final movement is a rondo
Rondo
Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also to a character-type that is distinct from the form...
in the home key of F minor
F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. The harmonic minor raises the E to E. Its key signature has four flats ....
. It explores several ideas that become intertwined in the virtuosic and triumphant close. Notably, the first diversion from the rondo theme begins with a musical cryptogram
Musical cryptogram
A musical cryptogram is a cryptogrammatic sequence of musical notes, a sequence which can be taken to refer to an extra-musical text by some 'logical' relationship, usually between note names and letters. The most common and best known examples result from composers using ciphered versions of their...
that was a personal musical motto of his lifelong friend Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
, the F-A-E theme, which stands for Frei aber einsam (free but lonely). Like Brahms's second piano sonata
Piano Sonata No. 2 (Brahms)
The Piano Sonata No. 2 in F-sharp minor, Op. 2 of Johannes Brahms was written in Hamburg, Germany in 1853, and published the year after. Despite being his second published work, it was actually composed before his first piano sonata, but was published later because Brahms recognized the importance...
, this sonata's finale also ends in the parallel major
Parallel key
In music, parallel keys are the major and minor scales that have the same tonic. A major and minor scale sharing the same tonic are said to be in a parallel relationship...
.