Sonata No. 5 (Scriabin)
Encyclopedia
The fifth piano sonata
, Op. 53, is a one movement sonata written by Alexander Scriabin
in 1907. It is his first sonata to be written in one movement, but from this point forward he retained this format. It marks the end of his Romantic
period and the beginning of his transition to an atonal style. Many composers at this time were making a transition to, or at least leaning in the direction of atonalism by writing increasingly dissonant music. Scriabin, characteristically, was taking a different approach. The harmonic language of the sonata is largely consonant and consisting of tertian
harmony. It should be mentioned that this harmony is not easily explained by any harmonic theory generally applied to this period, but is quite easy to understand when the large-scale movement is considered from a Classical perspective, and the individual harmonies are considered from a Jazz perspective (that is, the perspective of jazz harmony
which would come substantially later). With the exception of the second theme, the piece makes limited use of non-chord tones. Scriabin achieves the near absence of tonality by writing deliberately ambiguous sonorities which at times could exist in more than one key, and at others deliberately confuse the ear by treating dominant seventh chords separated by a tritone
as functionally identical.
The piece consists of five themes, which intertwine and evolve throughout the piece: the intense, dissonant
trill and glissando
in the opening; a slow, languishing introductory theme; a dance-like presto based on material from the languishing theme and serving as the first subject group; a transition marked imperioso; and a meno vivo that serves as the second subject group, also based on material from the second, languishing theme (see sonata form
).
Scriabin included an epigraph to this sonata, taken from his long poetic work The Poem of Ecstasy (not to be confused with his Symphony No. 4 "Poem of Ecstasy", Op. 54.) The epigraph reads, "I summon you to life, hidden longings! You, drowned in the dark depths of the creative spirit, you fearful embryos of life, I bring you daring!"
This is Scriabin's most recorded sonata. The legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter
described it as the most difficult piece in the entire piano repertory (along with Franz Liszt's Mephisto Waltz no.1). A typical performance lasts about 11–12 minutes.
Notable recordings include those by Alexei Sultanov
, Vladimir Ashkenazy
, Vladimir Horowitz
, Sviatoslav Richter
, Vladimir Sofronitsky
, Samuil Feinberg
, Glenn Gould
, Marc-André Hamelin
and Igor Zhukov
.
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...
, Op. 53, is a one movement sonata written by Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
in 1907. It is his first sonata to be written in one movement, but from this point forward he retained this format. It marks the end of his Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
period and the beginning of his transition to an atonal style. Many composers at this time were making a transition to, or at least leaning in the direction of atonalism by writing increasingly dissonant music. Scriabin, characteristically, was taking a different approach. The harmonic language of the sonata is largely consonant and consisting of tertian
Tertian
In music theory, tertian describes any piece, chord, counterpoint etc. constructed from the interval of a third...
harmony. It should be mentioned that this harmony is not easily explained by any harmonic theory generally applied to this period, but is quite easy to understand when the large-scale movement is considered from a Classical perspective, and the individual harmonies are considered from a Jazz perspective (that is, the perspective of jazz harmony
Jazz harmony
Jazz harmony is the theory and practice of how chords are used in jazz music. Jazz bears certain similarities to other practices in the tradition of Western harmony, such as many chord progressions, and the incorporation of the major and minor scales as a basis for chordal construction, but...
which would come substantially later). With the exception of the second theme, the piece makes limited use of non-chord tones. Scriabin achieves the near absence of tonality by writing deliberately ambiguous sonorities which at times could exist in more than one key, and at others deliberately confuse the ear by treating dominant seventh chords separated by a tritone
Tritone
In classical music from Western culture, the tritone |tone]]) is traditionally defined as a musical interval composed of three whole tones. In a chromatic scale, each whole tone can be further divided into two semitones...
as functionally identical.
The piece consists of five themes, which intertwine and evolve throughout the piece: the intense, dissonant
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
trill and glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
in the opening; a slow, languishing introductory theme; a dance-like presto based on material from the languishing theme and serving as the first subject group; a transition marked imperioso; and a meno vivo that serves as the second subject group, also based on material from the second, languishing theme (see sonata form
Sonata 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...
).
Scriabin included an epigraph to this sonata, taken from his long poetic work The Poem of Ecstasy (not to be confused with his Symphony No. 4 "Poem of Ecstasy", Op. 54.) The epigraph reads, "I summon you to life, hidden longings! You, drowned in the dark depths of the creative spirit, you fearful embryos of life, I bring you daring!"
This is Scriabin's most recorded sonata. The legendary pianist Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
described it as the most difficult piece in the entire piano repertory (along with Franz Liszt's Mephisto Waltz no.1). A typical performance lasts about 11–12 minutes.
Notable recordings include those by Alexei Sultanov
Alexei Sultanov
Alexei Sultanov was a Russian-American classical pianist of Uzbek origin.His father was a cellist, his mother was a violinist, and his grandmother was a well-known Uzbek actress. At the age of 6, he began piano lessons in Tashkent with Tamara Popovich...
, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
, Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
, Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
, Vladimir Sofronitsky
Vladimir Sofronitsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Sofronitsky was a Russian pianist, best known as an interpreter of the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, whose daughter he married.-Biography:Vladimir Sofronitsky was born to a physics teacher father and a mother from an artistic family...
, Samuil Feinberg
Samuil Feinberg
Samuil Yevgenyevich Feinberg was a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist. Raised in Moscow, he entered the Moscow Conservatory and studied under Alexander Goldenweiser. He is most remembered today for his complete recording of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier and many transcriptions. Feinberg...
, Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould
Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
, Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin
Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a French Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also a pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was...
and Igor Zhukov
Igor Zhukov
Igor Mikhailovich Zhukov is a Russian pianist, conductor and sound engineer.Zhukov was born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1936 but his family moved to Moscow in the following year. Four years later, they were evacuated to Vyatka as a result of the Second World War...
.
External links
- Sonata no.5 performed by Jonathan PowellJonathan Powell (musician)Jonathan Powell is a British pianist and composer. He was a student of Denis Matthews and Sulamita Aronovsky. He made his performing debut at the age of 20 in the Purcell Room in London....
in KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, 30 March 2010