 |
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums
Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments.
Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
|
|
56 members (clothearednincompo, Brus, brdwyguy, Alex C, ChickenBrother, 36251, 13 invisible),
617
guests, and
264
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,543
3000 Post Club Member
|
3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,543 |
Sonata 3 (op 2 no 3) deserves a special mention.
It was composed after Beethoven arrived in Vienna, was gaining reputation, and people actually liked him. He was famous, being invited to parties, winning friendly competitions (not the stiff, lifeless affairs we have today, true battles between gentlemen). He had arrived, and he was happy, and that happiness shines through the entire sonata. The deafness that would plague him was not yet a cloud on the horizon.
I call it the Happy Sonata.
Poetry is rhythm
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,169
4000 Post Club Member
|
|
4000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,169 |
Sonata 3 (op 2 no 3) deserves a special mention.
It was composed after Beethoven arrived in Vienna, was gaining reputation, and people actually liked him. He was famous, being invited to parties, winning friendly competitions (not the stiff, lifeless affairs we have today, true battles between gentlemen). He had arrived, and he was happy, and that happiness shines through the entire sonata. The deafness that would plague him was not yet a cloud on the horizon.
I call it the Happy Sonata. I like your characterization of the competitions of the time, and thanks for the biographical perspective. I'm wary of using it to gain insights into the music, though. Here, I just don't hear op.2/3 as "happier" than many other Beethoven major-keyed sonatas of the time. I'll grant you the opening themes of the first and last movements. But, as so often with Beethoven, this soon leads to wistfulness, doubt, and struggle. And the second movement, for me the cornerstone of the whole thing, seems to convey almost every sense-- profundity, serenity, sadness, tragedy in turn-- *except* regular old happiness. And conversely, several other early sonatas (op.2/2? op.10/2?) could be equally characterized (and, equally, not entirely successfully) as "happy". -J
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 560
500 Post Club Member
|
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 560 |
Favorite: 109
Then, in no particular order:
Hammerklavier
Waldstein
Les Adieux
Appasionata
Moonlight
A Thérèse
27-1
2-1
111
Man, I really love 109. The first movement is just perfection to me. Judging from the other comments, a lot of 109 love out there! I never realized that it was so popular.
Last edited by didyougethathing; 07/16/14 11:47 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,543
3000 Post Club Member
|
|
3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,543 |
Sonata 3 (op 2 no 3) deserves a special mention.
It was composed after Beethoven arrived in Vienna, was gaining reputation, and people actually liked him. He was famous, being invited to parties, winning friendly competitions (not the stiff, lifeless affairs we have today, true battles between gentlemen). He had arrived, and he was happy, and that happiness shines through the entire sonata. The deafness that would plague him was not yet a cloud on the horizon.
I call it the Happy Sonata. I like your characterization of the competitions of the time, and thanks for the biographical perspective. I'm wary of using it to gain insights into the music, though. Here, I just don't hear op.2/3 as "happier" than many other Beethoven major-keyed sonatas of the time. I'll grant you the opening themes of the first and last movements. But, as so often with Beethoven, this soon leads to wistfulness, doubt, and struggle. And the second movement, for me the cornerstone of the whole thing, seems to convey almost every sense-- profundity, serenity, sadness, tragedy in turn-- *except* regular old happiness. I'm sorry you can't hear it. If you're interested in what it feels like for a young artist to hit the scene and become popular, this interview captures it
Poetry is rhythm
|
|
|
|
Forums43
Topics213,110
Posts3,192,143
Members105,292
| |
Most Online15,252
Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
