The analysis focuses on how Beethoven employs sonata form in his Piano Sonata No 3, op. 2, Allegro con brio. Classical composers have used this form to convey intricate yet cohesive ideas in their music. Sonata form contains various themes and their variations, which are unified when these excerpts reoccur. Beethoven, in the opening movement of his Piano Sonata Opus 2 Number 3, effectively utilizes this form, adapting its structure in his unique style. The sonata commences with a gentle yet vigorous energy.
The third beat of this motif propels the piece into the next bar with trill-like sixteenth notes. The motif reappears for two bars, then undergoes variation and expansion for four bars, unveiling a sentence. A brief tag catches attention with the bass introducing the motif, as well as forceful hits and syncopation. By measure 13, the main theme has swiftly passed and the sonata advances with arpeggios and alternating octaves composed of sixteenth notes. The transition at measure thirteen marks the initial peculiarity of Beethoven’s craftsmanship.
The initial eight bars adhere closely to convention, lacking memorability and transitioning clearly to G Major. Measure 21 introduces a high-register melody that reappears later in the development without modulation. While it may seem like a new section, astute listeners will recognize this theme as being in the dominant, excluding it as a secondary principal theme inserted after the transition. The melody concludes with a profound descent spanning two octaves, culminating in a powerful cadence in G, followed by a pause – the medial caesura in the dominant.
Although the medial caesura typically cadences on V of the dominant, this cadence is the most common deviation from the norm that Beethoven employs in this composition. At measure 27, a remarkable change in dynamics signifies the introduction of the flowing subordinate theme. This section, played on the piano, starts in g minor but swiftly transitions to different keys—an exceptionally unusual technique to incorporate at this stage of the composition’s structure. Beethoven passes through d minor, leading us towards the conclusion of the subordinate theme, which then transitions us into a minor key and the most intriguing part of the exposition.
The music after the initial subordinate theme is characterized by its loud, rapid, and sequential nature. It briefly shifts into both flat and sharp keys and concludes with a strong cadence on the dominant of the dominant, followed by a break in the harmonic rhythm, creating another medial caesura. These elements unmistakably identify this as a second transition, which features an even more pronounced medial caesura than the one after the first transition. This unconventional addition to a sonata form was not often considered by composers prior to Beethoven. However, convention is reinstated as this transition section is properly followed by a second subordinate theme.
The second subordinate theme in G major is adorned with turns, trills, and mordents. It is marked as “dolce.” The right hand maintains a continuous eighth-note texture similar to the first subordinate theme, while the left hand plays whole notes in most measures. This subordinate theme also modulates, first to D major, and eventually to a V7 of C before the following segment. Measure 61 offers several analysis possibilities, as it can be seen as both a subordinate theme and a transition due to its resemblance to measure 13 and its modulating harmony.
However, the strong and fast sixteenth notes contrast sharply with the sweet section that came before, indicating that the closing themes have started. This theme starts on a C major chord, but it becomes clear that it is only a IV chord and the section is in G. The alternating octave sixteenth notes on the second and fourth beats of these measures remind the listener of the sixteenths in the opening statement of the sonata taken to the extreme. The syncopated material in the last four bars of the first closing theme reflects a clear similarity to the end of the main theme, which further confirms the definition of this material.
The music from this point forward is firmly set in G major as the exposition reaches its conclusion. The volume increases to fortissimo at mm. 73 as the texture becomes thinner and the harmony becomes very clear for a short section. In this second closing theme, G major, G augmented, and E minor7 in the bass are prominently arpeggiated before four octaves of C, D, and G quickly reaffirm the key of G. This cadential crash is followed by some of the softest and most delicate material of the entire movement, which is proven to still be part of the second closing theme due to the surrounding measures.
The exposition concludes with a third closing theme. The use of thundering octaves and scalar G major material, along with various applied harmonies, guides us to the final perfect authentic cadence of the exposition. Beethoven’s part-writing in this last cadence would have undoubtedly resulted in failure, as it contains four instances of parallel fifths and two instances of parallel octaves, with doubled leading tones. Following a repeat of the exposition, the performance proceeds to the development section, utilizing the gentle material from the latter half of closing theme two.
The passage initially starts in a higher pitch compared to its initial presentation and quickly transitions. After eight bars, a new arpeggiated section begins on a Bb7 chord, creating a chromatic bass line that shifts to C# right before measure 109. At this point, the opening theme returns, but this time transposed up by a whole step. If the principal theme is heard in the incorrect key, it is a clear indication of a false recapitulation. The P theme is then played on the piano for 20 measures until it firmly settles on the dominant during the retransition.
The dependent retransition in Beethoven’s Opus 2 Number 3 leads the listener to fortissimo alterations of the P theme over a pedal G7. It eventually transitions to the delicate, racing principal theme at the recapitulation. While much of the structure remains the same and themes from the dominant key return correctly transposed into the tonic key, Beethoven’s musical eccentricities are still apparent. Just eight bars into the recap, new material is introduced.
The start of this transition does not come from the exposition, but the conclusion of the first transition in the exposition reappears to conclude the transition here. Following the recapitulation of the initial subordinate theme, approximately sixty bars adhere strictly to the structure of sonata form, until just before the anticipated final closing theme. Surprisingly, the music abruptly shifts into a flowing, rubato-like segment in the remotely related key of Ab major. This marks the beginning of a segment of music that is so indescribable that it is best described as an insertion of music that disrupts the flow of this section and leads into the eventual concluding theme.
The initial four bars of this insertion, found at measure 218, bear some resemblance to the fresh material at measure 97 in the development. However, they quickly deviate from any customary structure as eighth note and triplet phrases are expressed and then reiterated with transpositions of whole steps followed by half steps. This remarkable section transitions into a sustained C major chord at measure 232 and ultimately leads to a cadenza that restores the tonic. Merely four bars of the main theme are presented before a final segment of novel material at mm. 237 is introduced.
The idea of using a subdominant and dominant cadence, with the bass note moving to ‘la’ instead of ‘do’, serves as a fine closing material. This creates a dynamic drop to piano and pianissimo, giving a deceptive cadence before finally concluding the work with the third closing theme. Beethoven used mixture extensively in this piece to enhance its expressive qualities. The first instance of the minor mode can be heard in the subordinate theme, which starts in g minor. Measure 41 of the transition following this section also includes g minor measures after playing B and E naturals.
The suggestion for C minor is to be used in parts of the theme and also in the retransition. The first two phrases of the development are finished with Mixture. The first phrase concludes on c minor, while the next phrase, transposed up a fourth, arrives at an f minor chord. A flats and E flats are present throughout the development, and at mm. 97, the Bb major chord acts as a mixture chord in either C or G, which are the main keys of this piece. After the recapitulation of the principal theme, the new material incorporates B flats in an ascending chromatic sequence from A to B. This suggests that Beethoven intended a minor seventh instead of an applied harmony.
Beethoven’s most surprising utilization of mixture is evident in the “insert” section. In this section, the first chord incorporates both Ab and Eb from C minor, and the subsequent Ab Major part appears unexpectedly. Beethoven employs a sequence of striking modulations through various keys. Measure 218 begins with four bars in Ab major, followed by bars 222 and 223. Moving on, Beethoven transposes the material from 222 to E diminished with Bb in the bass for the next two measures. Then, he raises each note by a major second for the succeeding two bars, transitioning into F# diminished with C in the bass.
In measure 228, a new triplet theme emerges on a diminished chord rooted by D, and likewise every note ascends by a whole step in mm. 229. This material is subsequently transposed up by a half step for the following two measures. Eventually, a C major 6/4 chord is sustained with a fermata, producing an intriguing bass line of Ab, Bb, C, D, E, F, F# and G. The augmented chord formed by Ab (G#), C, and E is seen in measure 208, though the origin of this material remains unknown. Another interesting aspect of this composition is how Beethoven incorporates isolated ideas from the ends of sections as separate entities later in the piece.
The first transition in the development at measure 155 reiterates without its beginning, although it is still in its rightful place in the first transition in the exposition and recapitulation. However, the transition in the recapitulation has been altered. The soft theme in measure 77 serves as both a closing theme and the starting point for the recapitulation. Additionally, Beethoven boldly places chords in a low register in closed position without hesitation. This can be observed from measures 97 to 108, as well as in the closing cadences of both the exposition and recapitulation.
