Piano Sonata in G major, D. 894 (Schubert)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Sonata No. 18 in G major, D. 894 (Op. 78) by Franz Schubert
is a sonata
for solo piano, completed in October 1826. The work is sometimes called the "Fantaisie", a title which the publisher Tobias Haslinger gave to the first movement of the work, and not Schubert himself. It was the last of Schubert's sonatas published during his lifetime, and was later described by Schumann
as the "most perfect in form and conception" of any of Schubert's sonatas.
The work is in four movements:
A typical performance runs approximately 35 minutes.
has described the G major sonata as "one of the rare completely serene sonatas that he wrote," adding, "Of course, as ever with him, there are contrasting passages which become stormy and a little bit dark, but the overall mood is one of peace and luminosity, in a way that the G Major string quartet
, written a few months before, was most definitely not." She noted further that "the last movement has tremendous wit in it — and one or two moments of great poignancy, as if a cloud suddenly covered the sun, and then the sun comes out again."
Nicholas Marston has briefly discussed the character and features of the sonata's first movement in preparation for the movement's recapitulation. Peter Pesic commented on Donald Francis Tovey
's observation that Schubert used a "circle of sixths" series of key signatures in the fourth movement of this sonata, in the sequence G → E → B = C → G = A.
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
is a sonata
Sonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
for solo piano, completed in October 1826. The work is sometimes called the "Fantaisie", a title which the publisher Tobias Haslinger gave to the first movement of the work, and not Schubert himself. It was the last of Schubert's sonatas published during his lifetime, and was later described by 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....
as the "most perfect in form and conception" of any of Schubert's sonatas.
The work is in four movements:
- Molto moderato e cantabile, G major
- Andante, D majorD majorD major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
- Menuetto, Allegro moderato, B minorB minorB minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
and B majorB majorIn music theory, B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps.... - Allegretto, G major
A typical performance runs approximately 35 minutes.
Mood and character
The English pianist and Schubert specialist Imogen CooperImogen Cooper
Imogen Cooper, CBE is an English pianist.Born in London, she is the daughter of the musicologist Martin Cooper. She studied piano in London with Kathleen Long, in Paris with Jacques Février and Yvonne Lefébure, and in Vienna with Alfred Brendel, Jörg Demus and Paul Badura-Skoda...
has described the G major sonata as "one of the rare completely serene sonatas that he wrote," adding, "Of course, as ever with him, there are contrasting passages which become stormy and a little bit dark, but the overall mood is one of peace and luminosity, in a way that the G Major string quartet
String Quartet No. 15 (Schubert)
The String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887, was written by Franz Schubert in June 1826. It was posthumously published in 1851, as opus 161.-Movements:The piece is in four movements, and is about 45 minutes long:...
, written a few months before, was most definitely not." She noted further that "the last movement has tremendous wit in it — and one or two moments of great poignancy, as if a cloud suddenly covered the sun, and then the sun comes out again."
Nicholas Marston has briefly discussed the character and features of the sonata's first movement in preparation for the movement's recapitulation. Peter Pesic commented on Donald Francis Tovey
Donald Francis Tovey
Sir Donald Francis Tovey was a British musical analyst, musicologist, writer on music, composer, conductor and pianist...
's observation that Schubert used a "circle of sixths" series of key signatures in the fourth movement of this sonata, in the sequence G → E → B = C → G = A.