The range of the piano increased during the creative life of Beethoven. His early works are limited to the same keyboard for which Mozart and Haydn composed - exactly five octaves from F1 to F6. By the end of his life, Beethoven wrote as low as C1 and as high as F7, an increase of a perfect 11th.
The two excerpts from the first movement [Presto, 2/2 meter] of Beethoven’s early [1796] Sonata in D major, op. 10, no. 3, above, illustrate a typical feature of sonata form: corresponding passages from the exposition and recapitulation are often not exact transpositions of each other. The range limitations of the keyboard, usually at the upper end, often determine the necessity to modify one of the two statements of particular material. In this piece, the first statement, in the dominant key [A major], stops ascending in the upper octave one measure before the cadence. Looking at the later statement, in the home key of D major, we see the top line ascending all the way to the tonic.
These observations raise additional questions. Did Beethoven compose ‘chronologically’, thus conceiving the exposition before the recapitulation, or did the entire movement, and the entire sonata, occur to him in a single moment of inspiration? Another question may be asked: why didn’t Beethoven revisit his earlier works later in life, when he could easily have reconstructed them to fit the increased range of the piano? And a final question: what are the other differences between the two passages?
2 comments:
In the recapitulation passage, the l.h. figure begins on beat 2, creating a strong syncopation. This syncopation does not occur in the exposition statement of this theme.
The more compelling difference between the two passages has to do with overall form and dramatic effect. Simply by virtue of the fact that the recapitualtion passage occurs near the close of the piece AND in the D major (tonic)tonality, the effect is that of reaffirmation, and in retrospect enhances the FIRST appearance of the same theme in a mysterious and beautiful way.
Musicalmystery - your insights are greatly appreciated. Yes indeed the overall form is central to the discussion, as is the idea of retrospection. Simply because of the chronology of the exposition and recapitulation, we hear the recapitulation as a variant on the exposition, rather than the other way around. However, I don't think this necessarily means that Beethoven created them in that order, or in any order. And yes - the D major statement reaffirms and enhances the earlier statement.
I believe you meant to say 'on the 2nd half of beat 1', rather than 'on beat 2' - Beethoven clearly writes a meter signature of 'cut time', in other words, 2/2. But of course, with only the excerpts given, we could not have known that without looking at the opening of the movment. I should have mentioned the meter signature in my original post, and will do so in subsequent ones.
Also notice that the two hands are two octaves further apart in the A major statement than in the later one. This is definitely related to the issue of the range of Beethoven's piano, as mentioned in the original post.
I look forward to your future comments.
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