Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn (Germany) in a family of musicians. His father gave him his first music lessons but eventually he was sent to learn music by the well known organist C. G. Neefe. In 1792 he went to Vienna to study further under composers such as Haydn, Schenk, Salieri and Albrechtsbergerand. By 1809, he was firmly established as a well known pianist and composer with rich patrons from the German aristocracy. Beethoven's contribution to the genre of Sonata is enormous. His thirty-two piano sonatas constitute a wonderful treasure in the history of music. His mastery is demonstrated in every single piece that he ever composed. His beautiful and poetic melodies with their lyrical character and his powerful and bizarre use of rhythm were factors indicating the innovative character of his sonatas. With Beethoven, the sonata form became a way of expression of his own life with all its joys and sorrows. The musical theme acquires remarkable proportions, of such strength, that it imposes itself over the listener's attention and memory. Vincent d' Indy (1851-1931), a French musician and composer who was a great admirer and biographer of Beethoven, commented that with Beethoven, the musical theme turns into an concept that spreads throughout the whole work making it easily recognizable even if harmonic, modal or tonal aspects change. Anton Felix Schindler, one of Beethoven's students, assistant and early biographer divides Beethoven's life in three periods: the first from his birth to the end of 1800, the second from 1801-1814 and the third from 1815 till his death in 1827. The Tempest sonata is one of the first sonatas of Beethoven's second period. It was composed in 1802 and is one of three sonatas in Op.31. Similarly to the other two sonatas in Op.31, this sonata also has a very powerful and contrasting character. This is expressed through the subito dynamic changes throughout all the movements as well as building up the dynamics for short but strong climactic sections of each movement. In general, the dynamics range from pp to ff but one has to keep in mind the fact that pianos during Beethoven's time had lower dynamic levels that modern pianos. The mysterious opening in the first movement, from Largo to Allegro, is the most dramatic that Beethoven had yet conceived. The contrast of tempi and motifs along with a radical opposition of mood (juxtapositions between peaceful rhythms and turmoil moments) are the main characteristics throughout the first movement. While all three movements are in sonata form, the second movement lacks a significant developmental section. It is a calm, slow and tranquil movement. The start of this movement reflects the start of the first movement with the subsequent bars reflecting the rising melodic ideas of the opening of the first movement. The B-flat major chord in the first bar is an integral part of the first phrase and helps us to be aware of strong accents in the following bars. Finally, the third movement is again in D minor, and it is a very flowing and touching movement with an extended developmental section. It has been suggested by Czerny, who was a student of Beethoven, that its lively and cheerful rhythm, through the development of the arpeggiated chords throughout the movement, may have been inspired by the galloping of a horse that had passed outside Beethoven's window. An anecdote by Schindler indicates that there is a relation between the Tempest sonata and Shakespeare's play The Tempest but this is nowadays dismissed as a dramatic exaggeration along with some other elements of Beethoven's biography by Schnidler. Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) - Sonata Op. 31 No. 2 Tempest in D minor. Performance (piano) & Programme notes by Panagiotis Markos.
