Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 10/05/2005, uploaded on 02/26/2009

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Sonata No. 17 in d minor, Op. 31, No. 2, (The Tempest)        Ludwig van Beethoven

Largo - Allegro; Adagio; Allegretto

Beethoven's "Tempest" Sonata, Op. 31 #2, was composed around 1801, when the composer was already showing signs of deafness.  The "Tempest" (a title not given by Beethoven - he himself titled only one of his sonatas, the "Hammerklavier", Op. 106) refers mainly to the first and third movements, which capture the dichotomy of emotions so characteristic of Beethoven's music.  The constant shift between the storm and calm is a defining characteristic, and in fact, when Beethoven was asked by a friend what the piece symbolized for him, he said simply, "Read The Tempest of Shakespeare".  In the sonata, through elements such as pedal techniques and rich textures, we clearly hear the composer well on his way to bridging the gap between the classical style and the romantic style which would take over in the following decades of the 19^th Century.     Spencer Myer

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Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor "Tempest"      Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven composed the Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor during 1801 and 1802. It remains one of his well-known piano sonatas, however it is somewhat eclipsed by the Waldstein and Appassionata sonatas that were soon to follow. For both for analysts and performers alike, it is a one of the more difficult piece in the late Classical and early Romantic piano repertoire. The sonata is often referred to as "The Tempest" or "Der Sturm" in German. However, like all of Beethoven's other piano sonatas, with the sole exception of the Hammerklavier, this title was not given by the composer. Instead, the origin of this title comes from Beethoven's close associate and friend, Anton Schindler. Schindler, in his biography of the great composer, claimed that the sonata was inspired by the Shakespeare play of the same name. However, much of Schindler's information is widely regarded as inaccurate by classical music scholars. The prominent writer, Donald Tovey, even went so far as to call the story one of many of Schindler's "inventions." Regardless of whether Schindler's claim has any merit, the title has stuck and is a fair description of the stormy nature of the work.

The sonata is in the key of D minor, which it shares with one of Beethoven's greatest works. While Beethoven was particularly fond of the key of C minor for the portrayal of epic struggle, it was the key of D minor that he chose for the Ninth Symphony and the greatest portrayal of man's struggle for joy. However, there is no joyful triumph in the Tempest sonata. As is expected of a late Classical piano sonata, the work is in three movements. The outer movements are in the usual sonata form while the middle movement is a sonatina (i.e., a sonata form without development).

The first movement begins with a brief Largo not even a full two bars in length. It consists merely of an arpeggiated first inversion of the dominant triad before halting on a fermata. From there the music plunges into the "tempest"-a brisk Allegro in which the performer is required to show great variety in playing between the "storm" and all to brief moments of peacefulness. The Largo sections return throughout the movement and greatly extended in the recapitulation exhibiting recitative-like melodies.

The second movement is in the key of B flat major-a subtle foreshadowing, like the dominant harmony introduction to the first movement, of the Ninth Symphony. It begins similar to first movement with its opening rolled chord. This Adagio borrows several motivic elements from the previous movement but recasts them in a nobler manner. The "tempest" however does make its appearance briefly during the thirty-second note arpeggios near the middle of the movement.

The last movement returns to the tonic key of D minor. It begins more gracefully than tempestuous; however, the opening melody becomes more thunderous on its first repetition. If the first movement was the artist facing the whole of Fate's fury, then the last movement is his wild joy of riding out the remainder of the storm knowing that he has won the battle. With a title like the Tempest, the sonata ends rather deceptively with quiet D minor arpeggios. Perhaps, it is not really the end, but merely leaving the artist on his fateful journey.

Joseph DuBose

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.