Changes with the Eighteenth-Century Keyboard Sonata - Report Example

Changes With the Eighteenth Century Keyboard Sonata The eighteenth century keyboard sonata was one that defined music in a different way because of the new approaches to music that were considered during this time. This era was the beginning of the classical music time frame. Not only was this consistent with specific types of theories and musically related concepts, but also related to new instruments and evolutionary concepts that were being developed with sound. From both the theoretical changes and alterations in instruments that the keyboard sonata began to move into a new definition of what it meant to play the different pieces of literature. The first aspect defined by the 18th century keyboard sonata was with the division of families that began to be approached with the keyboard. There were three main families that were divided by the different tones produced, including stringed instruments, striking and bowed instruments1. Typically, the music would contribute with some minor adjustments to the music as well as the technique used. It wasn't until the beginning of the classical era that the keyboard was strictly defined by the way in which it was approached for technique and playing. “Emergence of idomatic writing was tied to larger stylistic development as well as to increasing availability and functional divergence of keyboards during the century.2” This particular distinction in the sound of the keyboard, and the composers and performers different understandings of sound is one of the main elements that began to drive the keyboard sonata forward while providing a different set of ideals for how the piano or keyboard should be approached. This particular ideal was further defined by the theories that were used during this time. During this time, the sonata moved from a set of separate theories to a fully defined set of forms and defined movements within music. The concept was to create a symmetry out of the form that was used, as well as balance throughout the piece. There were also stronger contrasts between the different pieces of musicality, which helped to define the uniqueness in the piece. Themes that became the central point of the sonata, followed by counterpoint and development of the themes through the form, became the central focus of those that were composing during this time. This was combined with emphasis on the melody, or main theme, with a harmony that worked to move the melody through the form.3 This paper will define how both theory and the new piano changed the sonata. This includes the theories of form and balance, as well as the movement into the piano as a primary instrument, which were both used to change the form of the sonata in the classical period. This was seen through the texture, harmony and experimentation that occurred within keyboard sonatas. The Haydn Sonata in Bb Major shows the specific changes that were a part of the theories for the sonata, showing an emphasis on the melody, as well as with the sonata form. This begins with the main theme that is stated at the beginning of the piece, which is depicted as the “A” theme. This is changed eight bars into the “B” theme. These two themes remain throughout the first movement as the driving part of the sonata. Each of these themes are held together by the harmony in the left hand, which is heard as a chordal harmony part throughout the first movement. The change in the first movement comes with the B section. This occurs after the a and b theme in the first section are repeated once. In the B section, the following of the sonata form continues, with a change in key signature to the relative minor. This helps to create the contrast of form. However, the a theme continues, providing an alteration to the theme by sound through the relative minor key, but not in relation to the overall theme. The left hand continues with the chordal harmonies with this. The Mozart Sonata K310 in a minor holds the same structures and ideals as the Haydn piece related to the first movement in sonata form. This begins with a strong melody that is defined for eight bars, then the b theme that is used with the next eight bars. The beginning of this piece opens with a chordal structure in the left hand that defines both the rhythm of the piece as well as the melody that is being played. These two themes then move into a B section which is the development of the sonata. The left hand continues with the chordal structure while the right hand moves into various modulations and melodies that redefine the first themes. This section is then repeated to the first a and b theme. After the first development section, Mozart moves into a C section in the piece. During this section, Mozart provides the classical movement contrast by changing into the relative minor key. This part of the movement is also known for having a louder section which uses murky bass in the left hand with sixteenth notes to provide a louder sound. This builds a louder sound that could be used for the keyboard at the time and also provides an alternative harmony that moves outside of the block chords and into the new structure required. The first movement then goes back to the A theme and A section to repeat the statement made in the sonata. The third piece analyzed is Haydn's Sonata XIV: 52 in Eb Major. The first movement of this piece is at an allegro tempo and works by defining the melody of the first theme with a and the second theme in b eight measures later. This is followed by a repetition of both themes, as well as the introduction to a c theme. This then moves back to the a theme. The difference between these is noted as a variation on the first theme with ornamentation being added, as well as piano runs that help to redefine the melody in a different way. This moves into the B section, with a new a theme. The b theme is followed with a modulation into the relative minor. This moves back to the a theme from the A section followed by the b theme. This is followed by a coda to the first part of the sonata. The next section of the first movement begins with the c theme of the B section in the first part of the sonata. This is followed by a development section with several runs and modulations outside of the theme to show an alteration in the melody. This then moves back to the A section to finish the first movement. The harmony differs from the other types of harmonies as it moves closer to the melody. Rather than playing block chords, it plays a combination of arpeggios, murky bass and other popular forms for the classical period. This is closer to the Mozart Sonata, and differs from the 2nd Haydn Sonata because of this. The second movement to the Haydn 2nd sonata has similar concepts. The main 'a' theme heard in the first movement is heard as a variation in the second movement. The tempo is at a 'largo' pace, which was a common part of the overall structure of the sonata. The tonality moves to a minor key with this, to provide a different expression and contrasting experience to the main themes. This switches to a major key with the introduction of the second theme, which differs from any of the other themes. This then moves back to the 'a' theme after the ending to the section, and as a part of the second section to the second movement. This moves back into the minor key of the piece with a section of development in this melody. During this time, the harmony of the left hand switches from the chordal harmony and to a repetitive set of notes from the right hand. However, this moves back to the chordal harmony after the development and into the main melody, which ends the second movement. The second movement of the Mozart piece is a slower piece and is played as “Andante.” The key signature in this piece is in ¾. This movement moves into the relative major of F from the a minor key to create the mood in the piece. The melody is clearly stated at the beginning, followed with the chordal structure in the left hand. The chord changes to arpeggios with the development of the b theme in this movement. This is further defined by ornamentation such as trills that work as the melody interchanges from the left to the right hand. It can be said that the second movement is similar in several aspects to Haydn's second movement of his second sonata with the chordal structure, slower movement and use of form between the a and b theme. The second movement is in the key of E major and is at an Adagio pace, defined in ¾ time. This introduces a new a theme that is redefined twice. This moves into the b theme after a repeat. The defining factor in this movement is the continuous rhythm by both the melody and the harmony of a double dotted eighth note followed by a thirty-second note. The use of rhythm with melody contrasts with the other sonatas as a different approach to similarities in the music. After the first A section, the second movement moves into a B section, which is defined by another modulation into e minor. This introduces a new a and b theme, which then moves into a small development section. This repeats back to the A section and the a and b theme from this, but differs with the extra ornamentation and runs that are added to this. The harmony once again follows the melodic structure, sometimes offering the same notes to this, as well as chordal harmonies and a variety of arpeggios. The second movement is in the key of E major and is at an Adagio pace, defined in ¾ time. This introduces a new a theme that is redefined twice. This moves into the b theme after a repeat. The defining factor in this movement is the continuous rhythm by both the melody and the harmony of a double dotted eighth note followed by a thirty-second note. After the first A section, the second movement moves into a B section, which is defined by another modulation into e minor. This introduces a new a and b theme, which then moves into a small development section. This repeats back to the A section and the a and b theme from this, but differs with the extra ornamentation and runs that are added to this. The harmony once again follows the melodic structure, sometimes offering the same notes to this, as well as chordal harmonies and a variety of arpeggios to accent the different parts of the melody throughout the movement. The third movement of the Haydn 2nd Sonata follows the form of a minuet, or dance piece. This is written in ¾. This is followed with an a and b theme and an A section. The B section moves into a trio. This changes into the key of Db for the main contrast. This also introduces two new themes to the piece. This is repeated to the A section of the minuet for the main part of the form. Throughout the third movement, the melody is highlighted with the harmony in the left hand chords remaining the supporting element of this piece. This also contains the same types of ornamentation that were used in the second movement to show the contrast with this form. The third movement of the Mozart piece moves into a “Presto” speed with a 2.4 tempo. This is defined by an a and b theme at the beginning. These are followed with harmonies that are in chordal structure as well as arpeggios. However, Mozart moves into a movement between the theme going between the left and right hand. After the development and repeat of themes a and b, Mozart moves into a c section, which is quite and contrasts against the louder sections in the first part. This also moves into the key of A major to define more contrast between the sections. After the development of this, Mozart moves back to the a minor key as well as to the a and b themes that were stated in the beginning. This differs from the Haydn piece, as Haydn uses the traditional dance form of minuet and trio, and also differs with the additional c section. However, the Presto movement always used this form to define the piece and to create the right effect with the three sections, as well as the main contrast being in the c section before the repeat of the piece. The third movement is a Presto, similar to the Mozart Sonata, and is in 2/4 and in the key of Eb. This begins with the a theme that is repeated twice, with the second time moving into a different set of tones. This moves into a small development where the left hand takes the melody and the right hand plays an arpeggio type run. The b theme contrasts with this as it moves more slowly and is softer. This moves into another modulation with this theme, almost like a variation on the theme with specific counterpoint ideals moving through the melody. The B section begins with a repeat in the melody in what sounds like a relative minor key. This is followed by the development section that is filled with runs and prodigy like materials for the pianist. There is then a movement back to the A section with extra ornamentation to end the movement and the piece. The harmony in this piece uses repetitive notes and rhythm as the defining point to move the piece forward. This moves back and forth between the bass and treble clef and helps to define the melody as a contrast to what is being played. Comparison and Contrast of 3 Sonata's Even though each of these pieces were written in the classical era, there are several similarities and differences from the time frame. The one consistent part is the overall form and structure in the pieces. This follows the three movements, development of two or three themes, repeats that are used throughout the piece and type of movement. All three use a dance like movement at the end, such as the presto or minuet, as well as a slower movement in the middle. This is combined with the development of themes popular for the time. Similar to this is the use of harmony and melody to define the pieces. All three pieces use the melody as the defining point. The Haydn Sonata 2 stays with this melody and main themes through each of the movements, while developing this as the main section. These are the defining points of the Sonata. The harmony also relates to this. All three of the Sonatas use the chordal harmony in the bass clef as the main type of harmony. Haydn's Sonata 2 stays with this as the main part of harmony. Mozart combines this with murky bass, arpeggios and accented parts of the chords. Haydn's Sonata 52 also does this, but moves into contrasts with the melody, as well as thinner textures with the chords to help and define the melody. The similarities in harmony differ past the main approach through all three sonatas. For instance, in the Mozart Sonata, there is a difference between the approach to the movements from the Haydn Sonata 2 in Bb. Specifically, Haydn focuses more on the theme and development of this. Mozart combines in prodigy type runs throughout the piece as an alteration to the melody instead of just developing the theme. The Haydn Sonata 52 uses the same types of runs and ornaments as a defining point, not in the melody, but instead in the harmonies. Not only are these differences in harmonies, but also in the development of the form. For instance, the development section of the first movement in both Mozart and the later Haydn Sonata is much longer then Haydn's 2nd Sonata and is used to embellish in the movement more then Haydn does. This shows that, over time, the Sonata began to develop into more development with the melodies and themes as a main basis. This was combined with more thematic statements, as well as longer developments that were within the form. The composers began to develop the sonatas differently over time, shown specifically through Haydn's 2nd Sonata and 52nd Sonata. There are more themes in the 52nd Sonata, as well as more room for development to slightly begin to move outside of the main form. One of the main differences noted between the sonatas is based on the embellishments and the dynamic contrasts. It is this specific difference between sonatas that can be said to be linked to the development of the piano. Haydn's second sonata, for instance, does not have as many contrasts in dynamics. It can be said that this sonata was also developed earlier into the classical era, which provided a difference in the keyboards used. This differs from Mozart's Sonata as well as Haydn's Sonata 52, as both work towards the use of larger and softer dissonances throughout the piece, as well as sforzandos and dynamic ranges that are used in more contemporary types of pianos. Conclusion It can be seen from these three pieces, that while the concept of the sonata and the outer form and structure were kept, the inner development over time changed. The development of the form, harmony, melody and use of the Sonata were the first noticeable changes in each of these movements. Each became more developed in form, used different harmonies and approached the structure for melodies in a different way. Through the different concepts, it could be seen that there was a sense of experimentation within the main form and structure of the sonata. Through this, it could be seen that there was a change in how the music was approached with the innovations based on the inner musicality of the sonata, as well as through the experimentation tied into the texture of the development of the piano and of the structure of the sonata. References 1. Burkholder, J., Grout, D.J. and Palisca, C., A History of Western Music, 7th Edition, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. pg. 7 2. Haydn, Joseph. “Sonata XVI: 2 in Bb Minor.” 3. Haydn, Joseph. “Sonata XVI: 52 in Eb Major.” 4. Marshall, Robert. “Eighteenth Century Keyboard Music.” Routledge: New York, 2003. pg. 23 5. Mozart, Wolfgang, Amadeus. “Sonata K310 in A minor.” 6. Palmer, Willard. “The Classical Era: An Introduction to the Keyboard Music.” Alfred: USA. pg. 4 Read More

This is changed eight bars into the “B” theme. These two themes remain throughout the first movement as the driving part of the sonata. Each of these themes are held together by the harmony in the left hand, which is heard as a chordal harmony part throughout the first movement. The change in the first movement comes with the B section. This occurs after the a and b theme in the first section are repeated once. In the B section, the following of the sonata form continues, with a change in key signature to the relative minor.

This helps to create the contrast of form. However, the a theme continues, providing an alteration to the theme by sound through the relative minor key, but not in relation to the overall theme. The left hand continues with the chordal harmonies with this. The Mozart Sonata K310 in a minor holds the same structures and ideals as the Haydn piece related to the first movement in sonata form. This begins with a strong melody that is defined for eight bars, then the b theme that is used with the next eight bars.

The beginning of this piece opens with a chordal structure in the left hand that defines both the rhythm of the piece as well as the melody that is being played. These two themes then move into a B section which is the development of the sonata. The left hand continues with the chordal structure while the right hand moves into various modulations and melodies that redefine the first themes. This section is then repeated to the first a and b theme. After the first development section, Mozart moves into a C section in the piece.

During this section, Mozart provides the classical movement contrast by changing into the relative minor key. This part of the movement is also known for having a louder section which uses murky bass in the left hand with sixteenth notes to provide a louder sound. This builds a louder sound that could be used for the keyboard at the time and also provides an alternative harmony that moves outside of the block chords and into the new structure required. The first movement then goes back to the A theme and A section to repeat the statement made in the sonata.

The third piece analyzed is Haydn's Sonata XIV: 52 in Eb Major. The first movement of this piece is at an allegro tempo and works by defining the melody of the first theme with a and the second theme in b eight measures later. This is followed by a repetition of both themes, as well as the introduction to a c theme. This then moves back to the a theme. The difference between these is noted as a variation on the first theme with ornamentation being added, as well as piano runs that help to redefine the melody in a different way.

This moves into the B section, with a new a theme. The b theme is followed with a modulation into the relative minor. This moves back to the a theme from the A section followed by the b theme. This is followed by a coda to the first part of the sonata. The next section of the first movement begins with the c theme of the B section in the first part of the sonata. This is followed by a development section with several runs and modulations outside of the theme to show an alteration in the melody.

This then moves back to the A section to finish the first movement. The harmony differs from the other types of harmonies as it moves closer to the melody. Rather than playing block chords, it plays a combination of arpeggios, murky bass and other popular forms for the classical period. This is closer to the Mozart Sonata, and differs from the 2nd Haydn Sonata because of this. The second movement to the Haydn 2nd sonata has similar concepts. The main 'a' theme heard in the first movement is heard as a variation in the second movement.

The tempo is at a 'largo' pace, which was a common part of the overall structure of the sonata. The tonality moves to a minor key with this, to provide a different expression and contrasting experience to the main themes. This switches to a major key with the introduction of the second theme, which differs from any of the other themes.

Read More