Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 by Beethoven, commonly known as Sonata Pathétique, was written in 1798 when the composer was 27 years old, and was published the following year. It has remained one of his most celebrated compositions. Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually named Grande sonate pathétique (to Beethoven’s liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata’s tragic sonorities. In its entirety, encompassing all three movements, the work takes approximately 18-20 minutes to perform
Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
The first movement is in sonata form. It begins with a slow introductory theme, marked Grave. The exposition, marked Allegro di molto con brio, is in 22 time in the home key of C minor and features three themes. Theme 1 features an aggressive rocket theme covering two octaves, accompanied with constant tremelo octaves in the left hand. Beethoven then makes use of unorthodox mode mixture, as he presents theme 2 in E♭ minor rather than its customary parallel major. This theme is more lyrical than the first and makes use of grace notes and crossed hands. Theme 3 modulates to the mediant , E♭ major, and features an Alberti-type figuration for the bass with tremolo. A codetta, with ideas from the opening allegro, closes the section. Some performers of the sonata include the introduction in the repeat of the exposition (Rudolf Serkin and Andras Schiff, for example), but most return to the beginning of the allegro section. This movement is one of the few compositions that contain 128th notes. The development section begins in the key of G minor but quickly modulates to E minor. In this section, Beethoven extends Haydn’s compositional practice by returning to the introductory section. After this reappearance of the Grave, the composer generates suspense with an extended dominant preparation. The recapitulation brings back the themes of the exposition in different keys: themes 1 and 3 are played in the tonic key of C minor, then theme 2 is played in the unexpected key of F minor but then returns to the tonic key. The coda is very dramatic and includes a brief reminder of the Grave before ending with a swift cadence.
Adagio cantabile
This movement exemplifies the expressive Adagio style of many slow movements in the classical period. The famous cantabile melody is played three times, always in A♭ major, separated by two modulating episodes; the movement is thus a simple rondo rather than the sonata form more common for movements of this seriousness. The first episode is set in F minor (the relative minor of A♭ major), further modulating to E♭ major before returning to the main theme. The second episode begins in A♭ minor and modulates to E major. With the final return of the main theme, the accompaniment becomes richer and takes on the triplet rhythm of the second episode. There is a brief coda.
Rondo: Allegro
The sonata closes with a cut-time movement in C minor. The main theme closely resembles the second theme of the Allegro of the first movement: its melodic pattern is identical for its first four notes, and its rhythmic pattern for the first eight. There is also a modified representation of the melody from the second movement, so it connects all three movements together. The movement’s sonata rondo form includes a brief coda. The three rondo episodes are in E♭ major, A♭ major, and C major. The common use of sforzando creates a forceful effect.
