Transcript The-Sonata - WordPress.com

Western Classical
Tradition
The sonata
What is meant by ‘sonata’?
The word sonata means ‘sounded’ or ‘played’.
It was originally used to describe music that was written for
and performed by instruments, rather than voices.
During the classical period, the term sonata was used to
describe a composition for one or two instruments that was
in three or four movements.
At least one of the movements (often the first) was in
sonata form.
Sonata Structure
The usual plan of a three-movement sonata was:
First movevement – fast
Second movement – slow
Third movement – fast
In a four-movement sonata, there is usually a minuet and
trio, or scherzo and trio between the slow movement and
the last movement.
The solo sonata
This is a sonata written for one instrument.
The most popular solo sonatas during the first half of the 18th
century were composed for violin and harpsichord.
The Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) wrote more
than 500 sonatas for the harpsichord, mostly in one movement
and in binary form.
However, during the second half of the 18th century, the piano
replaced the harpsichord as the principal keyboard instrument,
and the three- or four-movement piano sonata became the
most popular form of solo sonata.
The solo sonata
The piano, unlike the harpsichord, could vary the dynamic
(volume) of a note by touch. If you press down a key on the
piano harder you will produce a louder sound.
This does not happen on a harpsichord: the volume stays
the same.
The word ‘piano’ is short for ‘pianoforte’, which combines
the Ialian words for ‘soft’ and ‘loud’, and the name was
coined to show off the piano’s unique ability to play
different dynamics by varying the touch.
The solo sonata
Through the 18th and 19th centuries developments in
materials and design enabled pianos to increase their
compass (range of notes) and to produce a sustained,
richer quality of sound.
This was reflected in the increasing technical difficulty and
expressive range of music composed for the piano during
this period.
Listening Activity
Listen to the opening of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C
sharp minor, op. 27 no. 2.
The time signature is 4/4, but notice the triplets that
accompany the melody.
The legato (smooth) sound is helped by using the piano’s
sustaining pedal, which allows the strings to vibrate
freely without being stopped, or dampened.
Activity
Find out more about the harpsichord and the way it works.
Compare this with a piano and listen to the sound of both
instruments.
Listen to recordings of music played on original 18th and 19th
century pianos (or modern copies), and compare the sound to a
modern piano.
What are the differences in sound?
How does this affect the music?
The duet sonata
A duet is a piece of music written for two players.
The most popular type of duet sonatas are those written for
a piano in combination with another instrument.
The piano’s ability to play a wide dynamic range and sustain
a sound make it ideal to accompany and interrelate with
other instruments.
Duet sonatas are often known by the name of the other
featured solo instrument (e.g. violin sonata), but the piano
is an equal partner.
Activity
A piano can have two or even three pedals.
On a piano, experiment by pressing down the pedals and
playing the notes to compare the sounds produced.
Look inside the piano to see what happens to the
mechanism when you press down the different pedals.
Listening Quiz
Listen to the opening of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata no. 5 in F op.24, ‘Spring’. Note the relationship
between the violin and piano. First, the violin has the melody with the piano accompanying,
then the roles are reversed. Finally both instruments combine to share the musical material.
This kind of close relationship is typical of chamber music.
1.
Which term best describes the violin melody at the start of the excerpt?
mostly conjunct mostly disjunct mostly triadic mostly arpeggio
2.
Which term best describes the piano accompaniment at the start of the excerpt?
scalicbroken chords
3.
pedal
drone
Which of these terms best describes the melody?
chromatic
pentatonic
diatonic
modal