BEETHOVEN'S PIANOFORTE SONATAS
Played by EDWARD ISAACS
Sonata in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1
Allegro ; Adagio ; Menuetto and Trio ; Prestissimo
THE Beethoven Pianoforte Sonatas are indeed among the foundations of music ; the reverent pianist talks of the Bach Preludes and Fugues as his' Old Testament' and of the Beethoven Sonatas as the ' New Testament.'
Tho Sonata to be played this evening is the first in published order of all Beethoven's thirty-two pianoforte sonatas. Slight in structure as compared with the later ones, it nevertheless has hints of the mature Beethoven and of his dignity. The first movement opens with a tune which jumps up the common chord to finish in a little turn, and the turn becomes a feature of which much use is made as the movement goes on. The second subject appears very naturally soon after, and the whole course of the movement is concise and straightforward.
The tune of the slow movement might well be a Mozart melody; here again a little turn is freely used and at times the movement runs about with real exuberance. It is in the major.
A dainty Minuet comes next, in minor, with its alternative section (Trio) in major, and the last movementis very quick (Prestissimo). The next tune, dropping down the scale instead of jumping up as the first did, also begins with repeated notes, and the second part of the movement opens with a more suave tune in the player's right hand against repeated chords in the left. Finally the first two tunes return, and bring the movement to an end vigorously.