26:10 I think the C was not a mistake by Beethoven, because the Eb simply did not exist on his Broadwood piano. Modern pianos have a whole octave on top of what was present in Beethoven’s piano.
I am working on my piano literature in-class presentation on this piece, your video is going to help me get an A. Thank you!! Such a helpful and organized presentation!
This superb playing and imaginative, yet very accessible presentation of a difficult Beethoven work really deserves to be far better known. I have watched most of your videos, and even though I have played most of the pieces you analyze , I have never failed to find new and exciting insights. My sincere thanks for this marvellous channel.
Thank you so much for such a detailed and much-needed analysis of this masterpiece! However, there are a couple of things I cannot agree with. 1. The first movement is not depicting angry nor fury nor anything similar. It is deeply tragic, all hopes are lost and there is NO way out, no light at the end of the tunnel (which is an underlying philosophy behind all the other Beethoven C minor works, such as The Fifth Symphony and Sonata op. 13, La Patetique). There is no fight therefore no possibility to win and turn chances around - this time, the death has come and the Hero has fallen. It is extremely intense - did you notice that there is no actual resolution in the form of the cadence and when there is, it is usually on the "weak" part of the bar (the second or forth)? Also, it may resemble the general outline of the first movement of op. 13 but as I said earlier, it is much more tragic, more intense and more "pessimistic" if you want than op. 13. 2. The dissonance, either in form of dissonant chords (such are diminished 7s at the beginning of the Intro or dominant 7s) or dissonant tonalities (the field of dominant G prevails through out the Intro; in Exposition we are mainly in C minor but the music is so intense and constantly developing that we don't get the impression of the peaceful and safe tonic - that happens for a moment with the second theme in A flat major, which is also a peculiar choice in the sense of tonal and harmonic structure; in the Development, we are again immersed in G minor with a lot of diminished or dominant 7s, usually forming sequences, as in the central part (mm.72-85) and ending part (mm.86-90)) is setting the motion for the entire first movement and its atmosphere. 3. There is no "classical" first theme as we are used to some of his previous works and the structure of this first movement resembles the first movement of the Fifth Symphony. However, there are 2 distinctive musical materials, the first and the second theme. However, the second theme in the Recapitulation has an "addition" in the form of the episode in the subdominant field (F minor), which is not very unusual for Beethoven. In the context of this movement, it provide us with a longed and expected resolution which has been postponed from the first bar. 4. After all the thurmoil, the tragedy, the death, the fatality of a being - comes the divine second movement. We are in heaven from the bar one, there is a new life, a new hope and a new chance for resurrection and redemption after all. Of course, there are minor struggles and contrasting part within the second movement as well but the overall atmosphere is divine, peaceful, tranquil and transcendent. Especially, those thrills and tremolos in the second part of the movement - such a brilliant way to employ them into the structure of the movement itself and the overall dramaturgy of the piece!
I’ve never heard this sonata in its entirety. But the first movement seems emotionally similar to the Pathetique Sonata. Latest Beethoven sonata I have heard in its entirety is the Appassionata Sonata, which sounds to my ears like "A Symphony for Solo Piano". And I wasn’t expecting the Picardy Third to be the end of the movement. Beethoven often moves to the parallel major like a Picardy Third only to be like: Psych! It’s still in minor. Dim7 Minor key
But soon you will, 2nd movement is coming as well ;) Yes, the ending is really a transition for the next part of the sonata, rather than ending the movement definitively.
@@DynastieArtistique You mean in this sonata or in most of his minor key pieces? In most of his minor key pieces, it's because of the sudden appearance of a diminished seventh that brings us back to minor before the end, therefore, since it doesn't end in major, it can't be considered a Picardy Third. In this sonata, it is a Picardy Third because it ends in major, but it is also transitory. There is a symphonic movement of his that also uses C major as both a Picardy Third and a transition to the final movement. That being the Scherzo from his Fifth Symphony.
@@caterscarrots3407Oh ok I meant this sonata but I thought you meant dim. seventh ends the piece but I get it now the Picardy third also acts as a transition. And yeah the 3rd movement of the 5th is a great example, it uses it as a transition and at the same time has a sense of conclusion when the picardy 3rd occurs... its weird how right after the 3rd movement uses the picardy 3rd its like the ending of the movement, yet at the same it feels like it belongs to be intertwined with the finale. Picardy 3rd is a great harmonic tool.
Hello Kilhamn. Sai here. About the video, I find it interesting and in a way that you're explaining is quite charming. Do more of these. Here, you deserve my sub.
In my 60 years of concert going, the most intense and satisfying performance I've heard was Rudolf Serkin playing this sonata. In this performance, the predominant feeling of the first movement was not drama, but agitation. The piece is extremely unsettling; I was so agitated that I didn't calm down until well into Arietta. Of course, by the fifth variation I was in heaven.
I'm quite familiar with this piece but my comment here is directed to the piano itself. What an amazing bit of technology from which so many composers and pianists can produce so vastly different sounds, from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven on up to the present day. But not just classical music, or music in that tradition, but pop music (think Stevie Wonder), jazz (Monk and Ellington), blues, boodgie-woogie (I think of Fats Waller), Gershwin, and so many more. What's also amazing is the quantity and quality of so much music that has been written for this instruments--volumes and volumes. And much of it quite good.
You mention the Revolutionary Etude at the end of this video because of the Minor-Major transition at the end. Well the Revolutionary Etude reminds me of a different, more well known sonata, Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata, particularly the third movement of that sonata: ruclips.net/video/g1uLrHq9TDg/видео.html - Revolutionary Etude ruclips.net/video/ByS9DHxysSI/видео.html - Appassionata Third Movement They share a lot of things in common including: - Beginning with a diminished seventh chord - Descending melodic figures outlining chords - Very active bass register - C minor as a chord - Lots of staccato octaves - The tempo is very similar In fact, I think the Appassionata Sonata might have been an inspiration for the Revolutionary Etude like is the case with Moonlight Sonata and Fantasie Impromptu
Sure, the Appassionata 3rd movement has some similarites that you point out. The reference here is just at one place in the end of the Revolutionary etude, and it's so striking it's an obvious reference. I didn't play it in the video, but you have very similar chords in the right hand going from Fm to C, over 16th notes in the left hand (although different texture there).
A look at Beethoven's Sonata 1-10 analysis ruclips.net/video/3D77-H2Jo1o/видео.html SERGİ = EXPOSİTİON GELİŞME= DEVELOPMENT SERGİNİN TEKRARI=REEXPOSİTİON ANA TEMA=FİRST THEME YAN TEMA=2. THEME BİTİŞ TEMASI=CODA
In the third bar etc the arpeggio run up the piano. I have the fingering but I still can't seem to get up to speed smoothly without either smudge or slip. I'm using fingering. L/h 5.4.2.1 then r/h 1.2.4.2.2.4 then the chords?
Beethoven wanted to compose for eternity but unfortunately got stuck in simple harmonics, perhaps because of his deafness. Imagine what he could have done with modern neo-soul harmonics.
It is indeed. I want to blame some of the dynamic composition on the sound processing - mics and mixing - which I still feel doesn't capture the range of what it sounds like when I'm actually playing. But I'm also aware of my limits as a pianist, and the dynamic variety is a part of that. No matter how much I think I know how to play it with maximum effect, it doesn't always come out that way from my fingers in the end. But I think we all have the right to try. And I'm so impressed by those who can deliver at the highest level.
@@SonataSecrets You seem like a pianist with a good level of technique. If you put a lot of effort and love I'm sure you would probably get a great performance of the Op.111. I'm a pianist too, but right now I'm more focused trying to compose, still learning tho. Have a good day and stay safe. :)
Sonata Secrets I am one of those that can get maximum effect from dynamics. I can go from a really loud fortissimo, putting a lot of my arm weight into the notes to a very quiet pianissimo, barely even putting my finger weight on the key in a split second. Not that I have come across that extreme often(in fact I’ve only encountered it in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony) but I do come across Forte piano switching a lot, from Mozart to Brahms and beyond. And I can get many different emotions out of a single dynamic. Emotions I can get out of Forte: - Happy, Joyful, Cheering like in Eine Kliene Nachtmusik - Shear power like in Beethoven’s Fifth - Stormy like in Vivaldi’s Summer from The Four Seasons - Majestic like in a lot of Bach’s works - Pain like in the introduction of the Pathetique Sonata - Funerial like in Chopin’s Funeral March - Startling like in Surprise Symphony - Anger like in a lot of Beethoven’s works - Adrenaline rush, again common in Beethoven’s works Emotions I can get out of Piano: - Mysterious like in Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony - Nocturnal like in Moonlight Sonata - Melancholic like in Prelude in E minor - Happy, Joyful like in a lot of Haydn’s works - Dreamy like in the second movement of the Pathetique Sonata
Thanks! Well I can only go as far as what I say in the video, that you can think of the two movements that way. I find that the sonata makes more sense with the 2nd movement after this one, as a pair somehow.
Opposites: 1st movement: 4/4, minor, sonata w/introduction, contrapuntal, imbalanced/open-ended main theme, dynamic and tempo is constantly and abruptly varied, harmony is chromatic and tense, extremes of range variation and layout. 2nd movement: Compound triple metre, major, variation form, homophonic/chordal, balanced regular theme, tempo is constant, dynamic is homogenic and very gradually changed, range is homogenic within variations...
26:10 I think the C was not a mistake by Beethoven, because the Eb simply did not exist on his Broadwood piano. Modern pianos have a whole octave on top of what was present in Beethoven’s piano.
Criminally underrated channel
I am working on my piano literature in-class presentation on this piece, your video is going to help me get an A. Thank you!! Such a helpful and organized presentation!
Thank you. Good luck with your presentation!
This superb playing and imaginative, yet very accessible presentation of a difficult Beethoven work really deserves to be far better known. I have watched most of your videos, and even though I have played most of the pieces you analyze , I have never failed to find new and exciting insights. My sincere thanks for this marvellous channel.
This is incredible! Incredible playing, incredible explanation of this incredible composition.
Great 👍
thanks again for another informative tutorial video!
Great stuff man! Thought that you weren't gonna mention chopins revolutionary etude there for a second, but you did!
Hehe yeah couldn't leave that unsaid!
Thank you so much for such a detailed and much-needed analysis of this masterpiece! However, there are a couple of things I cannot agree with.
1. The first movement is not depicting angry nor fury nor anything similar. It is deeply tragic, all hopes are lost and there is NO way out, no light at the end of the tunnel (which is an underlying philosophy behind all the other Beethoven C minor works, such as The Fifth Symphony and Sonata op. 13, La Patetique). There is no fight therefore no possibility to win and turn chances around - this time, the death has come and the Hero has fallen. It is extremely intense - did you notice that there is no actual resolution in the form of the cadence and when there is, it is usually on the "weak" part of the bar (the second or forth)? Also, it may resemble the general outline of the first movement of op. 13 but as I said earlier, it is much more tragic, more intense and more "pessimistic" if you want than op. 13.
2. The dissonance, either in form of dissonant chords (such are diminished 7s at the beginning of the Intro or dominant 7s) or dissonant tonalities (the field of dominant G prevails through out the Intro; in Exposition we are mainly in C minor but the music is so intense and constantly developing that we don't get the impression of the peaceful and safe tonic - that happens for a moment with the second theme in A flat major, which is also a peculiar choice in the sense of tonal and harmonic structure; in the Development, we are again immersed in G minor with a lot of diminished or dominant 7s, usually forming sequences, as in the central part (mm.72-85) and ending part (mm.86-90)) is setting the motion for the entire first movement and its atmosphere.
3. There is no "classical" first theme as we are used to some of his previous works and the structure of this first movement resembles the first movement of the Fifth Symphony. However, there are 2 distinctive musical materials, the first and the second theme. However, the second theme in the Recapitulation has an "addition" in the form of the episode in the subdominant field (F minor), which is not very unusual for Beethoven. In the context of this movement, it provide us with a longed and expected resolution which has been postponed from the first bar.
4. After all the thurmoil, the tragedy, the death, the fatality of a being - comes the divine second movement. We are in heaven from the bar one, there is a new life, a new hope and a new chance for resurrection and redemption after all. Of course, there are minor struggles and contrasting part within the second movement as well but the overall atmosphere is divine, peaceful, tranquil and transcendent. Especially, those thrills and tremolos in the second part of the movement - such a brilliant way to employ them into the structure of the movement itself and the overall dramaturgy of the piece!
And yet you think this awareness would not lead to anger and frustration. What about the Heiligenstadt Testament?
I’ve never heard this sonata in its entirety. But the first movement seems emotionally similar to the Pathetique Sonata. Latest Beethoven sonata I have heard in its entirety is the Appassionata Sonata, which sounds to my ears like "A Symphony for Solo Piano". And I wasn’t expecting the Picardy Third to be the end of the movement. Beethoven often moves to the parallel major like a Picardy Third only to be like:
Psych! It’s still in minor.
Dim7 Minor key
But soon you will, 2nd movement is coming as well ;)
Yes, the ending is really a transition for the next part of the sonata, rather than ending the movement definitively.
Wait how is the ending still not a picardy third?
@@DynastieArtistique You mean in this sonata or in most of his minor key pieces? In most of his minor key pieces, it's because of the sudden appearance of a diminished seventh that brings us back to minor before the end, therefore, since it doesn't end in major, it can't be considered a Picardy Third.
In this sonata, it is a Picardy Third because it ends in major, but it is also transitory. There is a symphonic movement of his that also uses C major as both a Picardy Third and a transition to the final movement. That being the Scherzo from his Fifth Symphony.
@@caterscarrots3407Oh ok I meant this sonata but I thought you meant dim. seventh ends the piece but I get it now the Picardy third also acts as a transition. And yeah the 3rd movement of the 5th is a great example, it uses it as a transition and at the same time has a sense of conclusion when the picardy 3rd occurs... its weird how right after the 3rd movement uses the picardy 3rd its like the ending of the movement, yet at the same it feels like it belongs to be intertwined with the finale. Picardy 3rd is a great harmonic tool.
Hello Kilhamn. Sai here. About the video, I find it interesting and in a way that you're explaining is quite charming. Do more of these. Here, you deserve my sub.
Thank you!
Utryx
Brilliant presentation of this unique piano masterpiece! 👏
Fabulous work!! Thanks, it’s an increadible presentation
In my 60 years of concert going, the most intense and satisfying performance I've heard was Rudolf Serkin playing this sonata. In this performance, the predominant feeling of the first movement was not drama, but agitation. The piece is extremely unsettling; I was so agitated that I didn't calm down until well into Arietta. Of course, by the fifth variation I was in heaven.
Thanks for sharing! I generally like Serkin's interpretations.
We don’t deserve this level of quality education for free! Really good stuff
What a lesson! What a class! Tks. Bravo 👏
Thank you so much for this enlightening analysis!
I'm quite familiar with this piece but my comment here is directed to the piano itself. What an amazing bit of technology from which so many composers and pianists can produce so vastly different sounds, from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven on up to the present day. But not just classical music, or music in that tradition, but pop music (think Stevie Wonder), jazz (Monk and Ellington), blues, boodgie-woogie (I think of Fats Waller), Gershwin, and so many more. What's also amazing is the quantity and quality of so much music that has been written for this instruments--volumes and volumes. And much of it quite good.
Vielen Dank. Sie eröffnen einen spannenden Zugang zu diesem Werk!
Thank you so much! This makes my 15 page essay on this Sonata so much easier for me :)
The opening sequences of the intro is what Wagner grabbed and ran with, i.e Tristan prelude etc
You mention the Revolutionary Etude at the end of this video because of the Minor-Major transition at the end. Well the Revolutionary Etude reminds me of a different, more well known sonata, Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata, particularly the third movement of that sonata:
ruclips.net/video/g1uLrHq9TDg/видео.html - Revolutionary Etude
ruclips.net/video/ByS9DHxysSI/видео.html - Appassionata Third Movement
They share a lot of things in common including:
- Beginning with a diminished seventh chord
- Descending melodic figures outlining chords
- Very active bass register
- C minor as a chord
- Lots of staccato octaves
- The tempo is very similar
In fact, I think the Appassionata Sonata might have been an inspiration for the Revolutionary Etude like is the case with Moonlight Sonata and Fantasie Impromptu
Sure, the Appassionata 3rd movement has some similarites that you point out.
The reference here is just at one place in the end of the Revolutionary etude, and it's so striking it's an obvious reference. I didn't play it in the video, but you have very similar chords in the right hand going from Fm to C, over 16th notes in the left hand (although different texture there).
Excellent!
A look at Beethoven's Sonata 1-10 analysis
ruclips.net/video/3D77-H2Jo1o/видео.html
SERGİ = EXPOSİTİON
GELİŞME= DEVELOPMENT
SERGİNİN TEKRARI=REEXPOSİTİON
ANA TEMA=FİRST THEME
YAN TEMA=2. THEME
BİTİŞ TEMASI=CODA
Wonderful! thank you very much.
This video is so inspiring!!!! Thank you very much!!!
2nd subject in Ab major?!
will you do Op. 109 and 110 too? :)
Not at this time unfortunately...
@@SonataSecrets one day?
In the third bar etc the arpeggio run up the piano. I have the fingering but I still can't seem to get up to speed smoothly without either smudge or slip. I'm using fingering. L/h 5.4.2.1 then r/h 1.2.4.2.2.4 then the chords?
Beethoven wanted to compose for eternity but unfortunately got stuck in simple harmonics, perhaps because of his deafness. Imagine what he could have done with modern neo-soul harmonics.
12:10 this part sounds like Pathetique sonata 3rd movement
The "Jo-se-phine" Sonata
I don't learn this much at the university. Let that sink in!
That sonata is just God-like.
I also have to say that I would add more dynamics variety to your playing, but you are brave playing that sonata.
It is indeed.
I want to blame some of the dynamic composition on the sound processing - mics and mixing - which I still feel doesn't capture the range of what it sounds like when I'm actually playing. But I'm also aware of my limits as a pianist, and the dynamic variety is a part of that. No matter how much I think I know how to play it with maximum effect, it doesn't always come out that way from my fingers in the end. But I think we all have the right to try. And I'm so impressed by those who can deliver at the highest level.
@@SonataSecrets You seem like a pianist with a good level of technique. If you put a lot of effort and love I'm sure you would probably get a great performance of the Op.111.
I'm a pianist too, but right now I'm more focused trying to compose, still learning tho.
Have a good day and stay safe. :)
Sonata Secrets I am one of those that can get maximum effect from dynamics. I can go from a really loud fortissimo, putting a lot of my arm weight into the notes to a very quiet pianissimo, barely even putting my finger weight on the key in a split second. Not that I have come across that extreme often(in fact I’ve only encountered it in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony) but I do come across Forte piano switching a lot, from Mozart to Brahms and beyond. And I can get many different emotions out of a single dynamic.
Emotions I can get out of Forte:
- Happy, Joyful, Cheering like in Eine Kliene Nachtmusik
- Shear power like in Beethoven’s Fifth
- Stormy like in Vivaldi’s Summer from The Four Seasons
- Majestic like in a lot of Bach’s works
- Pain like in the introduction of the Pathetique Sonata
- Funerial like in Chopin’s Funeral March
- Startling like in Surprise Symphony
- Anger like in a lot of Beethoven’s works
- Adrenaline rush, again common in Beethoven’s works
Emotions I can get out of Piano:
- Mysterious like in Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony
- Nocturnal like in Moonlight Sonata
- Melancholic like in Prelude in E minor
- Happy, Joyful like in a lot of Haydn’s works
- Dreamy like in the second movement of the Pathetique Sonata
'opposites and dualities ... earth and heaven' ..... can you enlarge on this at all?
interesting idea and very interesting video
Thanks! Well I can only go as far as what I say in the video, that you can think of the two movements that way. I find that the sonata makes more sense with the 2nd movement after this one, as a pair somehow.
Great video on this sonata, but I feel it 'hell' would be more appropriate because it depicts intensifies that anger.
Opposites:
1st movement:
4/4, minor, sonata w/introduction, contrapuntal, imbalanced/open-ended main theme, dynamic and tempo is constantly and abruptly varied, harmony is chromatic and tense, extremes of range variation and layout.
2nd movement:
Compound triple metre, major, variation form, homophonic/chordal, balanced regular theme, tempo is constant, dynamic is homogenic and very gradually changed, range is homogenic within variations...
JUST FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!