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Beethoven's 'Pathetique' piano sonata in C minor (Harmony /…
Beethoven's 'Pathetique' piano sonata in C minor
Dynamics
Dynamics Used
Forte
- Loud / strong
Piano
- Quiet / soft
sFz
- Suddenly Forte, used throughout to create a dramatic sound
sFz
used a lot to emphasise the
dramatic
feel of this romantic sonata
Rhythm / Tempo
Lots of
aggressive dotted rhythms
throughout
Intro has a
slow tempo
, which is a
contrast
to the rest of the piece, this makes the piece seem more
dramatic
Genre
Sonatas are typical of the classical period of music, and Beethoven has written this one for a Pianoforte. This is an instrument that was coming into play in the late classical period, and Beethoven uses its new abilities to his full advantage in this piece
Structure
Sonata Form
Exposition
- The new ideas for the piece
1st Subject
- The first idea
2nd Subject
- The second idea
Bridge
- Joins the first and second subjects, often with a modulation
Codetta
- Mini ending; ends the exposition by transitioning into the development
Development
- Develops on ideas from the exposition. Has lots of transitory modulations
Recapitulation
- Plays the exposition again with some slight variations to melody and also in a different key throughout
1st Subject with some variation
2nd Subject with some variation
Bridge with some variation
Codetta with some variation
Slow Intro
- Something not in a true sonata, Beethoven added this as a way to make his more unique. It serves to set the sombre, dark mood for the rest of the piece
Melody
Lots of rising and falling
sequence
Lots of
ornamentation
Mordents
- shift down then up rapidly, or up and down
Acciaccaturas
- rapid note that doesn't take away from the note value that it is attached to
Instrumentation
Pianoforte:
A new keyboard instrument at the time, the piano forte could play both
loud and soft dynamics
. This is used in this piece to its fullest extent by Beethoven who creates many stark and dramatic contrasts
Texture
Texture throughout is homophonic - the right hand plays the melody and the left plays accompaniment
Harmony / Tonality
Extensive use of
diminished 7ths
as this makes the piece sounds more
sombre and dark
Tonality Throughout:
Starts in
C minor
for
slow intro
and start of
exposition
In
Eb minor
by the start of the
second subject
Development
starts in
G minor
and has lots of transitory modulations
Recapitulation:
1st subject and bridge are played in the tonic key of
C minor
, then 2nd subject is played in
F minor
, then returns to the tonic key
Coda
is in
C minor
and ends with a very sharp / short cadence
Modulations
Cadences Used
Perfect Cadence:
V-I
Imperfect Cadence:
I-V
Perfect Feminine Cadence:
V-I Played on an unaccented beat in a bar, makes the cadence have a softer feel to it. Typical of Romantic music, used by Beethoven lots in his later works
Modulations are often quite fleeting with relatively short cadences