Opus 28, Piano Sonata in D major
I) Allegro – II) Andante – III) Rondo – Allegro ma non troppo
OPUS 28 – Piano Sonata in D major, Op. 28, dedicated to the noble Joseph von Sonnenfels, 1801, published in Vienna by Bureau d’arts et d’industrie, August 1802. G.A. no. 138 (series 16/15) – B. 28 – KH. 28 – L. II, p. 86 – N. 28 – T. 90.
The original manuscript is preserved at the Beethoven-Haus. Only one of the sketches is known, published by Frimmel in the Kunst und Musik Zeitung of Vienna on January 1, 1890, which entirely concerns the second half of the Andante, from the recapitulation of the main theme onward, where the essential parts are fixed in a form already corresponding to the final version. On the last page of the manuscript is scribbled the three-voice joke for soloists and choir: Schuppanzig ist ein Lump. (WoO 101 – Biamonti 303).
The title “Pastoral Sonata”, occasionally attributed to this work, seems to have appeared for the first time in the London edition by Broderip & Wilkinson (circa 1805?), and was repeated in a subsequent reprint also issued in London in 1817 by the publisher Preston. The often-cited Hamburg edition by Cranz, in which the same designation appears, dates from 1838 — eleven years after the composer’s death. While the title is not authentic — and does not, in any case, encompass the full musical meaning of the work — it nonetheless seems to us not to be at odds with its general character. It can be related to those impressions of peace and serene, primitive joy that Beethoven always experienced in contact with nature, in this case inspired by the countryside around Vienna, so familiar and dear to him. These impressions — partly following, partly creating a tradition — are expressed in many of his works through rhythmic-harmonic patterns of gentle languor, in the slow repetition of pedal notes, in flowing melodies, in the more or less realistic or symbolic imitation of cries and bird calls, of rustic songs and dances, of shepherds’ signals, and in rustic instrumental colours and manners.
In two moments of the “Prayer for Peace” in the “Agnus Dei” of the Missa Solemnis, clear analogies can be heard between a contrapuntal treatment of the theme and the concluding phrase of the episode (both on the word “pacem” and in the same key of D major), and certain thematic elements found in the first Allegro and the final phrase of the first intermezzo in the Rondo of this Sonata. It is also worth recalling that the second theme of the Allegro echoes the character of an old Italian shepherds’ Christmas chant — still widely known today — which had already been used in Domenico Scarlatti’s sonata known as the “Pastorale”. (Mila also drew comparisons between that sonata and Beethoven’s work on other grounds.) One might imagine that this melody later spread in its popular religious form across nearby Catholic countries. That said, other aspects of the Sonata must also be considered. For instance, in the development section of the first movement, where elements of the opening theme — detached from what had seemed their natural meaning in the exposition — give rise to a movement of almost dramatic character, only returning to a more relaxed mood towards the end, to lead into the recapitulation. There is little or nothing “pastoral” about the Andante, whose first part recalls the Largo e mesto of the Sonata Op. 10 No. 3, in the same key. The stark contrast with the second section (a kind of dance-like intermezzo) is resolved in true Beethovenian fashion through the fusion of the two themes — that is, by subjecting the more frivolous one to the melancholic one (made more vibrant, in its repetition, by a varied figuration).
The Scherzo somewhat echoes the rustic dances of the Sixth Symphony, but independently of this, it stands out through the character of its rhythms, harmonies, sonorities, and contrasts in register. As for the pastoral character of the final movement, it is hard not to agree — both because of the bagpipe-like rhythm and mode in the bass (which, as an ostinato, runs through the entire movement) and because of the melodies that unfold above it.
As an interpretive framework for the different movements, Schering draws on fragments from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
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First movement: Act IV, Scene IV — The young lovers Perdita and Florizel (the latter disguised as a shepherd named Doricles), depicted as a shepherdess and a shepherd, in their love dialogue and country dance during the sheep-shearing festival.
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Second movement: Continuation of the same scene — The ballad-parody of the jester Autolycus.
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Third movement: Again, the same scene — Twelve country folk enter disguised as satyrs and perform a dance.
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Fourth movement: The same scene continues — The pastoral dance resumes.
Official title: Opus 28 Sonate (D-dur) für Klavier Widmung: Joseph Edler von Sonnenfels NGAVII/3 AGA 138 = Serie 16/15 Beinamen: (Kleine) Pastorale, Pastoralsonate, Sonate pastorale.
Origin and Publication: The work was composed in 1801, as indicated by the date on the fair-copy manuscript. The first edition was issued in July/August 1802 by the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir, Vienna. Sketches for Op. 28 are found in the so-called “Sauer” sketchbook, which Beethoven used between March and November 1801. On 5 October 1801, Beethoven delivered Op. 28 to the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir—established only a few months earlier, in May 1801—for a sum of 135 florins. With this work, the composer inaugurated a productive relationship with the publisher.
Contrary to the hypothesis advanced by Hans Schmidt (Schmidt/NGA VII/3, p. VII), the autograph manuscript did not serve as the model for the engraving. The publisher’s catalogue references do not correspond to the pagination of the original edition and more likely refer to a now-lost engraver’s copy prepared separately (cf. Frohlich/Op. 28).
The popular nickname “Pastoral Sonata” (Sonate pastorale) appears for the first time in the edition published by Broderip & Wilkinson, London, c.1805, and again in the publisher’s 1806 catalogue. This nickname did not appear to gain traction in Austria or France; however, it was adopted in Germany in editions published in Hamburg during the 1830s and 1840s, including those by Cranz (and Hofmeister in April 1838), Böhme, and André (1840). There is no evidence to suggest that Beethoven himself was involved in either the origin or propagation of this descriptive epithet.
Dedication: The work is dedicated to Joseph Edler von Sonnenfels (1732–1817), born in Nikolsburg (present-day Mikulov), the son of Lipman Perlin (1705–1768), whose father had been a rabbi in Brandenburg. Perlin relocated to Vienna in 1734, where he was baptised along with his father and brother the following year. After his conversion, he adopted the name Aloys Wienner and was elevated to hereditary nobility in 1746, receiving the name von Sonnenfels.
Joseph von Sonnenfels served in the Deutschmeister Regiment in Klagenfurt and Vienna from 1749 to 1754, and subsequently studied law in Vienna, completing his studies in 1756. In 1763, he was appointed Professor of Political Science in Vienna. Between 1770 and 1772 he held the post of chief theatre censor, a role in which he was notably responsible for the suppression of the popular Hanswurst theatrical tradition. By 1779 he had been appointed k.k. Hofrat and was raised to the rank of Edler von Sonnenfels in 1797. In 1811 he became President of the Academy of Fine Arts. A figure of considerable intellectual stature within the Josephinian Enlightenment, Sonnenfels was a prominent statesman and essayist, contributing to the journal Der Mann ohne Vorurteil. He advocated for the abolition of torture in 1776 and participated in the judicial reforms initiated under Emperor Joseph II. He maintained a close relationship with Gottfried van Swieten, with whom he collaborated in the 1780s on the imperial commission for the examination and censorship of printed works. Sonnenfels’s wife, Maria Theresia von Hay (1748–1820), whom he married in 1763, was the sister of Caroline Josefa von Hay, née Birkenstock, mother of Antonie Brentano (1780–1869).
According to Theodor von Frimmel (Frimmel, Handbuch, Vol. 2, p. 200), it is possible that the proprietors of the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir acted as intermediaries in arranging the dedication. Hans-Werner Küthen (Küthen, Notierungsblatt, p. 61) suggests that Beethoven’s dedication may be linked to Sonnenfels’s prominent role among the Illuminati, his status as secretary of the Austrian Masonic lodges, and as the highest-ranking representative of the order. While Beethoven’s interest in Freemasonry has often been noted, no conclusive evidence of formal affiliation has been established. The dedication may therefore have arisen from a personal sympathy with Sonnenfels’s Enlightenment ideals.
First Performance: The date and circumstances of the first performance are unknown.
Sketches for all movements of the sonata are preserved in the so-called Sauer sketchbook (1801), which survives only in fragments and is currently dispersed across several collections:
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D-BNba, HC Bodmer Collection, HCB Mh 68 (SV 115), 1 leaf. Facsimile: DBH/online.
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D-BNba, HC Bodmer Collection, HCB BSk 10/58 (SV 163), 1 leaf. Facsimile: DBH/online.
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D-B, Mus. SM. autogr. Beethoven 31 (SV 33), 1 leaf. Facsimile: SBB.
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A-Wst, MH 4l69/c (SV 394), 1 leaf. Facsimile: DBH/online.
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US SPma (in: Wc), 1 leaf. Facsimile: Clermont/Op. 28, Moldenhauer/online.
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S-Smf, MMS 272 (SV 380), 1 leaf.
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CH-CObodmer (SV 325), 1 leaf; see Catalogue/Cologny, p. 37.
Autograph Manuscript (Fair Copy): Location: D-BNba, BH 61. Dated: “1801” (in the composer’s hand). The manuscript also includes three bars of a canonic fragment, Hol dich der Teufel (Hess 254; see WoO 173), and the musical joke Lob auf den Dicken, WoO 100. Title: On folio 1r: “gran Sonata, op: 28 1801 da L. v. Beethoven.” The autograph consists of 26 folios, 50 pages of music: fols. 1r–26r contain Op. 28; fol. 26v contains WoO 100 and Hess 254. A leaf between fols. 4 and 5 has been removed, resulting in the loss of bars 177–215 of the first movement. Paper: horizontal format, 24 × 31 cm; 8 staves per page.
First Edition (Illustrated Title Page). Title: “Grande Sonate / pour le Pianoforte, / composée et dediée / à Monsieur Joseph Noble de Sonnenfels, / Conseiller aulique, et Secrétaire perpétuel e l’ Academie des beaux Arts, / par / Louis van Beethoven. / Oeuvre XXVIIL / [1.:] 28. [r.:] 1 f 45 Xr. / A Vienne au Bureau d’Arts et d’industrie.”
The Andante from op.28 (Starke version) and the research on the Sonata are part of the project “Research becomes Art”
A New Life for the Unknown Works of Ludwig van Beethoven: An Artistic Exploration by the pianist Professor Antonietta Cappelli
