Beethoven, Piano Sonata in G major

 
Ludwig van Beethoven was 24 years old when he turned to Antonio Salieri – Kapellmeister, renowned opera director and alleged poisoner of Mozart – for lessons from the Italian maestro. Ludwig had been settled in Vienna for a little over a year after his father's death at the end of 1792. His mother had died five years earlier, and the passing of his father made him realize that he no longer had any ties to Bonn, his hometown.

Looking for teachers
So settled in Vienna at the beginning of 1793, the young Ludwig will try to acquire a greater technical background based on the lessons that some renowned Viennese master could provide him. His first attempt, of course, was with Joseph Haydn, forty years his senior. It was not only the age gap that counted. The incompatibility of character was enormous and the lessons with the master did not last more than a few months. Then he tried Albrechtsberger, an eminence in the art of counterpoint, with whom he behaved more tolerant, following his precepts for a little more than a year. Between 1793 and 1794 he also frequented another famous pedagogue of the time, Johann Schenk. None of them satisfied him.

Master Salieri

Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825)

Interestingly, it will be the slandered Antonio Salieri with whom Beethoven will have the longest teacher-student relationship. And we don't just say it because of the gossip surrounding the Italian composer but because Salieri was an opera-oriented musician and, as far as we know, Beethoven composed only one. However, he will attend his teachings for more than eight years, from 1794 to 1802. Even later, the master from Bonn will often seek the advice of the Italian musician. All this will not prevent that later, already respected and famous, when asked repeatedly about the teachers to whom he owed something, Beethoven answers, a little haughty, although perhaps only annoyed: "I am a student of Socrates and Jesus Christ."

Sonata in G major, op. 14 N ° 2
Published in 1799, it was probably composed the year before. Described by the pianist and musicologist Donald Tovey as "an exquisite little work", it sets an enormous distance from the most famous sonata that precedes it, the romantic and intensely dramatic "Pathetique" (opus 13). One wonders, then, if in its creation Salieri did intervene in some way to calm the spirits, suggesting to Beethoven an aesthetic return to pure classicism, in Haydn style.

Movements
They are three, traditionally fast - slow - fast, yet the scherzo, usually an inner movement, is placed here at the end.

00:00  Allegro  The main theme begins with the rhythmic accent in the middle of the measure, which may cause some confusion in the listener as it makes it difficult to follow the meter of the piece during the first seconds. A brief turn brings the accentuation to the beginning of the measure at 00:25. The movement holds three easily distinguishable themes, presented successively: the one that has just begun at 00:25, the second at 00:54 and the third at 1:26. The movement then proceeds along the usual lines in its development and recapitulation.

07:22  Andante - Theme and variations.  Although this movement is the slow one, it begins with a martial, somewhat presumptuous motif. Three variations will follow. It closes with the contrivance used by Haydn in his symphony "The Surprise": the attending ladies will wake up if they are asleep, if they are not, they will let out a howl at the final chord in C major, fortissimo, entirely unexpected.

12:49  Scherzo - Allegro assai.  It begins with an agile theme that will cover a wide range of the keyboard, in its development. A contrasting motive will appear at 13:47. Scholars see here a scherzo in the form of a rondo. Apparently, Beethoven used here the term scherzo in a broad sense, that is, to point out the lively and joyful mood that marks this little piece of just three minutes, and which ends with a bit of fresh humor in the lowest part of the keyboard (in Beethoven's time).

The rendition is by Daniel Barenboim.