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Home > Eberl, Anton > Sonata c-moll

Eberl, Anton : Sonata c-moll Op.1

Work Overview

Music ID : 9843
Composition Year:1792 
Publication Year:1798
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:sonata
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (1)

Author : Maruyama, Yoko

Last Updated: March 12, 2018
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

C minor, Sonata form

1. Introduction: Adagio

In the fantasia-like introduction, the melody, which includes a descending perfect fourth of a lament (Note 1), diminished seventh chords, and syncopation, collectively create a solemn atmosphere. From the fifth measure of the first half of the introduction, the bass slowly descends from the tonic C to the leading tone F-sharp of the dominant key, eventually reaching a half cadence on the dominant seventh chord of C minor. The latter half begins in a somewhat exceptional E-sharp minor, and in contrast to the first half, it modulates through multiple keys.

2. Exposition: Allegro con brio

The opening theme of the Allegro main section shares textures and motives with the introduction, yet its non-dotted rhythm and predominantly ascending melodic line contrast with the introduction. In the transition section, the dotted rhythmic motive b of the theme is incorporated into the secondary voice, and the theme's descending melody is used for imitative motives in both hands (from m. 42 onwards), indicating that thematic development has already begun.

  • Subordinate Theme Group

The first phrase of the subordinate theme group shares commonalities with the introduction (see formal diagram). In this respect, it connects with the Allegro's opening theme, but in contrast to the latter's unison texture, one hand plays the octave melodic line while the other provides accompaniment, reinforcing the melodic line with arpeggiated chords. The perfect authentic cadence of the phrase following the theme becomes the starting note of the next eight-measure phrase. The repetition of this phrase involves a modified cadence, temporarily departing from E-flat major, and this harmonic shift strengthens the effect of the perfect authentic cadence in E-flat major at m. 91. Subsequently, the section up to m. 111 utilizes previously introduced motives. However, because phrases with differing motives, textures, and harmonic progressions are juxtaposed, some parts appear to create abrupt musical changes.

Note 1

Lament refers to a musical figure used to express the affect of “grief,” employed in vocal pieces with sorrowful lyrics as well as in instrumental music. It often appears in the bass, consisting of a repeated descending scale figure of a perfect fourth. This bass pattern is known as the lament bass and was widely used even in the 19th century.

Note 2

Fauxbourdon originally referred to an improvisational singing method or shorthand notation in 15th-century polyphonic music, specifically a method of expanding vocal parts by adding a third voice between the upper and lower voices, a perfect fourth below the upper voice. The relationship between the uppermost voice and the two lower voices becomes a sixth and a perfect fourth respectively, forming a harmonic progression of successive first-inversion chords (six-chords).

  • Development – Recapitulation

The first half of the development section is dedicated to the manipulation of the main theme's motives. In the latter half of the development section, the momentum is heightened through the compression of phrases and rhythms. Specifically, an imitative phrase based on motive a from the exposition appears as a four-measure phrase; subsequently, the motive from the latter half of the phrase transforms into a sixteenth-note scale motive, shortening it to a two-measure phrase (derived from m. 48); and the half-note progression from the opening of the theme is omitted, further truncating the formal unit (m. 147). As described above, in this movement, since the main theme is extensively utilized in the development section, its recapitulation in the tonic key in the same form as in the exposition is omitted. Instead, it is prepared by a G pedal point, and the recapitulation can be understood as beginning with the simultaneous return of the subordinate theme and the movement's tonic key, C minor. Thereafter, it is an almost faithful recapitulation of the exposition up to the closing theme. Furthermore, similar to the exposition, the subordinate theme in the recapitulation also retains a temporary shift to F minor. Considering the tonal plan of the final movement, which will be discussed later, it is clear that the subdominant was emphasized in this work. The coda, which directly follows the perfect authentic cadence of the closing theme, features all main motives a, b, and c, seemingly summarizing the movement.

Second Movement: Andante espressivo

2/4 time, E-flat major

A graceful slow movement based on the bel canto style. The opening theme is immediately repeated, but in this instance, the subsequent phrase is rewritten into a new six-measure phrase (designated as a), resulting in an asymmetrical formal structure for the entire A section. In the transition section, phrases with few commonalities in terms of motive, texture, and length are juxtaposed without cadences. The B section corresponds to the A section in terms of its formal structure and the appearance of phrase a in its latter half (from m. 43 onwards). On the other hand, while the melodic and accompanying voices were distributed between the left and right hands in the A section, the texture in the B section seems to be differentiated from A, for instance, by parts of the melody appearing in parallel thirds in both hands. Furthermore, although the B section conveys a sense of thematic coherence due to its clear phrase structure and the retention of B-flat major, it is categorized as a transitional section because of its numerous appoggiaturas, deferred perfect authentic cadences, and the fact that the B section does not recur in the latter half of the movement. As if to compensate for the harmonically suspended state lacking a definitive perfect authentic cadence in the B section, the tonic B-flat is sustained for eight measures in the C section. The decorative melody and the fluidity of the sixteenth-note accompaniment also contrast with the B section. However, from m. 60, the character abruptly changes to a hesitant gait with descending seconds in quarter and eighth notes and irregular accents, leading towards the return of the A section. The remainder of the movement has a very concise structure, achieved by the repetition of phrase a after the A section. That is, since the progression from phrase a to the C section has already been presented, a smooth transition from A to C is achieved without new phrases to adjust for transitional sections or cuts in the B section. The descending melody in the latter half of the C section uses double dots and rests, resulting in a more hesitant pace than its initial appearance. The coda begins where the accompaniment changes to sixteenth notes and the music resumes its smooth motion.

Third Movement: FINALE Allegro molto

6/8 time, C minor, Sonata form

  • Exposition

The opening eight measures of the theme are rhythmically crafted, aided by the regular expansion and contraction of the range through leaps in the left hand. Measures 8-17 can be regarded as a variation of the opening eight measures, both motivically and harmonically. The first section of the subordinate theme group (mm. 38-57), in contrast to the movement's opening theme, consistently features arpeggios in the left hand and a melodic voice in the right hand within a fixed range. The second section (mm. 57-73) is based on previously introduced material (motives b and c). Although the section as a whole is based on E-flat major, secondary dominants and chromatic progressions are prominent up to m. 73, giving it a strong transitional character. Here, ingenuity in metrical structure is also observed. Specifically, motive c is first quoted with the same metrical structure as the transition, and then from m. 67, it is quoted with the motive's starting position shifted by a half measure. Returning to the original metrical structure and resolving to the tonic of E-flat major, the phrase corresponding to m. 22 of the transition section is recapitulated with changes from its initial appearance, leading to the closing theme. Thus, by using the same material for both the transition to the subordinate theme and the transition to the closing theme, the correspondence between sections with similar formal roles is strengthened.

  • Development

The modulation at the beginning of the development section utilizes the fact that lowering the E-flat of the chord motive at the end of the exposition by a semitone yields E natural, the leading tone of F minor. This is followed by a modulating section based on the closing theme. After the main theme appears fragmentarily, the tonality progresses to G minor, seemingly preparing for the recapitulation both motivically and harmonically. However, at measures 129-130, as the G minor tonic chord progresses to a VI chord in first inversion, the harmony departs from G minor. Therefore, from m. 134, the preparation for the recapitulation begins again with a variation of motive a and a G pedal point. Here, Eberl shortens the motive, limits the left hand to stepwise motion, and the right hand to fragmented repetitions of G, thus suppressing the musical momentum to its extreme before entering the theme's recapitulation with an anacrusis, gaining impetus.

  • Recapitulation

The recapitulation is an almost faithful restatement of the exposition. However, it is noteworthy that the subordinate theme begins in the parallel major key (C major) rather than the work's tonic key (C minor). Another striking feature is an interpolated passage with bold harmonic progression added in the middle of the closing theme (from m. 214 onwards). Specifically, the bass ascends chromatically measure by measure from G to A-flat to A natural, and sharp dissonances are sounded, including an F minor diminished seventh chord, an F minor tonic chord in first inversion, and a G minor diminished seventh chord. It is undeniable that Eberl intentionally inserted a device here to interrupt the established musical flow and surprise the audience. The coda, which concludes the sonata, consists of virtuosic passages such as voice exchange between both hands and rapid ascending arpeggios, serving as the performer's final display of skill.

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Writer: Maruyama, Yoko
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