Beethoven, Piano Sonata No 13, Op 27-1

The aukward modest Opus companion of Moonlight sonata

The first years of the 19th century were sweet and sour for the master Beethoven.
He is already in his thirties and has become the fashionable pianist in Vienna. He frequents a circle of noble friends, and money is not a problem. But his deafness has already begun and threatens to become a tragic affair.

In 1801, he wrote to a friend: "My compositions bring me good money [...] I don't need to sign a contract with them [his publishers], I state my conditions and they pay me immediately".

But in the summer of 1802, he is in seclusion in Heiligenstadt. Immersed in deep regret over his loss of hearing as a musician, he writes to his brothers the famous Heiligenstadt Testament, which he closes with a heart-rending plea, "O Providence, guarantee me at least a single day of sincere joy!"

The charming Piano Sonata Opus 27 No. 1 in E♭, composed in 1801, has had the misfortune of being the companion to perhaps Beethoven's best-known sonata, the celebrated "Moonlight" sonata (Opus 27 No. 2). However, they were published separately, although both share the same apostille, "sonata quasi una fantasia", which scholars translate as "sonata in the style of a fantasia", a character that is much more proper to it than to its illustrious companion since its movements are linked (played without interruption) and the themes of one section can also be part of any other. Here, precisely, themes from the third movement are quoted in the fourth.

Indeed, this sonata has four movements, in an unusual arrangement. The first of them is not an Allegro but an Andante, very simple, almost naive. But the work gains shape as it develops. Instead of the scherzo, for example, the maestro offers us an Adagio with which he gives us one of his most glorious melodies, which alone should arouse the enthusiasm of a wider public for the complete sonata.

As was the custom, Beethoven would dedicate both sonatas to members of the nobility. In the case of the famous Moonlight, we know that its dedicatee was the condessina Giulietta Guicciardi, Beethoven's pupil of tender 17 years. On the other hand, the opus's helpless accompanist was dedicated to Princess Josephine von Liechtenstein, whose relationship with the master we have no idea.

Movements:

00:00  Andante - Allegro - Andante

06:00  Allegro molto e vivace

08:10  Adagio con espressione

11:40  Allegro vivace

The performance is by the Chilean maestro Claudio Arrau (1903 - 1991).

Mozart, Violin Concerto N° 3

A work that "could only have been written by a man of superior talent..." 

Wolfgang was only 19 when he composed the five Violin Concertos while serving, reluctantly, in the orchestra of his conceited and clumsy patron Colloredo, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, where he held the position of first violin.
It had been long since Wolfgang, with his father Leopold, had traveled half of Europe playing the harpsichord with Nannerl, his older sister. Both children had astonished half the world as keyboard players. Still, Wolfgang Amadeus' genius on the violin was only known to those who had been fortunate enough to hear him in Salzburg or at some modest court in the surroundings.

Leopold, who knew something about violins – he had written one of the first pedagogical treatises on the violin in history – once wrote to him in a letter: "...it happens that you are not aware of how well you play the violin". Interestingly, much later, he insisted: "If you had wanted to, you would have become the best violinist in Europe." Leopold was not aware yet that Wolfgang was to become the classical period's greatest composer.

View of Salzburg, 18th century. Engraving by A.F.H. Naumann

A year before the composition of the concertos, Wolfgang had received Colloredo's refusal of his request to travel to Vienna to make himself known and to meet other musicians. He needed to free himself for a while, however briefly, from the dejection of being in the service of His Eminence at the court he detested.

It is likely, then, that the Violin Concertos were composed with a future and definitive departure from the Salzburg court in mind. A sort of preparation and consolidation of repertoire to be presented before the courts, clearly more attractive, in Germany or France. There he could also shine as a violinist, according to his father's suggestions.

For this reason, perhaps, the five Violin Concertos were composed in record time, between April and December 1775. In comparison with the Piano Concertos, it is customary to point out that those composed for violin have a more superficial character, although, in all of them, one can see the excellent knowledge that Wolfgang had of the melodic and graceful style of the Italian school. They constitute, by the way, a precious testimony of the elegance and gallant style that, we imagine, must have been the custom at the court of Salzburg, more than two centuries ago.

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3, in G major

Structured in the three traditional movements – fast, slow, fast – this is one of Mozart´s violin concertos most in demand by audiences and performers of our time.

With the American violinist Hilary Hahn as soloist, followed by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, we present here the performance offered in 2007 on the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI's birthday, in an exquisite hall in the Vatican.

Movements:

00 Allegro   Prototypical gallant finale, though it will be surpassed in gallantry by the finale of the third movement (The cadenzas are Hilary's).

10:35 Adagio   Instead of the usual andante, Mozart incorporates an adagio with a dreamy atmosphere.

21:00 Rondo    It was Mozart himself who, somewhat jokingly and somewhat seriously, said of this movement what we noted at the beginning: "it could only have been written by a man of superior talent". No brilliant finale here, only gallantry. At its end, the piece seems to say goodbye, with supreme elegance, because it needs to take a break.

Mozart, Piano Sonata in A minor - K 310

In August 1777, 21-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart resigned from his modest position at the Salzburg court. On September 23, accompanied by his mother Anna Maria, he ventured to seek employment at the courts of Augsburg, Mannheim, Paris, and Munich.

In Mannheim, he fell in love with the singing student Aloysia Weber, one of the four daughters of a well-known music-loving family. Still, as far as employment was concerned, notwithstanding his enchantment with the city's famous orchestra, nothing happened at all.

On March 14, 1778, mother and son left Mannheim for Paris, where the boy Mozart had dazzled the court of Versailles 15 years earlier. This time everything would be different.

Going cold and hungry
This time, Mozart, in his twenties, dazzles no one. This time, Parisians do not queue up to see him. A small room in a modest neighborhood was the lodging of mother and son. It was cold, and money was scarce. Job offers were also scarce. In a letter to his father, he says in passing that he has been offered the possibility of taking the organist position in Versailles. But Wolfgang is not at all interested in that kind of work, although he is in debt, and according to some scholars, he must have gone to pawnshops to get some money.

Anna Maria Pertl (1720 - 1778)

Mom's death
In mid-June, Anna Maria became seriously ill. Mozart got some medical assistance, but apparently belatedly, due to the precarious financial situation. Anna Maria died on July 3. She was 57 years old, a simple housewife who had given everything for her son's future.

Mozart left Paris in September. He spent a few days in Mannheim and Munich, where he again met Aloysia, now a successful touring singer, who to Wolfgang's misfortune had lost all interest in him.

The young master finally arrived in Salzburg on January 15, 1779, where his father Leopold was waiting for him to take up the position of court organist, which Leopold had arranged in his absence.

Piano Sonata in A minor, K 310
While in Paris, Mozart composed relatively little. Among the most recognized works are Symphony No. 31, called "Paris," and the piano Sonata No. 8, in A minor. According to scholars, the sonata is among the best of the young Mozart.

It is the first of only two sonatas composed in a minor key (in C minor, K 457 is the other, from 1784).

Unlike what the master had composed up to that time, the spirit of the sonata is somewhat stormy. We do not know if it was composed after, or before, the death of Anna Maria, but listening to it leaves the impression that Mozart had accumulated a quota of drama at the time of writing it.

Movements:
00:00  Allegro maestoso
06:11  Andante cantabile con espressione
15:47  Presto

The performance is by the young Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz.

Beethoven, Sonata No 6, opus 10 No 2

Beethoven dedicated the three piano sonatas of Opus 10 (from 1798) to Countess Anna Margaret von Browne, wife of a general of the Russian imperial army who became a count, standing out as Beethoven's patron in Vienna. The Browne family had already had the honor of receiving a dedication from the young master. They returned the distinction on that occasion by presenting him with a horse.

After digesting the surprise, Beethoven rode it a couple of times and then completely forgot about the gift, a circumstance his servant took advantage of to rent the equine for his own benefit as many times as he wanted.

The anecdote tells of the cultural and musical environment that Beethoven found in Vienna, where he had arrived in 1792 when he was twenty-two years old. The city was already the musical capital of Europe, built on a flourishing economy and the aristocracy's patronage. It was a very competitive environment, indeed. Pianists/composers (indistinct roles) had to compete for the financial favors of the noble benefactors, whose names were thus forever inscribed on the works of the great masters.

By the end of the 1790s, Beethoven was already recognized as the most important piano virtuoso in Vienna, a position he had to defend, for the competition was nothing less than merciless. The pianistic virtues displayed in improvisations in any aristocratic salon were quickly imitated by other colleagues. Likewise, the works had to be published promptly to ensure their provenance and to make known to a cultured audience the new stylistic and technical achievements that the composer had attained.

In short, much effort had to be made, even if such efforts were sometimes rewarded with a gift that did not measure up to the greatness of the artist being honored.

Sonata No 6, opus 10 No 2

It is in three movements but none of them qualify as a "slow movement", although this will not be unusual in future Beethoven. It is the shortest (approximately 14 minutes) of the three sonatas that make up the opus (No 5 and No 7, the others) and has also been regarded as the least important of the group. Even so, it contains the simple beauty (not without humor, according to scholars) of the earlier works that already augur the mastery of the mature composer.

Movements:

00:00  Allegro

05:28  Allegretto

10:11  Presto

The performance is by Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa, in a recording studio.

Beethoven, Three Early Sonatas, WoO 47

The master of masters, Ludwig van Beethoven, probably came into this world in Bonn on December 16, 1770. We say "probably" since the only certain date we know is that of his baptism, which took place on December 17. It is even possible that he may have been born a few days earlier if we remember that Johann, Ludwig's father, was accustomed to greeting good times (and even bad times) with plenty of alcohol. If he did so for the birth of his second offspring (the first, dead six days), he may have needed a couple of days to recover and organize the christening properly. Anyway.

In these days, we have learned that in the Bundeskunsthalle, the great federal museum in Bonn, there is a memorandum from 1784 that reviews some members of the court chapel, where Johann would sing, in the tenor tessitura. Johann is described as "with a very worn voice". His social status is also noted, as "very poor."

Further on, Ludwig himself is mentioned as the organist's substitute when the latter was absent. No remuneration is specified. We assume that there was none.

But in compensation for such abuse of those times, the document describes him as an able musician, "still young" and, as was to be expected, he is also distinguished as "poor".

Eight years later, on November 2, 1792, at six o'clock in the morning, Beethoven left for Vienna, where he would reside for the rest of his life, without ever returning to Bonn. Among many others, he will be seen off by Count Ferdinand von Waldstein, who would write in Ludwig's "travelogue":

“Dear Beethoven! 

You are now going to Vienna in fulfillment of your long-frustrated wishes. Mozart’s genius still mourns and is weeping over the death of its pupil. In the inexhaustible Haydn, it had found refuge but no occupation; through him it wishes to form a union with another. Through uninterrupted diligence you shall receive Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands.

Your true friend,

Waldstein”

Of course, the master had no intention of receiving anyone's spirit, although in Vienna he studied with some masters, among them Salieri, the alleged "poisoner" of Mozart. But when asked later from what sources he had drawn, the master of masters would answer, proudly: "I am a pupil of Socrates, and of Jesus Christ".

Sonatas WoO 47

The three very early piano sonatas WoO 47 (Werk ohne Opuszahl: Works Without Opus number) were composed between 1782 and 1783, when Beethoven was a boy of twelve or thirteen. Therefore, he did not assign them opus numbers, because he did not know that this task would be part of his future profession.

Dedicated to the Elector (Kurfürst) of Cologne, they are also known as Kurfürstensonaten.

The inclusion of these three sonatas brings Beethoven's sonata corpus to a total of 35 sonatas.

They are, of course, tributary to the work of Haydn and Clementi. And – needless to say – they foreshadow the genius of the 32 masterpieces contained in the usual canon.

This modest blog is today celebrating Ludwig the child's birthday with the three sonatas of this "opus" in the rendition by two young Chinese pianists. Zuja Huang, 12 years old at the time of the video, is in charge of sonatas Nos. 1 and 2, and an unnamed girl, is in charge of the third one.

Movements:
Sonata No 1 in E flat (lasting 8 minutes)
– Allegro cantabile
– Andante
– Rondo vivace

Sonata No 2 en Fa menor (lasting 9 minutes)
– Larghetto maestoso – Allegro assai
– Andante
– Presto

Sonata No 3 in D major (lasting 10 minutes)
– Allegro
– Menuetto – Sostenuto
– Scherzando: Allegretto, ma non troppo