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Composition on Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 57, the Appassionata Sonata, began in 1804 but was not finished until 1806. It was to be his personal favorite among his sonatas until the monumental Hammerklavier Sonata (Opus 106) many years later. It also marked the end of the piano sonata in Beethoven’s output for three years. It is a wildly romantic work, with an opening movement that stretches the boundaries of the piano sonata, and it achieves this by using a stop-and-start mechanism. He marks it allegro assai, “very fast”, and uses a 12/8 time signature, which is quite unusual for the composer. This is also the first time Beethoven doesn’t repeat the exposition but charges off immediately into the development section.

It begins with a spooky pianissimo passage which is repeated in the Neapolitan – one half tone higher. He takes off to the races, stops cold, and repeats the opening with chords alternated between hands. This first subject is quite fragmented.
At 2:00, he turns lyrical with the second subject in A-flat, and now we have a real melody. But it’s a very short melody. He interrupts it with a scalar passage in eighth notes, and things turn wild again. He wraps up his exposition in A-flat minor, not the major as one would expect.
He abruptly changes key to E Major to begin his development. Then it’s off to the races in E minor as Lou changes key with reckless abandon. He works his way back to A-flat with a passage based on thirds. This leads to the second subject which then goes through its own key changes. This leads to a chromatic passage that ends the development.
At 5:50, he recaps by re-composing his recapitulation with an eighth note underlay in the left hand. At 7:15, he brings back the second subject in the expected key of F Major but switches it to F minor.
His long coda starts with the second subject presented in D-flat Major, but it turns dark again with a wild arpeggios that slow down before decisively returning to the tonic key of F minor for a “pedal to the metal” finish that become quieter and quieter until it evaporates into nothingness.

The second movement is a theme-and-variations movement, something that Beethoven has thus far used only rarely in his sonatas. This movement in D-flat and 2/4 time is marked andante con moto, “walking pace with motion”. It’s a hymn-like theme of great nobility and constitutes one of Beethoven’s finest conversations with God. It uses a technique called “diminution”, where the note values get smaller in each variation, thus creating the illusion of speed.
At 12:47, Variation #1 alternates the chords between hands with crossovers.
At 14:16, Variation #2 has a 16th note overlay in the right hand.
At 15:36, Variation #3 moves to a 32nd note overlay and underlay as it switches between hands, moving the theme to the opposite hand on the half-beats.
At 16:49, he restates the theme but ends it with a question mark.

He jumps without interruption into the rondo finale at 17:48, returning to F minor, keeping the 2/4 signature, but changing the direction to allegro ma non troppo, “quick, but not too quick”. If the first movement was about hot passion, this finale is about stone cold fury. The theme is at first merely hinted at, but then stated directly on the little finger of the right hand.
His middle panel turns chromatic, asking a question, which is answered by the theme. This panel is repeated.
He accelerates to a presto coda and a bravura finish.

This is a video of the late Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau, one of my favorite Beethoven pianists.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 57

I’ll be out of circulation next week, but on the first weekend of November, I’m going to do a mixture of Halloween and All Souls’ Day, the profane and the sacred, with the sacred part on the Canteen Chapel thread. I’ll be back to Beethoven the second weekend of November.

Well good evening Prof & great to see you! *Hugs*

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Love it.

Good evening, Maestro! Thanks so very much for this - one of the most precious gems in the repertoire! Beethoven's music soars high above that of any other composer - I believe that the Music of the Spheres resonated in his mind, since what issued from his pen was so high and true.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)