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Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8

(Sonata Pathtique)
Many people, myself included, would posit the idea that a majority of

Beethovens music has been known to convey the aspects of his background - that of

turmoil and hardship - with his Sonata Pathtique being no exception. The original title,

though not directly conceived by the composer, was Grande Sonate Pathtique, a name

which Beethoven took a liking to.1 It would appear, that through Beethovens

inclination towards the title, a firm sense of reasoning is conveyed that he believed he

had infused such emotion and personality into his own work, such that its name would

evoke the idea of emotion. And it is this notion that reaffirms the thought in my own

mind that Beethoven was an individual fraught with emotion, with which music would

be an outlet.

The name pathtique is derived from the Greek word pathos; relating to the

appeal of emotion and passion, terms which many listeners and performers become

quite familiar with as they perceive the work. The original name was bestowed upon

by the publisher for two reasons; the first being that nothing so powerful and so full

1 Charle Burkhart, Anthology for Musical Analysis, 6th ed. (University of Michigan: Thomson/Schirmer, 2004), 233

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of tragic passion had hitherto been dreamt of in pianoforte music.2 The second

reason was to attract buyers. During the time period many people, composers and

publishers alike, believed that such evocative and romantic names would entice various

purveyors of music.3

Sonata Pathtique, Opus 13, was published in isolation. Up to that point in time,

Beethoven only had one other piano sonata published within its on opus; Opus 7,

Piano Sonata No. 4, which is often nicknamed as the Grand Sonata. Now it seems that

the term grand finding itself within the namesake of both Opus 7 and 13 is not

necessarily coincidence, as it was very clear that Beethoven believed these works to be

of an outstanding craft and that he was particularly proud of them.4 And he was right

to believe so, as Sonata Pathtique was, and still is, one of his most successful and popular

piano sonatas composed within in his early life.

The first movement of Pathtique, as I had recently discovered, is quite intriguing

as its beginning does not follow the standard of most sonatas; it begins with a slow and

contemplative introduction, which during the time was unlike most piano sonatas.

However, this style of introduction was quite common within symphonies, providing

Sonata Pathtique with a symphonic grandeur.5 The late Edwin Fischer, a renowned

pianist of the twentieth century, criticised the orchestral writing of the piano score;

and when one looks upon the score, they can see that the criticism is just. The sonata

has a symphonic nature to its writing; the fp chords at the start, mimicking large tutti

2Donald Francis Tovey, A Companion to Beethovens Pianoforte Sonatas (London: The Associated Board of the R.A.M.
and the R.C.M, 1931), 68
3J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, 9th ed. (New York:
Norton, 2014), 566
4 Michael Davidson, The Classical Piano Sonata From Haydn to Prokofiev (London: Kahn & Averill, 2004), 79
5 Burkholder, Grout and Palisca, A History of Western Music, 567

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outbursts of an orchestra and the left hand tremolo octaves when accompanying the

allegro di motto e con brio theme can be likened to timpani rolls.6

It is curious to note, that within two different texts relating to Beethovens

Pathtique, there are differing views on the nature of the third and final movement of

the work, the rondo-sonata. A History of Western Music, states that the sonata-rondo

finale is equally serious and intense [as the first movement], unlike the typical

lighthearted rondos of Haydn and Mozart.7 Contrastingly, Tovey, in A Companion to

Beethovens Pianoforte Sonatas states that the pathos of Beethovens finale is mingled with

a humour which is certainly not so nearly akin to tragedy as Mozarts C minor

finale.8 While I find myself disagreeing with the former statement (there is a

sentiment of playfulness and exuberance to my ear within the third movement, though

not as flamboyant as Haydn or Mozart), I also fail to agree with Tovey, in his statement

that the finale to Mozarts K457 in C minor has a greater air of tragedy than the

finale to Beethovens Pathtique.

I find that this sonata, as well as various other compositions by Beethoven, is

often compared to works of Mozart, namely his Piano Sonata No. 14, which I had

mentioned earlier, K457. This is because both works are in the key of C minor, and

they both have similar movements; Pathtique with grave to allegro di motto e con brio first

movement, an adagio cantabile second movement, and another allegro for the finale. In

Mozarts K457, the first movement is motto allegro with the following being adagio. The

finale is an allegro assai, whose sentiment I had discussed earlier, is similar to the

6 Denis Matthews, Beethoven Piano Sonatas (London: BBC Publications, 1967), 22

7 Burkholder, Grout and Palisca, A History of Western Music, 567
8 Tovey, A Companion to Beethovens Pianoforte Sonatas, 68

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Pathtique, having a mild sense of humour, while shadowing undertones of ambiguity

and a pathos for tragedy. Why this is, I cannot pinpoint, but with further analysis, I

believe there could be a clear and defined reasoning to this thought. And it is clear the

Beethoven himself would find a sense of inspiration and respect for the works of

Mozart, as he had once said to a student of his, Ferdinand Ries, Such ideas will never

occur to the likes of us.9 (This was in reference to Mozarts Piano Concerto No. 24,

in C minor).

Beethoven was clearly a man who was looking to strive for the best when it came

to his compositions; his ideology of infusing his works with such passion, emotion and

detail, as well as pushing the boundaries of what was classical music and creating his

own sensibilities which made each work scream Beethoven. And it is because of this

process of work that he has gained the respect of many composers today, myself

included.

9 Tovey, A Companion to Beethovens Pianoforte Sonatas, 68

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 Bibliography
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald J. Grout and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music,
9th edition. New York: Norton, 2014.
Davidson, Michael. The Classical Piano Sonata from Haydn to Prokofiev. London: Kahn &
Averill, 2004.
Matthews, Denis. Beethoven Piano Sonatas. London: BBC Publications, 1967.
Tovey, Donald F. A Companion to Beethovens Pianoforte Sonatas. London: The Associated
Board of the R.A.M. and the R.C.M., 1931.

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