Sonatine

Opus 79
                                          

This was probably most students of Beethoven's first Sonata and it is actually quite attractive. It would not have been published if his brother Karl hadn't brought it to the publisher...

The Leipzig publisher would have welcomed an easier Beethoven Sonata playable by a large public. It is probably written before Opus 78, since Opus 78 had no. 2 written on the manuscript. But although Opus 78 is really one of Beethoven's own favourites, he probably was not entirely convinced of the merit of the other Sonata (now Opus 79).

The first movement really has the sketchiness of a Sonatina although the development and coda parts are in fact quite mature. This way the second part has to be repeated also and this makes it almost extended binary form. It is manageable by an intermediate student provided the student doesn't attempt to put more into it as is actually there. Let the music work for itself. 

The second movement is actually in beautiful Italian style. A song without words. Here the student may put all expression in which he or she can bring forth. With this a performance piece is at hand, which will please many an audience.

I always enjoyed the last movement. Very Haydenish in make up en yet unmistakeably Beethoven. It is not at easy at all, but an ideal vehicle to teach 4 against 3. This will cause some frustration when a first attempt is made.

It is well worth the effort from the side of the teacher to insist that the 4 against 3 is mastered perfectly here, because once mastered it is so useful for later more difficult work.

Let's hear the master's version of this Sonatina:

Andreas on Opus 79.

Or another master for that matter. In this case Daniel Barenboim has beaten Andreas Schiff to it:

Daniel Barenboim plays Opus 79

Patron Saint of Bobos

Lully's dilemma
                                          

Jean Baptiste Lully is probably music history's ultimate Music Bobo. Admittedly contemporary Music Scene is full of them, but if they are looking for a role model, a branch Saint of Music Bobos, look no further. There you have him, Jean Baptiste Lully.

"At the age of 18", he would proclaim during his life,  "he had learnt ALL there was to learn about music" and boasted he did not put anything in practise, which he didn't already know by then. 

He became Louis XIV's court composer and director of the Royal Academy of Music and nothing could ever be performed in France, which did not carry his approval, his 'imprimatur'' so to speak. 

Sort of a 17th century forerunner of the theory of 'All'. And that's a shame, because looking back we all know what exciting things regarding music development would still be in store for us. 

The conductor baton in the hand was not invented yet, and Lully would knock his stick on the floor. Even when he accidentally hit is own foot, he remained in serious denial leaving the invention of the baton to someone else. And thus he died, even in Louis XIV's displeasure.

The myth of Bach

Mattheus Passion

                                           

Yesterday visited probably the first performance of the Mattheus Passion by J.S. Bach in the Netherlands in Rotterdam the Doelen. A very well balanced performance by Toonkunst Rotterdam under Maria van Nieukerken. I enjoyed every minute of it. And that is lots of minutes...

My attention was directed towards sort of another gospel in the booklet. Namely the story of the forgotten Bach resurrected by Felix Mendelssohn. 

Would Joseph Haydn, who learned his craft from the very Bach's son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach have forgotten J.S. ? In Mozart's Requiem you can find a nearly carbon copy of a fugue from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier book 2 in a-minor and Mozart often trumpeted his respect for the 'old' Bach. All right Sussmayer might have put his hands in the till in the dire need to complete the Requiem. But isn't it interesting that the till he grabbed from was 'old' Bach's? Beethoven also was very vocal about his respect for Bach, but was genius enough to develop his own concept to go fugal. And how older Beethoven became the more he went fugal.

And the very young Chopin in his very first piano Sonata opus 4 in C-minor - written to impress his teacher - shows very clearly in far off Poland Chopin was raised with Bach's well tempered clavier. Alas it would prove to be Chopin's least performed work, because it is a bit of a slog, but that is not the point. The point is that also Chopin in his very teens knew Bach well. Very well!

What then is the myth of Felix Mendelssohn's discovery? Perhaps the myth of the jewish composer who had to become a catholic to become accepted in that part of Germany? And perhaps that part of Germany discovered Bach in the middle of the 19th century? That may very well have been the case.

Theresia Sonata

Opus 78

                                           

This Sonata only has two movements but is very coherent and complete. Both the first movement in pure Sonata Form and the Rondo excel in beauty. Very often this sonata is confused with the Sonatinas, but if it were a Sonatina Beethoven probably would have combined it with the following Sonata. Moreover the Sonatinas were actually given for publication by Beethoven's brother Karl. But this Sonata is too pure in Form and execution to be deemed a Sonatina and the key signature of 6 sharps is to serious too. It deserves to feature on concert programmes more often, after all it was of Beethoven's own favourites and he thought more of it than of the Moonlight Sonata.

Notice that there is a large difference in time between this sonata and the Appassionata, four years in all.

The sonata starts with a beautiful small introduction 'adagio'. The sonata could have easily done without, but alas Beethoven made a statement to open this sonata with this beautiful 'adagio'. Some pianists play this introduction extremely slow. As if to say, this is way too short...

After this opening the beautiful theme of this first movement appears.

It shows Beethoven has gone a long way since Opus 2, already at such high spirits. After the presentation of the theme he immediately progresses as if he were already in a development section. Due to the long period between Appassionata and this sonata I for this reason propose to let the late period of Beethoven (at least in his Piano Sonatas) start with this Sonata. 

The second theme is to the point as the first theme and also seamlessly progresses into creative figures to move to the coda or rather repeat of the exposition.

The development section takes the theme to the minor of F-sharp. It is good advice to repeat both the exposition and the development + recapitulation.

The final movement is a jolly gesture made by Beethoven and is an indication of his fling with the English, which already appeared in the theme of the Appassionata. We are definitely in a period where Beethoven was trying to impress the English Audience and he was not alone. Also Joseph Haydn took quite some time off from his post with Count Esterhazy to woe British audiences. 

The theme of the rondo is a reminiscence of Britannia ruling the waves. Alas Beethoven looks at it with humour!

The cadenzas after the rondo theme are a little chase and get longer and longer as the movement progresses. Good contrasts between loud and soft, bouncy patterns and legatos. 

A Sonata not to be missed and the length of it suits our modern attention spans. The Sonata lasts 10 minutes or so. (of course the second movement can do with some speed!)

Eric Heidsieck plays Opus 78