Franz Schubert's last three piano sonatas (D. 958, D. 959 & D. 960) mark a significant departure from the composer’s earlier ventures in the genre. Together they form a triptych which points directly at Beethoven's last sonatas (op. 109, op. 110 & op. 111), and perhaps Schubert sought to continue directly in the footsteps of the master. In his earlier works, Schubert's piano music often imitates a singer performing a Lied with accompaniment, but here, he instead lets the piano simulate an early romantic orchestra with a surprisingly wide range of colors and textures. The intimacy is still there at times, but its effect is much more dramatic when contrasted to the grandeur permeating the works. The scope of the music is also unique, the shortest of the three sonatas span half an hour, the longest an astonishing 50 minutes.
Completed just a mere couple of weeks before Schubert's passing, the works glow with passion, and Schubert was probably aware that his time was coming to an end. The first sonata, in c-minor, is dramatic in its expression; an unyielding force proclaiming death and destruction. The last sonata in Bb-major is, in contrast, profoundly tranquil, its gist almost meditative. The second sonata in A-major is the most vigorous and optimistic of the three works, it is often said to be an ode to life itself.
The first movement is powerful and bathes in splendor. It opens with a dramatic motto played in the left hand, which will return disguised in many different forms during the whole work. Later, the music yields to more gentle moods, the texture alternating between a grand orchestra performing monumental music and serene singing.
The second movement is in stark contrast to the first. Almost provokingly monotonous in its character, it features an ostinato in the left hand – inspired by the motto of the first movement – and a wailing melody full of sighs in the right. As the melody comes to an end, Schubert's incomparably most avant-gardist passage ensues. What starts as a gust of wind is transformed into an unstoppable hurricane, a whirlwind of tremendous power where tonality exists but is extremely faint. The section ends with several separate big chords, violent like the fall of a guillotine, after which the main theme eventually repeats.
The third movement picks up from the last chord of the andantino, but here the arpeggio is transformed into something playful and witty. The theme is composed with the motto as its building block and quickly modulates between keys. The trio section takes the form of a chorale and contains the motto and the melody from the second movement, both inverted.
In the last movement, Schubert quotes the melody from his first completed piano sonata (D. 537) and transforms it into an ever-flowing river of beautiful melodies and cascading harmonies. There are no pauses in this music; instead it is sailing on the stream of life for what seems like an eternity. As the music finally closes, Schubert repeats the motto for the last time, after which there is nothing left to be said. Notes by Peter Friis Johansson
The Sonata in A major, D. 959 is the second of Franz Schubert's final three sonatas for the piano that were composed during the last months of his life. Despite their virtues and an overall growing interest in Schubert's music toward the end of 19th century, his last piano sonatas were mostly neglected until the 20th century. In large part, they were thought to be too similar and, thus, inferior to the great sonatas of Beethoven. While Schubert did make deliberate references to the works of the composer he so revered, the Sonata in A major and its two siblings display Schubert's unique mature compositional style. Interest in these sonatas grew steadily over the course of the 20th century and today they are standards in the piano repertoire.
The sonata's first movement is cast in a large sonata form. Rather conventional in its broader structure, the two themes of the exposition appear in the tonic and dominant keys, respectively, and both embody a small ternary form within themselves. The development, however, forgoes the material of the exposition in favor of its own melodic ideas while the harmony wavers between the keys of C major and B major. The recapitulation, prepared by an extended passage in the tonic minor, conforms mainly to the expectations of sonata form. Schubert ends the movement with a striking augmented sixth chord on the flattened supertonic.
The following Andantino is in a large ternary form and moves to the relative minor key. Its principal melody is mournful, making prominent use of the ubiquitous “sigh” motif (falling seconds). The middle section is more improvisatory in character and passes through several jarring modulations. A quasi-recitative section brings about the return of the principal melody though with altered accompaniment.
The Scherzo, back in the tonic key, begins quietly with chords thrown between the hands. The following section, however, places the keys of C major and C-sharp major in close juxtaposition and moves between them with little regard for any modulatory procedures. Set in ternary form, the opening section returns to close out the Scherzo. The Trio moves to D major and, partly mimicking the Scherzo, moves to F major for its middle section.
The Finale, in sonata-rondo form, abounds in lyricism and is predominated by a relentless triplet rhythm. It terms of key structure, it is rather conventional—the second theme appears in the dominant key though its length forces it to wander from its central tonality. The development section ends with a passage in C-sharp minor, prompting a sort of “false” recapitulation in the relative minor somewhat analogous to the false entries that sometimes occur in the final section of a fugue. The recapitulation is then resumed in the “correct” key. Finally, a coda based on fragments of the main theme closes the movement.Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Piano Music
Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata in A Major, D. 959 Play
Recorded on 10/14/2015, uploaded on 06/02/2016
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Franz Schubert's last three piano sonatas (D. 958, D. 959 & D. 960) mark a significant departure from the composer’s earlier ventures in the genre. Together they form a triptych which points directly at Beethoven's last sonatas (op. 109, op. 110 & op. 111), and perhaps Schubert sought to continue directly in the footsteps of the master. In his earlier works, Schubert's piano music often imitates a singer performing a Lied with accompaniment, but here, he instead lets the piano simulate an early romantic orchestra with a surprisingly wide range of colors and textures. The intimacy is still there at times, but its effect is much more dramatic when contrasted to the grandeur permeating the works. The scope of the music is also unique, the shortest of the three sonatas span half an hour, the longest an astonishing 50 minutes.
Completed just a mere couple of weeks before Schubert's passing, the works glow with passion, and Schubert was probably aware that his time was coming to an end. The first sonata, in c-minor, is dramatic in its expression; an unyielding force proclaiming death and destruction. The last sonata in Bb-major is, in contrast, profoundly tranquil, its gist almost meditative. The second sonata in A-major is the most vigorous and optimistic of the three works, it is often said to be an ode to life itself.
The first movement is powerful and bathes in splendor. It opens with a dramatic motto played in the left hand, which will return disguised in many different forms during the whole work. Later, the music yields to more gentle moods, the texture alternating between a grand orchestra performing monumental music and serene singing.
The second movement is in stark contrast to the first. Almost provokingly monotonous in its character, it features an ostinato in the left hand – inspired by the motto of the first movement – and a wailing melody full of sighs in the right. As the melody comes to an end, Schubert's incomparably most avant-gardist passage ensues. What starts as a gust of wind is transformed into an unstoppable hurricane, a whirlwind of tremendous power where tonality exists but is extremely faint. The section ends with several separate big chords, violent like the fall of a guillotine, after which the main theme eventually repeats.
The third movement picks up from the last chord of the andantino, but here the arpeggio is transformed into something playful and witty. The theme is composed with the motto as its building block and quickly modulates between keys. The trio section takes the form of a chorale and contains the motto and the melody from the second movement, both inverted.
In the last movement, Schubert quotes the melody from his first completed piano sonata (D. 537) and transforms it into an ever-flowing river of beautiful melodies and cascading harmonies. There are no pauses in this music; instead it is sailing on the stream of life for what seems like an eternity. As the music finally closes, Schubert repeats the motto for the last time, after which there is nothing left to be said. Notes by Peter Friis Johansson
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Piano Sonata in A major, D. 959 Franz Schubert
The Sonata in A major, D. 959 is the second of Franz Schubert's final three sonatas for the piano that were composed during the last months of his life. Despite their virtues and an overall growing interest in Schubert's music toward the end of 19th century, his last piano sonatas were mostly neglected until the 20th century. In large part, they were thought to be too similar and, thus, inferior to the great sonatas of Beethoven. While Schubert did make deliberate references to the works of the composer he so revered, the Sonata in A major and its two siblings display Schubert's unique mature compositional style. Interest in these sonatas grew steadily over the course of the 20th century and today they are standards in the piano repertoire.
The sonata's first movement is cast in a large sonata form. Rather conventional in its broader structure, the two themes of the exposition appear in the tonic and dominant keys, respectively, and both embody a small ternary form within themselves. The development, however, forgoes the material of the exposition in favor of its own melodic ideas while the harmony wavers between the keys of C major and B major. The recapitulation, prepared by an extended passage in the tonic minor, conforms mainly to the expectations of sonata form. Schubert ends the movement with a striking augmented sixth chord on the flattened supertonic.
The following Andantino is in a large ternary form and moves to the relative minor key. Its principal melody is mournful, making prominent use of the ubiquitous “sigh” motif (falling seconds). The middle section is more improvisatory in character and passes through several jarring modulations. A quasi-recitative section brings about the return of the principal melody though with altered accompaniment.
The Scherzo, back in the tonic key, begins quietly with chords thrown between the hands. The following section, however, places the keys of C major and C-sharp major in close juxtaposition and moves between them with little regard for any modulatory procedures. Set in ternary form, the opening section returns to close out the Scherzo. The Trio moves to D major and, partly mimicking the Scherzo, moves to F major for its middle section.
The Finale, in sonata-rondo form, abounds in lyricism and is predominated by a relentless triplet rhythm. It terms of key structure, it is rather conventional—the second theme appears in the dominant key though its length forces it to wander from its central tonality. The development section ends with a passage in C-sharp minor, prompting a sort of “false” recapitulation in the relative minor somewhat analogous to the false entries that sometimes occur in the final section of a fugue. The recapitulation is then resumed in the “correct” key. Finally, a coda based on fragments of the main theme closes the movement. Joseph DuBose
More music by Franz Schubert
Der Wanderer an den Mond
Moment musicaux, D. 780 No. 4
Tränenregen, from Die schöne Müllerin
Erlkönig
Piano Sonata D. 958, Finale: Allegro
Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 30, D617
Impromptu Op. 90 No. 2 in E-flat Major, D. 899
Notturno
Standchen, Lieder for Flute and Piano
Impromptu No. 2 in E-flat, Op. Posth. D.946
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