Beethoven's First And Last Piano Sonatas

I am fairly familiar with a lot of Beethoven's piano sonatas as I play some of them myself, but comparing two at opposite ends of the timescale wasn't something I had done before. In the first piano sonata, I can hear clean, simple scale-like melodies, with sparing use of the sustain pedal. The piece follows the traditional classical form for sonatas as four contrasting movements; fast/slow/fairly fast/fast, and the modulation within each movement seems clear and abrupt.

The last piano sonata however has only two movements. Beethoven had used only two movements in previous sonatas, but not until the 19th. This piece feels much more emotive, with episodes of dramatism and lyricism. with larger chords giving an overall thicker texture. There is also more obvious dissonance in the choices of chords and the sustain pedal seems to be used much more in this piece. There also seems to be greater freedom in terms of timing.

Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1

This piece is comprised of four contrasting movements, all of which are primarily in the key of F minor, except the second movement which moves to the tonic major key. Like his other early sonatas, this piece conformed to the smaller piano sizes at the time, of five octaves. Texturally in the first movement there are only two main voices, and it's also straightforward in terms of structure, with two obvious themes, the first being the opening that is formed by the 'Mannheim Rocket' - a technique conceived in the classical era comprised of a rapidly ascending arpeggiated melodic line, and the other being almost an inversion of the rocket, over alternating quavers in the bass. By using the technique of taking the first theme and altering it to become the new theme, this sonata shows the influence of Beethoven's teacher, Joseph Haydn. The remaining movements remain straightforward and true to form at their foundations, with the adagio's basic melody treated to ever increased expansion and elaboration, with lots of fast runs and enhanced ornamentation, followed by a jaunty minuet and exhilarant finale, with almost unrelenting left hand triplets.

Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

As well as being Beethoven's final piano sonata, it is also one of his last compositions for piano. It is comprised of two movements, in C minor, then C major. Beethoven had a special affinity with the key of C minor, reserving this key for works that are particularly stormy and dramatic. This trend is continued in the first movement of this sonata. The first movement also makes extensive use of chromatic alteration, such as diminished seventh chords. The second movement, a theme and variations, starts slowly and lyrically, with the third variation having a forward-thinking dance-like character, which has been noted to have much in common with ragtime and jazz, both styles which wouldn't make an appearance until 80 years later. This shows a clear departure from the norms of the classical era. It is noted that the two movements complement each other perfectly, in terms of the second movement resolving the conflicts within the first. The movements are contrasting on many levels; tonality, form, tempo, and mood. Beethoven's official explanation to his biographer for only two movements was lack of time, it is most likely however that Beethoven was only too aware of this perfect balance in the two movements, and that a third in this instance would be superfluous.

On Reflection...

When comparing these two piano sonatas, composed almost thirty years apart, it is clear to hear that Beethoven retained his own unique sound, but whereas in the first sonata he showed influences of previous forms and styles, by the last sonata something new had developed, and the result was not only contemporary, but forward-thinking, featuring elements of styles that weren't even invented at the time. The music in this last sonata is very emotive which has obvious romantic connotations, but there are certain techniques missing that you find in later romantic composers music, such as tempo rubato in Chopin's works. This could indicate that Beethoven's relationship to the classical era was never fully severed.