Page 177 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

high to very low). The piece also requires of the pianist more technical skill and stamina than had any piano sonata of Mozart or Haydn. Displaying his virtuos- ity, Beethoven frequently performed the “Pathétique” in the homes and palaces of the Viennese aristocracy.
first movement
Contemporaries recount how Beethoven the pianist played with “super-human” speed and force, and how he banged the keys so hard on one occasion that he broke six strings. The crashing C minor chord that opens the “Pathétique” So- nata suggests Beethoven’s sometimes violent approach to the instrument (see Listening Cue). After this startling opening gesture, Beethoven the dramatist takes over, juxtaposing music of wildly differing moods: The sforzando chord is immediately followed by the quietest sort of lyricism, only to be interrupted by another chordal thunderbolt (Example 10.1). This slow introduction is probably a written-out version of the sort of improvisation that gained Beethoven great fame in Vienna.
Example 10.1 > opening contrasts
The dramatic introduction leads to a racing first theme that rises impetu- ously in the right hand. The sense of anxiety the listener feels is amplified by the throbbing bass, where the left hand of the pianist plays broken octaves (the alternation of two tones an octave apart) reminiscent of the rumbling thunder of an approaching storm (Example 10.2).
Example 10.2 > tempestuous first theme œ n œ ˙
LiSTeN TO . . . Example 10.1 online.
LiSTeN TO . . . Example 10.2 online.
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The remainder of the movement now plays out as a contest between the im- petuous, racing themes and the stormy chords. But while there is much passion and intensity here, there is also Classical formal control. The crashing chords come back at the beginning of both the development and the coda in this sonata–allegro form movement. Thus the chords set firm formal boundaries and thereby prevent the racing theme from flying out of control. Beethoven’s music often conveys a feeling of struggle: Classical forms gave Beethoven something to struggle against.
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