Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 11/01/2005, uploaded on 05/02/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major actual title, given by Beethoven himself, is Groβe Sonata für das Hammerklavier. In English, it means "Grand Sonata for the Piano". Today, the work is simply known as the Hammerklavier. It is considered to be one of the defining works of the composer's late period as well as one of his greatest piano sonatas. With the possible sole exception of the Diabelli Variations, the Hammerklavier is Beethoven's most technically challenging composition for piano and even today it remains one of the most demanding pieces written for the instrument.

The Hammerklavier Sonata was written during 1817-18, at the close of a period in which Beethoven had done little composing, and is the second of five piano sonatas that are considered to be part of his late period. During this time, Beethoven begun a renewed study of older music, particularly that of Bach and Handel. As a result, his later pieces, of which the Hammerklavier is a fine example, show a new approach to Classical forms combined with a resurgence of pre-Classical compositional techniques, including the use of the old Church modes and the redefinition of fugue within Classical forms. The Hammerklavier is also set out on a four movement plan, as opposed to the traditional three movements exemplified in the sonatas of Mozart and Haydn. This was to be imitated by the Romantics to the point of becoming the established norm for the rest of the century.

Besides its length, one of the greatest challenges of the Hammerklavier is the emotional depth it possesses. After the magnificent works of Beethoven's middle period, in which he expanded the formal structures of music, he then plunged into the depths of the human soul. It is as if Beethoven first had to make the necessary room for the intensely introspective music he was to compose in his later years. The Hammerklavier is an emotionally draining work, both for performer and audience alike. It is for this reason, along with its near impossible technical challenges, that the work is seldom heard on piano recitals today. Glenn Gould called the work "the longest, most inconsiderate, and probably least rewarding piece that Beethoven wrote for the piano." Long and inconsiderate indeed it is, however perhaps it is only unrewarding because it is written for a kindred spirit, and no artist has yet risen to fully uncover its mysteries.

The Hammerklavier embodies many of the innovations Beethoven had made over the course of his career and is a perfect example of the new direction he would take in the years following its composition. In the first movement, Beethoven continued to explore the endless possibilities of the sonata form. While utilizing techniques from previous sonatas, it looks forward to the spirit of the sonata forms of the late string quartets. The extensive slow third movement, running nearly twenty minutes, is some of the most introspective and emotional music Beethoven ever composed. It has been called "a mausoleum of sorrow" and "the apotheosis of pain." It is then followed by the fugal finale, which takes its place among the Groβe Fuge, op. 133, the "Et Vitam Venturi" fugue from the Missa Solemnis, and the finale of the later Piano Sonata No. 31, op. 110 as Beethoven's most daring explorations of the contrapuntal form.

Despite its lack of popularity, the Hammerklavier, with its breathtaking depth of emotion and equally astounding craftsmanship, will remain one of classical music's greatest monuments.      Joseph DuBose