Beethoven and the Classical and Romantic Periods Essay

Out of all of Beethoven’s one hundred and ten works, he wrote thirty-two piano sonatas. Of those thirty-two piano sonatas, the thirty-first piano sonata was one of the most important and was composed in the year 1821towards the end of Beethoven’s life. It is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s final sonatas for the piano, given the full name: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, op. 110. I am writing about a video performance – found on YouTube – by Richard Goode in 1993. The performance piece is a sonata which is defined by Kerman as â€Å"a chamber-music piece in several movements† (Kerman, 427) The thirty-first sonata came to be in an interesting way. Moritz Schlesinger, in the summer of 1819, had made a request to Ludwig van Beethoven.†¦show more content†¦The second movement launches itself at 6:48 in the video. Like the end of the first movement, the second movement is loud. It is sudden and very, very noticeable. The second movemen t is also marked allegro because of the quick, lively tempo that it has. Anyone should be able to easily tell when the first movement transitions into the second movement. The third movement begins at 8:55 within the video. The third movement is an orderly part of the piece in which two slow sections of arioso and two fast fugues alternate with one another. This movement begins with an arioso, and you can tell because the beginning of it is quite slow – especially when compared to the fast-pace ending of the second movement. This sonata is based on two motifs, both of which you can find within the first movement. According to author Charles Rosen, these two motifs are â€Å"ascending or descending parallel fourths, and rising or falling sixths in scale motion† (Rosen, 235). The most noticeable of these motifs in the sonata are in the recapitulation of the first movement and in the opening of the second movement which is expressed with a six-note falling-scale motif. The ascending or descending parallel fourth motifs are present in the main themes of the first movement and the fugue and in the popular theme of the scherzo. The motifs of the rising sixths can be found in the first movement. The descending motifs – which are similar –Show MoreRelatedThe Music Of Beethoven : The Period Of Classical And Romantic Eras1129 Words   |  5 Pagesmost gifted and greatest composers was baptized by the name of Ludwig Van Beethoven. Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven was well known for expanding t he ideas of symphonies, sonatas, quartets, and concertos. Moreover, the music of Beethoven paved a way, as he became one of the most predominant and influential musical figures within the transitional period of classical and romantic eras. 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