Sonata in B minor

Lento assai – Allegro energico – Andante sostenuto – Allegro energico – Lento assai

The Sonata in B minor represents the most radical development of what Liszt called the “angular, unyielding squareness” of sonata form since Beethoven had completed the last of his piano sonatas thirty years before. He succeeded in constructing a sonata movement – with the conventionally required exposition, development and recapitulation sections – and incorporating within it elements of the usually separate slow movement, scherzo and finale. It was an immense achievement of intellect, melodic inspiration and, not least, imagination in its recourse to three works not readily recognisable as sonatas: Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, Schumann’s Fantasy in C major, and his own Grosses Konzertsolo.

It is arguable that all four main themes of the B minor Sonata are derived from the scalic descending motif introduced quietly but with all due significance at the beginning of the work. This motif does not appear as subject material itself: it is used almost exclusively as a signpost at the major structural interchanges. The first subject of what one might call the “first movement” - the Allegro energico section – is introduced forte in double octaves and has a percussive tail attached to it low in the bass register. After an impassioned development, at the urgent request of the scalic motif from the beginning it gives way to the two second-subject melodies – one unmistakably grandioso over repeated D major triads in both hands, the other a lyrical variant of it, both of them derived from the unlikely source of the percussive tail to the first subject.

This material is developed with great intensity until, again at the request of the scalic motif, the tempo is reduced to Andante sostenuto – marking the start of a ternary-form “slow movement” with a new main theme in F sharp major derived from the first subject and with the two earlier second-subject melodies reshaped as the melodic material of the middle section.

The transition to the next section shows how at least two of the main themes are related to the scalic motif, which reappears to introduce a scherzo-like fugato on the first subject. As well as being a combined fugue and scherzo, this is also the beginning of the recapitulation, for when the scalic motif returns it is to prepare the way for a climactic recall of the second subject in the tonic major, the first subject evidently having been disposed of by means of its transformation to fugue subject. Which leaves, for a finale, a Prestissimo coda, a quiet review of the four main themes, and a discreet ending in B major.

Lento assai - allegro energico - andante sostenuto - allegro energico - lento assai

The Sonata in B minor represents the most radical development of what Liszt called the “angular, unyielding squareness” of sonata form since Beethoven had completed the last of his piano sonatas thirty years before. He succeeded in constructing a sonata movement - with exposition, development and recapitulation - and incorporating within it elements of the conventionally separate slow movement, scherzo and finale. It was an immense achievement of intellect, melodic inspiration and, not least, imagination in its recourse to three works not readily recognisable as sonatas.

The most important of the three was Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, where there is no break between the four movements and where each is linked to the others by the theme they have in common. Another was Schumann’s Fantasy in C major, which is such a brilliant example of the art of transforming themes. The third was Liszt’s own Grosses Konzertsolo where, almost by accident, he had discovered how he could include an Andante within an integrated sonata-form construction. That work was written in 1849, four years before the great Sonata in B minor itself.

It is arguable that all four main themes of the B minor Sonata are derived from the scalic descending motif introduced quietly but with all due significance at the beginning of the work. This motif does not appear as subject material itself: it is used almost exclusively as a signpost at the major structural interchanges. The first subject of what one might call the “first movement” - the Allegro energico section - is introduced forte in double octaves and has a percussive tail attached to it low in the bass register. After an impassioned development, at the urgent request of the scalic motif from the beginning it gives way to the two second-subject melodies - one unmistakably grandioso over repeated D major triads in both hands, the other a lyrical variant of it, both of them derived from the

unlikely source of the percussive tail to the first subject.

This material is developed with great intensity until, again at the request of the scalic motif, the tempo is reduced to Andante sostenuto - marking the start of a ternary-form “slow movement” with a new main theme in F sharp major derived from the first subject and with the two earlier second-subject melodies reshaped as the melodic material of the middle section.

The transition to the next section shows how at least two of the main themes are related to the scalic motif, which reappears to introduce a scherzo-like fugato on the first subject. As well as being a combined fugue and scherzo, this is also the beginning of the recapitulation, for when the scalic motif returns it is to prepare the way for a climactic recall of the second subject in the tonic major, the first subject evidently having been disposed of by means of its transformation to fugue subject. Which leaves, for a finale, a Prestissimo coda, a quiet review of the four main themes, and a discreet ending in B major.

Lento assai - allegro energico - andante sostenuto - allegro energico - lento assai

The Sonata in B minor represents the most radical development of what Liszt called the “angular, unyielding squareness” of sonata form since Beethoven had completed the last of his piano sonatas thirty years before. He succeeded in constructing a sonata movement - with exposition, development and recapitulation - and incorporating within it elements of the conventionally separate slow movement, scherzo and finale. It was an immense effort of will power on his part, but there was at least as much inspiration in it, if only because he had the imagination to adopt as his models three works not readily recognisable as sonatas.

The most important of the three was Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, where there is no break between the four movements and where each is linked to the others by the theme they have in common. Another was Schumann’s Fantasy in C major, which is such a brilliant example (dedicated to Franz Liszt) of the art of transforming themes. The third was his own Grosses Konzertsolo where, almost by accident, he had discovered how he could include an Andante within an integrated sonata-form construction. That work was written in 1849; Liszt’s notorious arrangement of the “Wanderer“ Fantasy for piano and orchestra was completed in 1853 (and dedicated to Robert Schumann) at much the same time as the Sonata in B minor (also dedicated to Robert Schumann).

It is arguable that all four main themes of the B minor Sonata are derived from the scalic descending motif introduced quietly but with all due significance at the beginning of the work. This motif does not appear as subject material itself: it is used almost exclusively as a signpost at the major structural interchanges (a procedure which Schoenberg was to follow in his single-movement First String Quartet). The first subject of what one might call the “first movement” - the Allegro energico section - is introduced forte in double octaves and has a percussive tail attached to it low in the bass register. After an impassioned development, and at the urgent request of the scalic motif from the beginning, it gives way to the two second-subject melodies - one unmistakably grandioso over repeated D major triads in both hands, the other a lyrical variant of it, both of them derived from the unlikely source of the percussive tail to the first subject.

This material is developed with great intensity until, again at the request of the scalic motif, the tempo is reduced to Andante sostenuto - marking the start of a ternary-form “slow movement” with a new main theme in F sharp major derived from the first subject and with the two earlier second-subject melodies reshaped as the melodic material of the middle section.

The transition to the next section shows how at least two of the main themes are related to the scalic motif, which reappears to introduce a scherzo-like fugato on the first subject. As well as being a combined fugue and scherzo, this is also the beginning of the recapitulation, for when the scalic motif returns it is to prepare the way for a climactic recall of the second subject in the tonic major, the first subject evidently having been disposed of by means of its transformation to fugue subject. Which leaves, for a finale, a Prestissimo coda, a quiet review of the four main themes, and a discreet ending in B major.

Lento assai – Allegro energico – Andante sostenuto – Allegro energico – Lento assai

The Sonata in B minor represents the most radical development of what Liszt called the “angular, unyielding squareness” of sonata form since Beethoven had completed the last of his piano sonatas thirty years before. He succeeded in constructing a sonata movement – with exposition, development and recapitulation – and incorporating within it elements of the conventionally separate slow movement, scherzo and finale. It was an immense effort of will power on his part, but there was at least as much inspiration in it, if only because he had the imagination to adopt as his models three works not readily recognisable as sonatas.

The most important of the three was Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy, where there is no break between the four movements and where each is linked to the others by the theme they have in common. Another was Schumann’s Fantasy in C major which (dedicated to Franz Liszt) is such a brilliant example of the art of transforming themes. The third was Liszt’s own Grosses Konzertsolo where, almost by accident, he had discovered how he could include an Andante within an integrated sonata-form construction. That work was written in 1849; Liszt’s notorious arrangement of the “Wanderer“ Fantasy for piano and orchestra was completed in 1853 (and dedicated to Robert Schumann) at much the same time as the Sonata in B minor (also dedicated to Robert Schumann).

It is arguable that all four main themes of the B minor Sonata are derived from the scalic descending motif introduced quietly but with all due significance at the beginning of the work. This motif does not appear as subject material itself: it is used almost exclusively as a signpost at the major structural interchanges (a procedure which Schoenberg was to follow in his single-movement First String Quartet). The first subject of what one might call the “first movement” – the Allegro energico section – is introduced forte in double octaves and has a percussive tail attached to it low in the bass register. After an impassioned development, and at the urgent request of the scalic motif from the beginning, it gives way to the two second-subject melodies – one unmistakably grandioso over repeated D major triads in both hands, the other a lyrical variant of it, both of them derived from the unlikely source of the percussive tail to the first subject.

This material is developed with great intensity until, again at the request of the scalic motif, the tempo is reduced to Andante sostenuto – marking the start of a ternary-form “slow movement” with a new main theme in F sharp major derived from the first subject and with the two earlier second-subject melodies reshaped as the melodic material of the middle section.

The transition to the next section shows how at least two of the main themes are related to the scalic motif, which reappears to introduce a scherzo-like fugato on the first subject. As well as being a combined fugue and scherzo, this is also the beginning of the recapitulation, for when the scalic motif returns it is to prepare the way for a climactic recall of the second subject in the tonic major, the first subject evidently having been disposed of by means of its transformation to fugue subject. Which leaves, for a finale, a Prestissimo coda, a quiet review of the four main themes, and a discreet ending in B major.