DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (November 26, 2020)
Beethoven composed five cello sonatas during his life, which illustrate his early, middle and late works.
EARLY
Cello Sonatas No. 1 & 2 were composed as Op. 5 in 1796, when Beethoven was visiting Berlin. They were dedicated to the King of Prussia, who was an amateur cellist. These two works by Beethoven have the reputation of being the first such sonatas, where the cello was given an independent part. Since the cello and keyboard formed the continuo for operas and orchestral works, they always shared the same bass line. In most cello sonatas before these works, the cello simply duplicated the piano bass line.
Beethoven early violin sonatas were known as "sonatas for the piano with violin accompaniment." It took a while for instruments such as the violin and cello to be accepted as equals with the piano, and despite the cello having an independent part in these two sonatas, you might notice that the piano still predominates.
Here is Cello sonata No. 1 in F major, from 1796:
MIDDLE
Beethoven composed his Cello sonata No. 3, Op. 69, in 1808, the same year as the premier of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, and twelve years after his previous cello sonatas. Beethoven's growth as a composer is evident, and some cellists feel it is a breakthrough work, because it represents the first time that the cello and piano are equals in a sonata.
The cello opens with three notes—A, E, and F#, which then continues as a phrase ending with a long held E, as the piano enters. The piano then takes up the opening theme. You might notice that the two instruments are handing themes back and forth constantly. These themes are meant for both piano and cello. Both instruments also have their share of flourishes and cadenzas.
The recapitulation, or return to the main idea, is prepared from 8:04 in this recording (or measure 140), and finally emerges, entirely transformed, at 8:39 (measure 152.)
The second movement, a scherzo, begins at 12:44. Beethoven's “Scherzos” transform the staid “Minuet” (which had been featured in hundreds of sonatas, for over a century) into a musical joke. Here, Beethoven plays with syncopation, putting the stress on the off-beat. However, since the two instruments are being treated as equals, we might find some humor in the way they contest who is in charge. It's in 3/4 time, and there seems to be some question as to whether the downbeat comes on beat one, or beat three. It leads to some phrases having one note too many.
The middle section of a scherzo is usually referred to as "trio." In 17th century French dance music, the middle section of a Minuet was a trio, played by three instruments. Later, of course it was not, but the orchestration of the trio section was still usually scaled down.
Formal analysis can prevent one from hearing the humor in a scherzo, precisely because it is so "formal”. Can anyone miss the humor though, when, in the trio section, the piano is reduced to two bass notes, B and A, again and again, at 13:45 (measure 106)—like someone tapping his or her fingers, waiting for a chance to get out of the penalty box and back into the game! At about 14:30 (measure 193), a lone E on the third beat tries to lead our way back to the scherzo, and finally succeeds!
As you might guess, that trio keeps coming back at the end of the movement.
The third movement begins as a beautiful “Adagio Cantabile” (unhurried and singing.) No-one can write a long “Adagio Cantabile” like Beethoven. But here, it is just an introduction, although just long enough to establish the two instruments as equals—as if two singers are in a bel-canto duet. It begins at 17:44.
At 19:43, it breaks out into an “Allegro Vivace” (cheerful and full of life) theme, that somehow reminds us of the opening of the entire sonata. There are 16th note passages in the piano that are almost a blur. We ask ourselves, can the cellist keep up? The cellist does, and we can only wonder at the difficulties the work must have posed at the time.
This movement, though happy, even exuberant, is also very dramatic, and it taxes the listener, just to keep up with its many changes.
PS: great cellist and cello professor, Cecylia Barczyk, will share her unique perspective on Beethoven and her performance of the Cello Sonata No. 3 Op. 69, on December 16, 2020, during our 24-hour Beethoven 250th Birthday Celebration! Link: https://youtu.be/iyjWFntIiiY
PPS: Happy Thanksgiving 🍁🍽!!