Description
Opening with a struck arpeggio, with repeated bass notes sounding beneath like a drum roll, this is the slow movement of the Tempest sonata. Op. 31 dates from 1802, the year Beethoven wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament acknowledging his deafness. The nickname Tempest comes from his pupil Schindler, who reported being told to read Shakespeare's play in order to understand the work; Schindler's testimony is no longer trusted, and the title is not Beethoven's own.
In B-flat major and triple meter, the opening arpeggio answers the arpeggiated question that began the first movement. The form is a sonata form without development: after the exposition the themes simply return, a compact design.
Though rated advanced, it has a remarkably low note count for a span of nearly eight minutes, and the difficulty lies in the silence rather than the notes. Can you wait through the rests, take the pianissimo further down, make the repeated bass notes into a pulse rather than a noise? This movement tests the ear and the sense of time far more than the fingers.
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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