Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major

The Piano Sonata No. 9 in E Major, Op. 14, No. 1, is an early-period work by Ludwig van Beethoven, dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. It was composed in 1798 and arranged - not transcribed - for string quartet by the composer in 1801, the result containing more quartet-like passagework and in the more comfortable key of F major.

Form

The sonata is in three movements:

1. Allegro in E major
2. Allegretto in E minor with a trio in C major (which returns in the Coda)
3. Rondo - Allegro comodo in E major.

The first movement opens with a series of ascending fourths in the right hand, followed by a quartet-like echoing of a phrase in different octaves. The second theme, in B major, is based on a chromatically ascending scale. The development is full of sixteenth-note arpeggios in the left hand, and sixteenth-note left-hand scales accompany the start of the recapitulation, but the movement ends quietly.

The second movement is minuet-like; the main section does not resolve to a full cadence, but ends on an E major chord that feels like the dominant of A minor. The first time, this leads without intermediate modulation to the trio, headed "Maggiore," in C; after its return, the coda briefly quotes the C major tune before returning to E minor.

The third movement is a lively rondo. On its final return, the main theme is syncopated against triplets.

Apart from some passages in the rondo (such as the final return), the sonata is quite easy to play. Notwithstanding its seeming simplicity, this sonata introduces the "sturm und drang" character that became so commonly identified with Beethoven. He adds drama both in the contrast between the lyrical passages that follow very active, textured thematic sections. Furthermore, the contrasting dynamics and variation between major and minor, between using the parallel minor and the subdominant of its relative major (E-minor to C-major). These were new techniques that offer a hint of the innovations that Beethoven brought to end the Classical era and begin the Romantic era.

External links

• A lecture by András Schiff on Beethoven's piano sonata op. 14 no. 1
• Notes on the cycle of the sonatas performed by Artur Pizarro
• Notes by Christian Leotta includes information on the quartet version
• For a public domain recording of this sonata visit Musopen
• Piano Sonata No. 9: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.