Piano Sonata No. 20 in G, Op. 49, No. 2: I. Allegro ma non troppo
Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German pianis… Read Full Bio ↴Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German pianist and composer of the transitional period between the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He is often regarded as one of the most brilliant, prolific and influential composers of all time.
Beethoven is widely regarded as a master of musical construction, sometimes sketching the architecture of a movement before he had decided upon the subject matter. He was one of the first composers to systematically and consistently use interlocking thematic devices, or 'germ-motives', to achieve unity between movements in long compositions. (Some insight into the meaning of the germ-motive device is given at the end of this bio.) Equally remarkable was his use of source-motives', which recurred in many different compositions and lent some unity to his life’s work. He made innovations in almost every form of music he touched. For example, he diversified even the well-crystallised form of the rondo, making it more elastic and spacious, which brought it closer to sonata form. He was mostly inspired by the natural course of nature, and liked to write songs describing nature.
Beethoven composed in a great variety of genres, including symphonies, concerti, piano sonatas, other instrumental sonatas (including for violin), string quartets and other chamber music, masses, lieder, and one opera.
Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods:
In the Early (Classical) period, he is seen as emulating his great predecessors Haydn and Mozart, while concurrently exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets, the first three piano concertos, and the first twenty piano sonatas, including the famous "Pathétique" and "Moonlight" sonatas.
The Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis centering around his encroaching deafness. The period is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle; these include many of the most famous works of classical music. Middle period works include six symphonies (numbers 3 to 8), the fourth and fifth piano concertos, the triple concerto and violin concerto, five string quartets (numbers 7 to 11), the next seven piano sonatas (including the "Waldstein" and the "Appassionata"), and Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio.
Beethoven's Late (Romantic) period began around 1816. The Late-period works are characterised by intellectual depth, intense and highly personal expression, and formal innovation (for example, the Op. 131 string quartet has seven linked movements, and the Ninth Symphony adds choral forces to the orchestra in the last movement). Works of this period also include the Missa Solemnis, the last five string quartets, and the last five piano sonatas.
Deconstructing the sonata form, both in the overall schema (movements, tempos) and in the micro-form, Beethoven began to use germinal ideas propelling the whole melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic progression. In the first quartet of the group (E flat major, Op.127 – February 1825), the Adagio has five variations (in this case, a source-theme becomes the backbone of the tempo). That same year, in July, Quartet in A minor, Op.132, features a first movement with the traditional two themes, but without contrast; they display and disseminate sub-sections and ‘germs’ in a circular frame, interlocking with each other. Beethoven's germ-motive is like a Bach choral, summoning the other voices around itself.
The last quartet, Op. 135 in F major, was composed in a downplayed form, going back to a more traditional four-tempo structure. But internally one finds the same frozen micro-structure: the first movement is harmonically ambiguous, whereas the scherzo sounds like Bartók, and in the finale, the canon ‘Es muss sein’ plays a joyful role. A terrible grave comes in afterward, to dissolve into a soft pizzicato: adieu music, adieu life . It was never heard by the now deaf Beethoven, and he died shortly afterward.
Beethoven is widely regarded as a master of musical construction, sometimes sketching the architecture of a movement before he had decided upon the subject matter. He was one of the first composers to systematically and consistently use interlocking thematic devices, or 'germ-motives', to achieve unity between movements in long compositions. (Some insight into the meaning of the germ-motive device is given at the end of this bio.) Equally remarkable was his use of source-motives', which recurred in many different compositions and lent some unity to his life’s work. He made innovations in almost every form of music he touched. For example, he diversified even the well-crystallised form of the rondo, making it more elastic and spacious, which brought it closer to sonata form. He was mostly inspired by the natural course of nature, and liked to write songs describing nature.
Beethoven composed in a great variety of genres, including symphonies, concerti, piano sonatas, other instrumental sonatas (including for violin), string quartets and other chamber music, masses, lieder, and one opera.
Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods:
In the Early (Classical) period, he is seen as emulating his great predecessors Haydn and Mozart, while concurrently exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets, the first three piano concertos, and the first twenty piano sonatas, including the famous "Pathétique" and "Moonlight" sonatas.
The Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis centering around his encroaching deafness. The period is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle; these include many of the most famous works of classical music. Middle period works include six symphonies (numbers 3 to 8), the fourth and fifth piano concertos, the triple concerto and violin concerto, five string quartets (numbers 7 to 11), the next seven piano sonatas (including the "Waldstein" and the "Appassionata"), and Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio.
Beethoven's Late (Romantic) period began around 1816. The Late-period works are characterised by intellectual depth, intense and highly personal expression, and formal innovation (for example, the Op. 131 string quartet has seven linked movements, and the Ninth Symphony adds choral forces to the orchestra in the last movement). Works of this period also include the Missa Solemnis, the last five string quartets, and the last five piano sonatas.
Deconstructing the sonata form, both in the overall schema (movements, tempos) and in the micro-form, Beethoven began to use germinal ideas propelling the whole melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic progression. In the first quartet of the group (E flat major, Op.127 – February 1825), the Adagio has five variations (in this case, a source-theme becomes the backbone of the tempo). That same year, in July, Quartet in A minor, Op.132, features a first movement with the traditional two themes, but without contrast; they display and disseminate sub-sections and ‘germs’ in a circular frame, interlocking with each other. Beethoven's germ-motive is like a Bach choral, summoning the other voices around itself.
The last quartet, Op. 135 in F major, was composed in a downplayed form, going back to a more traditional four-tempo structure. But internally one finds the same frozen micro-structure: the first movement is harmonically ambiguous, whereas the scherzo sounds like Bartók, and in the finale, the canon ‘Es muss sein’ plays a joyful role. A terrible grave comes in afterward, to dissolve into a soft pizzicato: adieu music, adieu life . It was never heard by the now deaf Beethoven, and he died shortly afterward.
Piano Sonata No. 20 in G Op. 49 No. 2: I. Allegro ma non troppo
Ludwig van Beethoven Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Ludwig van Beethoven:
"An die Hoffnung" Op. 94 LUDWIG VcN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) cn die Hoffnung op.94 (aus…
1 Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of love; He…
9th Symphony Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir bet…
Ah perfido Ah! perfido, spergiuro, Barbaro traditor, tu parti? E son qu…
Ah! perfido! Op. 65 Ah! perfido, spergiuro, Barbaro traditor, tu parti? E son qu…
An die Hoffnung op. 32 LUDWIG V. BEETHOVEN (1770-1882) cn die Hoffnung op. 32 Tex…
An die Hoffnung op. 94 LUDWIG VcN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) cn die Hoffnung op.94 (aus…
An die Hoffnung Op. 32 LUDWIG V. BEETHOVEN (1770-1882) cn die Hoffnung op. 32 Tex…
An die Hoffnung Op. 94 LUDWIG VcN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) cn die Hoffnung op.94 (aus…
Moonlight Sonata Camper Van Beethoven Camper Van Beethoven We Love You All…
Presto Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir bet…
String Quartet in A major Kimi no te de kirisaite Omoi hi no kioku wo Kanashimi no…
String Quartet in A major Op. 18 No. 5: III. Andante cantabile Kimi no te de kirisaite Omoi hi no kioku wo Kanashimi no…
Symphony No. 2 in D Major I saw you standing on the corner You looked so big…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Elaine Blackhurst
LJ Madrigal Music
Whilst the two sonatas Opus 49 normally appear on the list of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, to include these very odd, trite and facile works is not accepted universally; Opus 49 No 2 in particular is very, very thin.
Incredibly, they were written after the ground-breaking Opus 1 trios and Opus 2 sonatas and just before Opus 7, but you would never guess that from their perfunctory content.
The inclusion of Opus 49 amongst the ‘complete’ sonatas is neither justified nor what Beethoven intended.
The Opus 49 sonatas were published without Beethoven’s permission by his brother; he told his former pupil, friend and biographer, Ferdinand Ries, that they were ‘trivial’ and ‘...not worthy of his name’, and ‘...did not want them published’.
Beethoven was adamant that he only wanted opus numbers giving to his serious compositions - not trivia; he excluded many of his early piano variations for example which were largely written as vehicles to show off his keyboard skills and prowess as entertainment in the aristocratic salons of Vienna.
Beethoven’s clearly expressed wish was that Opus 49 did not qualify for an opus number.
Opus 49 is better considered outside Beethoven’s canon of piano sonatas along with the three juvenile sonatas WoO 47 written in 1783, and it should be noted too that Opus 49 are usually excluded from audition and competition lists in almost every reputable music institution all over the world.
However, you are quite right, Opus 49 No 2 is by far the easiest of the ‘32’ sonatas; unfortunately, it is also by far the most empty and uncharacteristic - it is not real Beethoven.
Nichael Cramer
@Elaine Blackhurst : In a word, No.
Any and all composers have their influences, which is clear from any minimally serious examination of their work
It is certainly true that (if they are any good) the composer will transcend these influences when forming their own work. But just as the works of Beethoven shows clear signs of his having been influenced by Mozart and Haydn (as well as, say, his teacher Salieri, and —most notably in his late works— Bach) so their work, in their turn, show signs of the earlier influences in their own work (and just as the influence of Beethoven is clear in the work of the composers who followed him).
(Also, as a side note I’ll simply point out that —had you bothered to read what I had actually written— you’ll see I said nothing about the order of the compositions. The reference to the Opus numbers was simply to avoid the (common) misunderstanding that these are relatively later works. My apologies if this confused you.)
Finally, if I might make a small suggestion, that while I understand that this is the Internet, nonetheless it is still a good practice to actually learn something about a topic before lecturing others about it. Snark and rudeness are no substitute.
Elaine Blackhurst
Thanks for your reply, though for what it is worth, I agree with almost none of it.
I believe ‘influence’ to be as much over-used as it is mis-used; composers absorbed and assimilated external influences to different degrees into their own style.
This is particularly true of composers of the stature of Beethoven; you mentioned Bach, there is almost no Bach ‘influence’ in late-Beethoven (nor in late-Mozart either), but there is clear evidence of a lifetime’s study of the composer - he had been well dosed with the ‘48’ in Bonn even before he got to Vienna.
Salieri - and Haydn too - as Beethoven’s ‘teacher’ left unqualified is misleading; those lessons were entirely devoted to studying Italian vocal music - ie opera - and little else; ditto Haydn where the lessons were focused on Fux-ian counterpoint; to simply quote either of these two as ‘teachers’ is inaccurate.
I simply cannot understand your penultimate paragraph as you clearly wrote in your original reply:
‘…the second movement minuet is directly lifted from Beethoven’s early Septet Opus 20’.
It wasn’t; it is clearly pure disinformation which I corrected (the Opus 49 No 2 piano sonata version came first).
I cannot understand why you have responded as you have, claiming you didn’t say what you did say, and accusing me of not reading your comment properly, which I clearly did.
I only ever comment on matters I am qualified to offer an opinion, and this is clear to anyone who reads my contributions; I agree that there is no room for ‘…snark and rudeness’ and that is never my intention, though how others perceive my comments is out of my control.
원이
Exposition:
Hauptsatz: 1. Thema (Hauptthema) in der Tonika: 0:00
Beginn der Überleitung: 0:18 (Wiederholung: 1:42)
Seitensatz: 2. Thema (Seitenthema) in der Dominante: 0:32 (1:56)
Seitensatz: Schlussgruppe, Bestätigung der Dominante: 0:57 (2:21)
Durchführung: 2:46
Reprise: 3:09
Hauptsatz in der Tonika: 3:09
Beginn der Überleitung: 3:21
Seitensatz: 2. Thema (Seitenthema), bleibt in der Tonika: 3:43
Seitensatz: Schlussgruppe, Bestätigung der Tonika: 4:08
Elaine Blackhurst
Randy Kern
Absolutely disagree.
This banal, facile, and uncharacteristically empty sonata, with almost no technical or musical challenges at all, should not be counted amongst Beethoven’s list of sonatas.
Beethoven himself described it as ‘...trivial’; he said that it was ‘...unworthy of my name’; and was clear that ‘...it should not have been published’, (his brother, against his will, sold it to a publisher).
It appears that it was written - almost unbelievably - in the mid-1790’s, so it categorically cannot be labelled a ‘...late-middle period sonata’; it sounds more like the three juvenile sonatas WoO 47 written in 1783.
The misleading Opus number reflects the publication date of Opus 49, not its date of composition.
The development which you describe as ‘...just the cutest’, is actually perfunctory, and reflects the dismissive attitude of the composer to the work as a whole; motivic and thematic development was one of the most important characteristics of Beethoven’s compositional style and technique - in this case, he simply could not be bothered in such a trivial and inconsequential work.
Feel a bit like the child in The Emperor’s New Clothes; you are absolutely right about the ‘…amazing pathos’ in many of Beethoven’s works, the problem is that there is 0% in this piece, and of course neither is it a ‘late-middle period sonata’ which is simply absurd disinformation.
Elaine Blackhurst
GoldTheAngel
Some - hopefully helpful - points:
1. Forget Mozart, not a note of this sounds remotely like anything from Mozart.
Neither is there anything of Haydn, though in terms of general compositional technique, there is normally more of Haydn in Beethoven than there is of Mozart.
2. Beethoven wrote this sonata for a 1790’s Viennese fortepiano; the touch you should be looking for is perhaps best described as non-legato.
3. Don’t look for too much in this inexplicably facile, empty and characterless sonata.
Beethoven did not want it published - his brother sold it to publishers secretly several years later - and he himself described it as ‘...trivial’ and ‘...not worthy of my name’.
4. Opus 49 No 1 is slightly better than this work.
However, if you really want to say you can play a Beethoven sonata, ignore the three juvenile WoO 47 sonatas, and Opus 49, and wait until you can manage the f minor sonata Opus 2 No 1 which is the first - and most technically manageable - of Beethoven’s great sonatas.
From Opus 2 onwards, every Beethoven sonata - except Opus 49 - is worth a lifetime’s study.
5. Rather than waste your time on this work from which you can actually learn practically nothing, if you want to play sonatas as a preparation for proper Beethoven, stick to the works of Mozart and Haydn - note both, not one or the other; each will teach you different things.
Elaine Blackhurst
@Ignacio Clerici
We know a huge amount about keyboard playing in the late 18th/early 19th century because CPE Bach wrote his Versuch (‘Essay on theTrue Art of Keyboard Playing’) published in two parts in 1753 and 1762.
The Versuch was studied by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and everyone else, and it is the basis of modern - ie post-Baroque - keyboard playing.
All later keyboard manuals started from the Versuch as their basis and foundation, even into the nineteenth century and beyond; for example, the modern fingering we use today was established by the Versuch and pretty much eradicated the old Baroque systems virtually at a stroke.
My comments are not arrogance, as I have a copy of the Versuch, and have both read and understood it.
Beethoven told his pupil Czerny to get a copy - and then study it - as one of the first things he was to do as Beethoven’s pupil.
(And of course, I too have followed Beethoven’s advice, so that puts me in a position of some competence to comment on these matters).
The real arrogance in truth, comes from commentators who make strongly-worded comments based on very little knowledge, and even less understanding.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar
Goode:
00:00 – Mvt 1
04:41 – Mvt 2
Lewis:
07:46 – Mvt 1
12:41 – Mvt 2
Goode’s performance has a kind of stately effortlessness that’s lovely to listen to: this is one of those recordings that, if you didn’t know what kind of performer a listener liked, you’d show them first: the dynamic control is faultless, and the phrasing perfectly judged. Lewis treats this sonata almost like it’s Schubert – and there are definitely moments in his playing when you do actually think you’ve found yourself in a Schubert sonata, so warm and broad is his playing.
whopper
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar What is the metronome number for Goode’s performance
H.M
Алтынай Мухамеджанова ???
Esther Wong
hw
Gamze Ek
1
EconMC
Today I performed this piece and failed it. I truly appreciate and admire the pianists like Goode and Lewis who can play this piece so elegantly and passionately. Listening to them play has helped me overcome the challenges I have faced in playing this piece, and has helped me wipe the tears from my eyes and continue practicing.
Carson Fu
You are super cool
I just post memes in the comment section
You got it bro. I know what it's like to fail in a performance too. You might never be the world's greatest pianist (I won't lol), but wipe those tears and you can be good.
UGAManMike
What I like to do is imagine practicing until I know how every little muscle should work on each strike. Then I find a nice, quiet place to externalize. I drink about six beers. Then I play it as well as I can, and imagine how my imaginary girlfriend would react. I assume she understands words like legato and staccato, but understands each note I missed by a half step is interesting in its own right.
JayEm0235
just keep practicing buddy ☺️