TAPE  2 HU 04: Beethoven Unit Listening Notes

Selection 1 -       Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique"                                                                     (20min)
Performer: Daniel Barenboim, piano (DG 413 759-2)

 Beethoven section of the Classical Music Archive (Scroll down to find it)

This sonata has three movements. They are normally played continuously, separated only by short pause, but on this tape each movement is preceded by an introduction of the main themes.

The first movement of instrumental works of the Classical and Romantic periods is typically in an allegro (fast) tempo and is built around the contrast and conflict of two main themes. This movement also has a slow introduction, snatches of which return throughout the movement. Each of these three themes has a different character that resembles some emotional state. The slow introduction, for example, could be described on the sheerly musical plane as using a slow tempo, a minor key, dotted rhythms and a dense texture. On the expressive plane, what emotional state does it seem to you to resemble or evoke? Be as specific as possible.

Theme 1 is a rising melody in a faster tempo though still in a minor key. What emotional state does it seem to you to resemble or evoke? (Be sure to listen for the bass part in the left hand also.)

Theme 2 is in the same tempo and also uses a minor key, but it has a different melodic shape and involves a sort of echo effect. What emotional state does it seem to you to resemble or evoke?

You may want to listen to the introduction of the themes more than once. As you listen to the entire movement note what happens to each theme after it is introduced and try to guess when each will return. Is the nickname "Pathetique" appropriate? Why or why not?

The second movement is marked adagio cantabile (slow and singing). It takes the form of a rondo, meaning that the first theme you hear will return a number of times with various contrasting sections in between. In other words, this form could be abbreviated as ABACA. What is the emotional character of this movement?

This movement contrasts with the first in many ways; for instance, it has a slower tempo. What other contrasts can you identify?

The third movement is another rondo, this time marked allegro, so be sure to listen again for the periodic return of the first theme you hear. What is the emotional character of this movement? How does it contrast with the first two movements? Why is this movement placed last?

 

Selection 2 -      String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5 (4 movements)                                            (31min)
Performers: Guarneri Quartet (RCA 60456-2-RG)

First Theme  (mp3)

Second Theme (mp3)

 

Here are the approximate times for each of the sections of the sonata form. This may help you follow if your player has a time display.

 

Exposition:

1st theme -                                7 seconds

2nd theme                                 0:38

Second Repetition 1st theme:      1:49

Second Repetition 2nd theme:     2:19

Development:                            3:30

Recapitulation:

1st theme:                                  4:42

2nd theme:                                 5:18

Coda                                        6:15

 

Whole first movement

 

Whole second movement

 

Whole third movement

 

Whole fourth movement

As with the "Pathetique" Sonata, you can listen to this work for form (this particular quartet was chosen for the clarity and variety of its musical architecture) or for emotional content (generally much cheerier than the "Pathetique" Sonata, though there are a few stormy parts). If you want to listen for form, follow the notes below. If you want to listen for emotional content, note the way various musical elements such as harmony and rhythm contribute to the mood, and be alert for contrasts.

You might also want to pay some attention to the performance medium, since the string quartet is
considered by purists to be the most perfect musical ensemble.   There are four players playing three
different sizes of instruments, and they occupy about the same ranges as the four parts of a choir:
'                                                Violin I                          (soprano)

Violin II                        (alto)
Viola                           (tenor)
Cello                            (bass)

Since there are only four players involved, the string quartet offers greater clarity than is possible with a full orchestra, and since they play similar instruments, better balance and unity can be achieved. Also, since each player has a separate part, individual expression plays a more important role. Finally, you might want to listen for the variety of textures: sometimes one player has the melody while the Other three provide accompaniment, but at other times they play four distinct parts and at still others they function as a single 16-stringed instrument under the control of an 8-handed player.

The first movement uses sonata-allegro form, like the first movement of the "Pathetique" Sonata except there is no slow introduction. Listen for the interaction of the two themes. The second theme should be easy to recognize since it begins in a minor key with a unison passage, which makes it sound rather threatening or foreboding.

The second movement is a minuet and trio, a very standard type of movement that uses a gentle triple meter and a predictable form. The trio follows the minuet but then the minuet returns, so the ' form could be abbreviated ABA, but both the minuet and trio have two repeated subsections, so the form is more accurately described as AABB CCDD AB. (The repeats within the minuet are customarily ignored the second time through.) This is further complicated by the fact that B and D are much longer than A and C, and that B ends like A and D ends like C. Following this form thus becomes quite a challenging exercise, so don't be discouraged if you get lost. One hint: the A theme is first heard in the first violin, then in the viola when it is repeated.

The third movement is a theme and variations.   The theme is in a slow duple meter, sixteen measures long with internal repeats as in the minuet (AABB), so it takes over a minute to finish.  It is '  then repeated five times, each time with different rhythmic and melodic alterations:

Variation 1: The instruments enter one at a time, as in a fugue, from low to high.

Variation 2:  The first violin plays triplet runs while the others provide accompaniment.

Variation 3:  The violins play a murmuring figure while the viola and cello take the melody.

Variation 4: Quiet chords offer some new harmonies.

Variation 5: Louder and more active, with trills in the first violin and a surprise ending.

A free-form conclusion follows, in which bits of the theme appear here and there.

Given this outline you should have little difficulty keeping track of the variations.   What is more challenging in some instances is hearing how the variation is related to the original theme.

The final movement is in sonata-allegro form like the first movement, with two themes that are so different that you should have no trouble following them.