Opus 30, Three Sonatas in A major, C minor and G major for Piano and violin
Opus 30, 3 Sonatas for Piano and Violin in A major, C minor, and G major, Op. 30, dedicated to Tsar Alexander I of Russia, 1802, published in separate parts in Vienna, Bureau d’arts et d’industrie, May–June 1803; in sheet music in Frankfurt, Dunst, c. 1835. GA. Nos. 97–99 (series 12/6–8) – B. 30/1–3 – KH. 30/1–3 -L. II, p. 121 – No. 30/1–3 – T. 96.
Official title: Opus 30 Drei Sonaten (A-dur, c-moll, G-dur) für Klavier und Violine Widmung: Alexander I., Zar von Russland NGA V/2 AGA 97-99 = Serie 12/6-8 Beinamen: Nr. 2 Eroica-Sonate, Nr. 3 Champagnersonate (Anklänge an Mozarts „Don Giovanni“ im 3. Satz).
Origin and publication: Composed in the first half of 1802. The autograph manuscript of the first sonata is dated “1802” by Beethoven, and the sketches for all three compositions presumably date from March to May of the same year. The original edition in parts was published in May and June of 1803 by the Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir in Vienna, and simultaneously by Dale in London. The first sonata was conceived first, with the finale that would later become the finale of Sonata Op. 47. However, after sketching the other two sonatas, Beethoven decided to compose a new final movement for No. 1. The first written reference to the sonatas is found in a written offer dated April 22, 1802, to the publisher Breitkopf & Härtel. Kaspar Karl van Beethoven wrote: “Gegenwärtig haben wir 3 Sonaten fürs Klavier und Violin, wenn sie Ihnen gefällig sind, so werden wir sie schicken” (BGA 85). Despite the offer, the sonatas were not published by that publisher, but in May (No. 1) and June (No. 2 and 3) of 1803 by the Wiener Kunst- und Industrie-Comptoir.
Although the autograph works were obviously the model for the publisher, Alan Tyson believes they were not engraving directly from the manuscript of the original edition, but copies were made.
Dedication: Tsar Alexander I, born on December 23 (December 12 according to the Julian calendar) 1777 in St. Petersburg, and died on December 1 (November 19) 1825 in Taganrog, the eldest son of Tsar Paul I (1754-1801) and his second wife, Maria Fyodorovna, born Sophia Dorothea (Augusta Luise) of Württemberg (1759-1828), Tsar of Russia from March 24, 1801. Alexander I married Princess Louise of Baden in 1793 (after the marriage: Elizabeth Alexeyevna). The dedication of Op. 30 to Tsar Alexander I was initially ignored and did not yield any financial return. Only in the spring of 1815, when Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna, who was staying with the Tsar for the congress in Vienna at the time, received Beethoven to present the Polonaise op.89 dedicated to her, did she give him 100 ducats in addition to the payment for the Polonaise as a fee for the violin sonatas. In 1823, Alexander I became a subscriber to Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (see also BGA 1619, 1620, and 1664). The score copy intended for the Tsar was delivered to the Russian legation in Vienna at the end of June 1823 (BGA 1684 and 1757), and was lost. On January 28, 1826, Beethoven informed the publishing house B. Schotts Söhne that he had originally intended to dedicate the Ninth Symphony Op. 125 to Alexander I (BGA 2110), but this was prevented by his death.
First performance unknown.
The sketches will be featured in an article specially created for the Beethoven Music Research Center, www.lvbeethoven.org
Opus 30 No. 1 Sonata for Piano and Violin in A major
I) Allegro – II) Adagio molto espressivo – III) Allegretto with Variations
The original manuscript is kept in the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. Numerous drafts of it can be found in the Kessler notebook, as described by Nottebohm.
If one were to summarise the character of this work, it would suffice to say that it possesses a charming serenity, to the achievement of which both the individual themes and their development contribute.
Thus, in the Allegro, the three-part exposition—so light in nature—of the first theme, the tender melody of the second, the mutual integration of these two primary, if not unique, formative elements even within the development, the cadences, and the brief coda. The melody of the Adagio is like a song of peace, at times tinged with melancholy, supported or followed by a marked, yet always flexible, rhythmic accompaniment (as in the corresponding section of the Fourth Symphony): in sum, a perfect balance of form and expression.
The third movement was originally intended, it seems, to be the present Presto of the Kreutzer Sonata, as suggested by its position in the drafts; but the idea of replacing it with the current Allegretto (sketched many pages later in the same notebook) soon prevailed, as it was more in keeping with the spirit of the whole.
The theme bears, both in letter and spirit, some resemblance to those in the same key of A major from the Finale of the Piano and Cello Sonata Op. 69, and the trio Ettch werde Lohn from Fidelio.
[By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968]
Opus 30 Sonata No. 2 for piano and violin in C minor
I) Allegro con brio- II) Adagio cantabile – III) Scherzo – Allegro – Trio – IV) Finale. Allegro
The original manuscript is part of the Bodmer collection at the Beethovenhaus. The drafts are found in the Kessler notebook, just like those of the previous sonata. The structure of the first movement and the very setup in the key of C minor immediately suggest an external analogy with other works composed shortly before: the String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4, and the Third Piano Concerto.
However, the statement of the first theme, over a dark and almost threatening murmuring accompaniment, has an intensity that is not found in the aforementioned works; and in the development (in relation to the second theme), and especially in the final climax, it takes on a passionate and heroic character. Overall, there is a conflict and fusion of two distinct principles, though not radically opposed, while in the previous sonata, the work was a precious piece of inlay, marked by the unique significance of the “charming” mood. Between this first movement and the last—since the Scherzo is not yet to be considered—the Adagio serves as a contemplative interlude, much like the Andante in the Fifth Symphony, whose development further highlights the beauty of the theme.
The minor episode (revisited and concluded in major) is an unmistakable Beethovenian passage of “depth in simplicity,” interwoven into the magnificent texture of the main melody, the return and further development of which are then brought forward with an opulence (just think of the halo created by the flowing scale passages in the piano) that enhances it without making it rhetorical. The character of the Scherzo does not align strongly with either the impetuous drama of the first and last movements, or the meditative sweetness of the Adagio. Considering this, one might think the sonata would have lost none of its essence had it been without it; yet, on the other hand, it is a lively and original movement in itself, and while not fundamentally necessary, it provides a diversion that may seem quite appropriate within the overall structure of the work.
The final Allegro brings us back to the mood of the first movement, though it has more drive, yet not the same dramatic intensity; the Rondò form, though in sonata structure, gives it, with its periodic returns—some of which are somewhat reminiscent of Haydn—a more spirited quality, at times almost like a wild dance.
The dramatic character is still palpable in the first theme, and is concentrated even more in the concluding Presto, with a force comparable to that of the Finale of the Appassionata Sonata and the first movement of the Fifth Symphony. Schering defines this sonata as “a Beethovenian music of Goethe’s Werther.” The first movement would be the musical portrait of Werther, as he describes himself in his letter of 30 August (first book) to his friend Wilhelm, speaking of his anguished passion for Lotte and his wandering through fields and forests in search of some peace.
The second movement would correspond to what Werther says in the letter of 24 November (second book) about the charm that radiated from Lotte as she played the piano and accompanied it with her sweet, light voice, awakening in him the burning desire to kiss her. The third movement would refer to the letter of 16 June (first book): Lotte: “Let’s play at counting: watch out! I’ll go around from right to left, and you each count the number that belongs to you; it must be a crossfire: whoever trips or gets confused will be slapped.” In the Trio: the dance scene described in the same letter, with the confusion and missteps of the inexperienced couples who can’t manage to stay in sync. The fourth movement: the intense emotion of Lotte and Werther after reading the tearful songs of Ossian, Lotte’s premonition of Werther’s suicide; their desperate embrace and farewell.
Opus 30 Sonata No.3 for piano and violin in G major
I) Allegro assai – II) Tempo di Minuetto – III) Allegro vivace
In comparison with the expressive depth of the second Sonata, and even with the charm of the first, this third Sonata appears lighter in character, with some folksy elements adding a colourful interest. In the first movement, rather than speaking of thematic integration or, much less, thematic opposition, one can describe a homogeneous continuity of the constituent musical elements: after the impetuous momentum of the opening, they seem to descend from one another, without contrasts, fractures, or intertwining, even in the brief developmental section.
The Minuet is characterised by a sustained sweetness, bringing it closer to its counterpart in E-flat major, also meant to convey a sense of near gravity, in the Piano Sonata Op. 10 No. 3. The Trio is built on a thematic motif beloved by Beethoven, a Haydnesque idea that has appeared and will continue to appear in his music. The final Allegro vivace evokes patterns of Russian folk dances. Some of the gestures recall fantasy and others Rondò forms. According to Schering, in composing this Sonata, Beethoven was inspired by Goethe’s Singspiel Lila.
First movement: In order to cure Lila, who suffers from a deep melancholy and lives alone in a forest, her family appears to her disguised, pretending to be the spirits she has called upon; they surround her, singing and dancing, and serve her at the table.
Second movement: The spinners meet with the men and dance with them.
Third movement: The song of the spinners at their spinning wheels. The music describes the spinning wheels turning, the spindles whirling, the pauses, the interruptions, the restarts, and all the carefree joy and cheerfulness of the scene. In the Adagio of Sonata Op. 7, the Allegretto molto of Sonata Op. 10 No. 1, the Fantasie Op. 77, the first movement of Sonata Op. 10 (all for piano), the Trio of the Minuet in String Quartet Op. 18 No. 5, and the third movement of Trio Op. 70 No. 2. The attribution to Beethoven, as mentioned by Frimmel, of a transcription of this Sonata for quintet (bassoon, violin, two violas, and cello), published in 1803 by the Spehr publisher in Braunschweig (Hess Anhang 8), is no longer recognised.
