PIANO SONATA

Middle to late 18th century: composers wrote keyboard sonatas to meet the
demands of amateurs for music to be played at home or small gatherings
Domenico Scarlatti:
o One of the most active composers, wrote 555 sonatas
o His sonatas were written in balanced binary form and had one or two
movemnts (unlike the sonatas described by Koch)
CPE Bach:
Another important composer of keyboard sonatas
Exemplified the empfindsam style: emotional and surprising character
comprised of abrupt harmonic and textural changes
Dramatic melodic turns and pauses
1793: Heinrich Koch wrote and essay on composition and defined sonata or
1st mov form as an expanded binary form comprised on three large periods:
1st period: presents thematic ideas, moving from the tonic to the dominant.
2nd period: states de opening theme on the dominant followed by harmonic
digression, ending on dominant chord that transitions to the final period.
3rd period: Restates the material of the first period but begins and ends in
tonic.

Piano Sonata in A Major, K. 331, Mozart, 1783:

Follows thematic and formal structure described by Koch
1st theme comprised in three characters:
o Singing melody w alberti bass accompaniment
o Contrapuntal style
o Hunting style w horn imitation in left hand
The use of primary, transitional, secondary and closing themes to
construct the rounded binary form with three periods allowed
composers to present a variety of ideas and expression with the elegant
aesthetic of the classical era.
Mozarts creativity in combining styles that were popular at the time
satisfied the performer and the form was a showcase for his skill to do
so.

Sonata in c minor (Pathetique), Beethoven, 1798:

15 years later, Beethoven expanded piano sonatas structure, character and
unity btw movms.
Wrote many of his sonatas in 4 movms.
1st mov: Slow introduction marked Grave, unusual for piano sonatas
More intense Allegro than it was seen before
nd
2 mov: Slow & lyrical
3rd mov: sonata-rondo movm. with serious characters instead of the usually
light of a sonata-rondo

The principal theme of this movmt resembles the 1st mov.

secondary theme.
-

Piano sonata-fantasy no. 2 in g#minor, Op.19, Scriabin, 1897:

o Scriabin uses sonata as a basis for further expansion
o Both movements in Allegro form, improvisational style
o Contain exposition, development and recapitulation sections of the
classical sonata w an innovative treatment of themes.
o 1st mov:
Scriabin employs three principal themes linked w short
transitional passages instead of using a transitional or closing
theme
Used the sonata to convey a program (for this sonata he
composed to convey the image of the sea)
Exposition has a traditional progression in the 1st two themes
(g#minor to B Major)
Recapitulation stays in E Major and never returns to the tonic
key.