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Cello Sonata in G minor, op. 5 no. 2
Beethoven
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The two cello sonatas Beethoven wrote in 1796 are historically important as apparently the first cello sonatas with a written-out piano accompaniment rather than a simple continuo part that would leave the keyboard player some degree of improvisational freedom.
The G minor sonata begins with what seems like a slow introduction – but this introduction expands to the length of an independent movement – in effect placing the slow movement at the sonata’s beginning! The sad plaint of the cello soon becomes an affecting duet with the piano. The mood brightens a bit as the duet proceeds, but finally subsides as if exhausted, and leading directly into the allegro molto second movement, a lively and basically happy movement despite the fact that it spends a considerably amount of its time in the minor mode. Beethoven’s piano writing here is fleet and virtuosic. The concluding rondo movement, based on two nicely contrasted melodic ideas, bubbles along happily to the vigorous conclusion.
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Cello Sonata in C major, op. 102 no. 1
Beethoven
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Not many major composers turned out enough music for cello and piano to make up a full program. Beethoven did, however, and his five sonatas and several sets of variations for that combination make for nicely contrasted listening.
The C major sonata, written in 1815, has an unusual formal layout. It is basically in two movements, each of them a sprightly allegro preceded by a longer-than-usual slow introduction which almost –- but not quite –- attains the status of a separate movement in its own right.
The slow (andante) introduction to the first movement begins with the cello alone, soon joined by the piano in an extended soulful dialogue that creates a sense of anticipation. The allegro vivace arrives with a vigorous theme featuring dotted-rhythm sequences that play a major part in the thematic development.
The second movement begins adagio with decorative piano figures and quiet ruminations by the cello. The alert listener will hear in this extended prelude a simple figure of four rising notes that will play a major role in the final allegro that follows. This lively final movement is notable for several sudden pauses in which the quizzical little four-note figure is proposed like a quirky question that neither player cares to answer. The close is typical of Beethoven in his good humored mood with its sudden switches from softness to a final emphatic cadence.
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Seven Variations on “Bei Mannern welche liebe fuhlen”
From Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” WoO 46
Beethoven
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The abbreviation “WoO” stands for “werk ohne Opuszahl” (Work without opus number) – usually an indication that Beethoven did not regard a piece as one of his major efforts worthy of a place in the formal list of his works.
This brief charming set of variations, written in 1801, is a good example – a delightful and entertaining piece based on a tune likely to be familiar to Beethoven’s audience. The tune is a duet sung in the first act of Mozart’s serio-comic masterpiece by the flighty birdcatcher Papageno and the opera’s heroine Pamina, one the subject of the joys of love between man and woman. The variations are straightforward and never stray very far from the famous tune.
The third variation begins as a lovely songful theme for the cello, and the fourth is the obligatory interlude in a minor key. In general the mood is extroverted and joyful, with opportunities for both players to show off their technical prowess. This is Beethoven at his least Olympian, but even so worth close listening attention.
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Cello Sonata in A major, op. 69
Beethoven
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This is the best known and most frequently heard of Beethoven’s five sonatas for cello and piano. It dates from 1807-1808. Beethoven scrawled a cryptic Latin motto on the autograph score, “Amid tears and sorrow,” which some have interpreted as his reaction to a failed love affair. It is hard, however, to connect that idea with the music of op. 69, which is mainly confident and buoyant in style.
The first theme of the opening movement is a smooth melody begun by the solo cello and completed by the piano. There is a stormy transition to the lyrical second subject and a vigorous closing theme proposed by the piano. The development ranges widely afield in dealing with these themes, and in the recapitulation section the first theme reappears in the cello with delightful decorations wound around it by the piano.
The middle movement, a scherzo, features a cleverly syncopated opening theme and a broadly lyrical contrasting theme that is heard over restless accompaniment figures in the piano. The form is A-B-A-B-A – all accomplished in a little over five minutes! The close is quiet and a bit mysterious.
The last movement is prefaced by an extended slow introduction that might deceive some listeners into expecting a full-dress slow movement; but shortly comes a transition to the lighthearted allegro that is the main body of the movement. There is a quizzical little second theme that occasionally interrupts the movement’s prevailing jollity. There are some interesting fluctuations back and forth between major and minor before the emphatic closing measures.
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Program Notes by Robert Finn
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