Piano Sonatas No. 19 and 20 (Beethoven)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49, No. 1, and Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49, No. 2, are short and relatively simple sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven
, published in 1805 (although the works were likely composed several years earlier). Both works are approximately eight minutes in length, and are split into two movements. These sonatas are referred to as the Leichte Sonaten to be given to his friends and students.
The Piano Sonata No. 20 was possibly written around the time Beethoven composed the Third
and Fourth
sonatas, but because it was published in Vienna in 1805, nearly a decade after it was actually written, it was assigned then-current opus and sonata numbers, which classified it alongside works from the composer's middle period. Very similar circumstances caused Beethoven's B-flat Piano Concerto
to appear as his second, even though it predated the first.
Beethoven often suppressed works in his early years, either revising them later for publication or determining that they were not fit. In fact, he withheld many early works from publication for life. In the case of these two sonatas, it was Caspar van Beethoven, the composer's brother, who decided they were worthy of publication. Against the composer's will, he presented them to a publishing house, thus allowing posterity to hear works that might otherwise have been lost or destroyed.
The first movement is written in standard sonata-allegro form. After the first and second theme, it moves into the recapitulation with very little development. After restating the theme in the bass with new counterpoint in the treble, the work closes with a brief coda, ending with a Picardy third
. Beethoven skips the slow movement and dance movement and moves directly to the finale, which is simply a brief rondo in G major.
The first movement features a stately theme. It, and a more playful second theme undergo only minimal development before recapitulating at the end, making for a simplified sonata form, with its main theme based heavily on a G Major triad.
The second movement of the Piano Sonata No. 20 shares a melodic theme with the Minuet of the Op. 20 Septet
. Because the Septet was the later piece (1799–1800), Beethoven's suppression of the sonata and reuse of one of its themes suggests that he perhaps planned to scrap the piano work altogether. But the composer was known to recycle melodies, in some instances several times. This movement is cast in the form of a rondo, with the main rondo theme being, essentially, a minuet; the minuet features a charming melody that, along with its accompanying material, is repeated several times, varying somewhat in appearance, but remaining simple and unsophisticated.
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...
, published in 1805 (although the works were likely composed several years earlier). Both works are approximately eight minutes in length, and are split into two movements. These sonatas are referred to as the Leichte Sonaten to be given to his friends and students.
The Piano Sonata No. 20 was possibly written around the time Beethoven composed the Third
Piano Sonata No. 3 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3, is a sonata written for solo piano, composed in 1796. It is dedicated to Franz Joseph Haydn...
and Fourth
Piano Sonata No. 4 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 4, in E-flat major, Op. 7, sometimes nicknamed the Grand Sonata, dedicated to his student Babette Countess Keglevics, has four movements:#Allegro molto e con brio in E-flat major....
sonatas, but because it was published in Vienna in 1805, nearly a decade after it was actually written, it was assigned then-current opus and sonata numbers, which classified it alongside works from the composer's middle period. Very similar circumstances caused Beethoven's B-flat Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Beethoven)
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19, by Ludwig van Beethoven was composed primarily between 1787 and 1789, although it did not attain the form it was published as until 1795. Beethoven did write another finale for it in 1798 for performance in Prague, but that is not the finale...
to appear as his second, even though it predated the first.
Beethoven often suppressed works in his early years, either revising them later for publication or determining that they were not fit. In fact, he withheld many early works from publication for life. In the case of these two sonatas, it was Caspar van Beethoven, the composer's brother, who decided they were worthy of publication. Against the composer's will, he presented them to a publishing house, thus allowing posterity to hear works that might otherwise have been lost or destroyed.
Movements
- Andante
- RondoRondoRondo, 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...
: Allegro
The first movement is written in standard sonata-allegro form. After the first and second theme, it moves into the recapitulation with very little development. After restating the theme in the bass with new counterpoint in the treble, the work closes with a brief coda, ending with a Picardy third
Picardy third
A Picardy third is a harmonic device used in European classical music.It refers to the use of a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section which is either modal or in a minor key...
. Beethoven skips the slow movement and dance movement and moves directly to the finale, which is simply a brief rondo in G major.
Sonata No. 20, Op. 49 No. 2 in G Major
This sonata is a relatively simple work, featuring a diminutive amount of the sophistication evident in most of the other piano sonatas. Strangely, there are no dynamic indications in the autograph or first edition. It is considered the easier of the two "Easy Sonatas", and is also considered the easiest of all the Beethoven piano sonatas.Movements
- Allegro ma non troppo
- Tempo di MenuettoMinuetA minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...
The first movement features a stately theme. It, and a more playful second theme undergo only minimal development before recapitulating at the end, making for a simplified sonata form, with its main theme based heavily on a G Major triad.
The second movement of the Piano Sonata No. 20 shares a melodic theme with the Minuet of the Op. 20 Septet
Septet (Beethoven)
The Septet in E-flat major, Opus 20, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was sketched out in 1799, completed and first performed in 1800 and published in 1802. The score contains the notation: "Der Kaiserin Maria Theresia gewidmet", or translated, "Dedicated to the Empress Maria Theresa." It is scored for...
. Because the Septet was the later piece (1799–1800), Beethoven's suppression of the sonata and reuse of one of its themes suggests that he perhaps planned to scrap the piano work altogether. But the composer was known to recycle melodies, in some instances several times. This movement is cast in the form of a rondo, with the main rondo theme being, essentially, a minuet; the minuet features a charming melody that, along with its accompanying material, is repeated several times, varying somewhat in appearance, but remaining simple and unsophisticated.
External links
- A lecture by András SchiffAndrás SchiffAndrás Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist, who has won a number of awards including the Grammy and made numerous recordings.- Biography :...
on Beethoven's piano sonata op. 49 no. 1 - A lecture by András SchiffAndrás SchiffAndrás Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist, who has won a number of awards including the Grammy and made numerous recordings.- Biography :...
on Beethoven's piano sonata op. 49 no. 2 - A public-domain recording of these sonatas at Musopen
- Recording of Piano Sonata No. 20 by Paavali Jumppanen, piano from the Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner MuseumThe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
- European Archive Copyright free LP recording of the Sonata No. 19, Op. 49, No. 1, in G minor by Hugo Steurer, piano at the European Archive (for non-American viewers only).
- European Archive Copyright free LP recording of the Sonata No. 20, Op. 49, No. 2, in G major by Hugo Steurer, piano at the European Archive (for non-American viewers only).