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Three Sonatas, Op. 31
Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31, No. 1
Composed 1802, published 1803-04 I. Allegro vivace II. Adagio grazioso III. Rondo: Allegretto – Presto
Composed 1802, published 1803-04 I. Largo – Allegro II. Adagio III. Allegretto
Composed 1802, published 1803-04 I. Allegro II. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace III. Menuetto: Moderato e grazioso IV. Presto con fuoco
The Sonatas, Op. 31 are prime examples of the way in which Beethoven experimented with his musical language in the first years of the new century. The second sonata of the set offers the most radical approach, and is the only one in a minor key. The name ‘Tempest’ was attached to the work following a remark Beethoven is supposed to have made connecting the piece with Shakespeare. The relevance of Shakespeare to the work has often been disputed, but there is no doubting the tempestuous nature of the first movement. The movement is extraordinary, with its initial slow arpeggiation of an A major chord and its subsequent dramatic alternation of slow and fast music. This is music functioning as both an introduction and main theme, challenging formal conventions and establishing an intense dialogue of emotions. Beethoven goes even further in the recapitulation, when he adds an extra dimension to the music, a hushed and distant recitative. This moment confirms what we had perhaps suspected all along – that this is an instrumental drama, an opera for solo piano. The first movements of the other two sonatas in the set are not as obviously experimental as that of the Tempest but they both explore the relationship between form and material. Op. 31, No. 1 uses material of the utmost simplicity – a decorated scale descent and the tonic chord repeated, with the joke of the right hand playing early and thereby undermining the synchronicity of the pianist’s hands. The ludic humour is sustained throughout the movement and includes a number of surprising harmonic twists, such as the second subject’s jaunty dance tune appearing in the unexpected key of B major. The opening of Op. 31, No. 3 is every bit as extraordinary in its way as that of the Tempest, with the opening harmonic progression stretched so as to make the preparation for the tonic extended, and the resolution late and almost perfunctory. This creates a rich and lyrical ambiguity with a touch of humour, and asks important questions about how music begins and ends. It is a game that is played out across the whole movement; even the final cadences are still somewhat enigmatic. The middle movements also show interestingly varied approaches. The Adagio grazioso of Op. 31, No. 1 is an instrumental aria on an expansive scale, with an extensive level of ornamentation intriguingly poised between a popular and a more elevated musical style. The Adagio of Op. 31, No. 2 might also be seen in terms of an instrumental aria, but
it is more introspective. The initial melodic line is broken into small segments in different registers of the piano, and it is only in the second main theme of the movement that a more conventional sense of melody and accompaniment is achieved. Op. 31, No. 3 has no slow movement, but a contrasting pair of middle movements: first a scherzo in sonata form and then a minuet. The scherzo makes much use of a staccato left hand pattern, which is sometimes humorous and conjures up a Puckish, elfin world. The minuet that follows is dignified, almost hymnic, and contrasts not only with the preceding scherzo but also with the more playful minuet style which began the first movement of the work. The finale of Op. 31, No. 1 is a rondo; those of the other two works are sonata forms. All refer back in some way to their opening movements. The rondo refrain of Op. 31, No. 1 is a simple Gavotte-like melody presented over a dominant pedal. The course of the movement runs smooth until the final refrain, which is broken up into alternating fast and slow segments before a final Presto. The comic effect of the ending is clearly a reference back to the style of the work’s first movement. The finale of Op. 31, No. 2 is a continuous moto perpetuo of semiquavers moving through a constant looping process which sometimes breaks into more passionate outbursts recalling the storm of the first movement. The circularity of the theme inflects the form as the main patterns of the movement keep returning, culminating in the quiet conclusion. The elegance of this movement contrasts with the fuoco style of the finale of Op. 31, No. 3. This is music which gallops with a wild ferocity, frequently threatening to career out of control but ultimately banishing all the ambiguities of the first movement in a forceful tonal closure, a strategy that has come to be recognised as essentially Beethovenian.
