in memory of Francesca De Romita and a special thanks to Marie Francoise Bucquet
Allegro molto e con brio
Largo, con gran espressione
Allegro
Rondo - Poco Allegretto e grazioso
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven composed his Piano Sonata No. 4, op. 7, sometimes
referred to as the "Grand Sonata," in 1797. Like the three piano sonatas of op.
2, the Piano Sonata No. 4 is still much in the style of Mozart and Haydn,
though with more orchestral influences in the piano writing. As mentioned
above, it is in the key of E flat which throughout Beethoven's entire career
was his choice for grand heroic gestures.
The sonata consists of four movements. The first movement, a
dramatic Allegro, begins with a theme
full of energy that quickly builds into orchestral-like fortissimo chords. It is followed by a more lyrical second subject
in the dominant. The development jumps abruptly into the key of G major,
emphasizing a tertian key relationship. The development is compact, though
dramatic, and it is not difficult to imagine the sonorities of trumpets and
horns throughout the course of it.
The second movement, a Largo
in C major, displays Beethoven's revolutionary use of silence. Once again,
the orchestral sonorities of strings and winds seem appropriate for the
melodies of this movement. The following Allegro,
somewhere in between a Minuet and a Scherzo, is more pianistic than the
preceding movements. The opening melody has all the grace of a Minuet, though
the rumbling Trio in the tonic minor bears the mark of Beethoven's dramatic
scherzos.
The finale begins somewhat unassumingly with a graceful
theme in E flat major over a murmuring B flat pedal. The central episode of the
movement moves into the parallel minor key and consists of full chords
accompanied by constant thirty-second notes. This passage returns later in an
altered form and in the tonic key to close the piece. Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Piano Music
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 4, in E-flat Major, Op. 7
PlayRecorded on 04/28/2009, uploaded on 03/09/2010
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
in memory of Francesca De Romita and a special thanks to Marie Francoise Bucquet
Allegro molto e con brio
Largo, con gran espressione
Allegro
Rondo - Poco Allegretto e grazioso
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven composed his Piano Sonata No. 4, op. 7, sometimes referred to as the "Grand Sonata," in 1797. Like the three piano sonatas of op. 2, the Piano Sonata No. 4 is still much in the style of Mozart and Haydn, though with more orchestral influences in the piano writing. As mentioned above, it is in the key of E flat which throughout Beethoven's entire career was his choice for grand heroic gestures.
The sonata consists of four movements. The first movement, a dramatic Allegro, begins with a theme full of energy that quickly builds into orchestral-like fortissimo chords. It is followed by a more lyrical second subject in the dominant. The development jumps abruptly into the key of G major, emphasizing a tertian key relationship. The development is compact, though dramatic, and it is not difficult to imagine the sonorities of trumpets and horns throughout the course of it.
The second movement, a Largo in C major, displays Beethoven's revolutionary use of silence. Once again, the orchestral sonorities of strings and winds seem appropriate for the melodies of this movement. The following Allegro, somewhere in between a Minuet and a Scherzo, is more pianistic than the preceding movements. The opening melody has all the grace of a Minuet, though the rumbling Trio in the tonic minor bears the mark of Beethoven's dramatic scherzos.
The finale begins somewhat unassumingly with a graceful theme in E flat major over a murmuring B flat pedal. The central episode of the movement moves into the parallel minor key and consists of full chords accompanied by constant thirty-second notes. This passage returns later in an altered form and in the tonic key to close the piece. Joseph DuBose
More music by Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19, Third Movement (Rondo: Allegro molto)
Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101
Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111
Fantasie in g minor, Op. 77
33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120
String Quartet Op. 131
String Quartet No. 11 in f minor, Op. 95, Serioso
Sonata for cello and piano in g minor, Op 5, No. 2
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 (Waldstein), 3rd mov
Performances by same musician(s)
La Cathédrale engloutie, from Preludes, Books 1, No.10
Sonata in E minor L.22 K.198
Berceuse Op.57
Sonetto 47 del Petrarca
Italian concerto, BWV 971
La Fille aux cheveux de lin, from Préludes Book 1, No. 8
Sonata in B minor L.449 K.27
Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 35
Prelude in C sharp minor Op. 45
Pagodes, from Estampes
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