Description
This is the Presto finale of Sonata No. 6. Following the witty first movement and the shadowed Allegretto, it rounds off the sonata with high spirits. It incorporates fugue-like contrapuntal writing, and it is the movement where Beethoven's intellectual playfulness shows most clearly.
It is in F major and 2/4 time. A simple thematic idea is imitated from voice to voice, as if the parts were chasing one another. It lasts only about two minutes, yet holds 1,915 notes, around sixteen per second. Its range from F1 to F6 stays within five octaves.
Though rated intermediate, it demands clarity in voicing several lines at a brisk tempo. Keep track of which voice has the theme and bring each new entry slightly forward so that the chase can be heard. Its two fast minutes also test how quickly your fingers move, so check the theme's entries at a reduced playback speed and sharpen accuracy section by section with the A-B loop before returning to tempo.
Piano sonatas representative of the Classical and Romantic eras, including Beethoven's early works — substantial multi-movement pieces throughout.
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Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Born in Bonn and active in Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven is among the towering figures in music history, bridging the Classical and Romantic eras. Despite losing his hearing in later life, he continued composing, pursuing innovative forms and intense emotional expression in his symphonies and piano sonatas. His beloved piano piece "Fur Elise" and his 32 piano sonatas remain widely performed. This site includes "Für Elise," the two sonatas of Op. 49, movements from his early piano sonatas, and sets of variations.
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