Wölfl, Joseph : Sonate für Klavier Nr.1 a-moll Op. 6-1
Work Overview
Instrumentation:Piano Solo
Genre:sonata
Total Playing Time:19 min 50 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (2)
Author : Maruyama, Yoko
Last Updated: March 12, 2018
[Open]
Author : Maruyama, Yoko
Composed in 1798 and published in the same year.BeethovenDedicated to Beethoven. Wölfl placed second to Beethoven in a piano competition. This background suggests that the two had a healthy rivalry. All three works share a fast-slow-fast three-movement structure, with keys of A minor – D major – A major. The placement of a minor key in the first movement is common with Beethoven's Op. 2. Overall, there is a wealth of virtuosic passagework, leaving no doubt that these pieces were written with the expectation that they would be performed by Wölfl himself, a clavier virtuoso, or by the dedicatee, Beethoven.
Author : Maruyama, Yoko
Last Updated: March 12, 2018
[Open]
Author : Maruyama, Yoko
No. 1 First Movement: Allegro
4/4 time, A minor, sonata form. The principal theme, consisting of arpeggiated chords with an improvisatory gesture reminiscent of a fantasy, is presented in the low register, notated in the bass clef for both hands. As the upper voice moves to a higher register, modulation begins, leading through a four-measure interpolation (m. 20ff.) contrasting with the theme, and thematic motives over dominant ninth chords in G minor and C minor respectively, before entering the subordinate theme in the relative major, C major, from m. 29. However, here, after the key is established by a melodic four-measure phrase, it transitions into a virtuosic passage played by alternating hands, giving the entire C major section a more transitional character rather than that of a closed thematic phrase. From m. 56, the principal thematic motive reappears in the low register, similar to the opening of the movement, slightly varied and displaced by a half-measure. Upon modulating to F minor, a pianistic passage is inserted (m. 28), and then the target key of C major is re-established by the opening thematic motive. This entire sequence of structures that closes the exposition is very similar to the transition from the principal theme to the subordinate theme.
In the development section (m. 79ff.), the materials from the exposition are first briefly presented in C major, undergoing variation. At m. 93, the passage from the subordinate theme group appears in C minor, and modulation begins. After a five-measure interpolation (m. 99ff.) with a new motive not present in the exposition, the opening theme of the movement reappears as early as m. 104. However, here it is a reappearance on the dominant of the movement's tonic key. Thereafter, the thematic motive is repeated while avoiding cadences, and the descending fifth in the bass that determines the return to the tonic is postponed until mm. 133-134, which corresponds to the interpolation at m. 20 of the exposition (although the tonality itself remains in A minor from m. 120 onwards). This technique, often seen in composers like Haydn, involves the early reappearance of only the opening thematic phrase or a part of its motive, with the return to the tonic occurring only around the reappearance of the subordinate theme, thereby facilitating the smooth key setting of the subordinate theme in the recapitulation. Thereafter, the exposition is recapitulated almost conventionally until the end of the movement.
Second Movement: Adagio ma non troppo
3/4 time, A major, binary form. The opening phrase of the first half (mm. 1-8, A) has a simple 8 (4+4) measure structure, but it employs many chromatic progressions, enriching its harmonic color. Measures 9-16 (B) form a transitional section modulating from the tonic to the dominant, written around simple descending stepwise motives of thirds or fourths that are not particularly melodic. The third section (mm. 16-25, C) is supported by arpeggios in the left hand, while the right hand plays a lively motive with dotted rhythms. The latter half of section C is more delicately crafted compared to the first half, with the note values of the motives becoming subdivided and harmonic changes becoming richer. Regarding harmony, it becomes clearer when focusing on the bass line. That is, in contrast to the first half of section C, in the latter half (from m. 20 onwards), the ascending E-G# and descending from B are all chromatic progressions. The final four measures of the first half establish E major with a cadence.
Examining the material of each section reveals that the music is structured to gradually increase in dynamism from section A towards section C. The most striking example is the change in fundamental note values, from quarter notes or eighth notes to sixteenth notes and sextuplets. This increase in dynamism is also supported by dynamics and syncopation.
In the second half (m. 29ff.), only the first four measures of section A are presented, followed by an interpolation using material from mm. 25-28, and then from m. 36, a modulating section based on material from section C begins. At m. 42, the movement returns to the tonic key of A major (though the leading-tone progression A#-B, characteristic of B major, remains), and section B recurs. Here, in contrast to the first half, both the right and left hands play sextuplet arpeggios, and the descending stepwise motive is incorporated into part of the arpeggio. This unifies the rhythm of the latter half almost entirely. From m. 49 (section C) onwards, the first half is recapitulated almost literally in the movement's tonic key.
Third Movement: Presto
4/2 time, A minor, written in a form that combines elements of rondo and variation. The imitative thematic section of the opening 16 measures (A) and the subsequent thematic section in A major (mm. 16-40, B) share commonalities not only in the motives used but also in their texture, where the principal voice appears alternately in both hands. Wölfl seems to have distinguished the treatment of each theme in their subsequent reappearances, while maintaining these commonalities between them. This is because when theme A reappears as a whole, its original form is generally preserved, and it becomes the subject of thematic manipulation in the middle section, whereas theme B is primarily varied throughout its entirety.
After the presentation of both themes A and B, followed by a reappearance of A, a variation of B, and then theme A again up to m. 13, a modulating section resembling a development begins via a sequence (m. 100ff.). Here, first, a four-measure musical idea derived from the opening motive of the theme is imitated in both hands, just as in the initial appearance of theme A. Thereafter, the first two measures of the thematic motive appear concentrated in the left hand, while the right hand repeats arpeggios supporting the harmony. When the thematic motive shifts to the right hand (m. 133ff.), the arrival at the tonic chord, which appears at m. 144, is prepared by a dominant pedal E in the movement's tonic key, played by the left hand. However, unlike a typical sonata form, the tonic chord returns not with theme A, the opening theme of the movement in A minor, which has undergone sufficient motivic development in the modulating section, but simultaneously with theme B in A major. Furthermore, the recapitulation of theme B is shortened here, transitioning to the next section via a sequence of the motive at the end of the theme, similar to when entering the modulating section. Thus, from m. 156, a four-measure phrase derived from the opening motive of theme A is repeated. This is suddenly interrupted during its third presentation by a cadence in A major following a tonic chord in first inversion. The phrase from m. 156 onwards is repeated once more from the A minor tonic chord, and this time, the musical flow pauses temporarily on a diminished seventh chord with a fermata, preparing the coda.
The coda begins over a dominant pedal, followed by a reappearance of the first eight measures of theme A, and repetitions of the four-measure phrase from mm. 156-158 and its variations. Considering the above structure, one might even consider the coda to have begun as early as m. 156. Finally, the turn motive and ascending stepwise motive that characterize the theme disappear, leaving only the alternation of dominant and tonic chords, and after a general pause, the tonic chord of the main key is powerfully sounded, bringing the piece to a close.