Beethoven Cello Sonata, Op. 69, mvmt 1
T. Jason Brown
Advanced Form and Analysis
Spring 1998
An Analysis of Beethoven s
Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major, Op. 69, mvmt. 1
Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 69, was written in 1808-09, just following his Symphony no. 6, Op. 68, “The Pastoral.” It may have been written with his
“immortal beloved” in mind, since the dedication is to one of the suspected “beloved’s” brothers-in-law. On one copy, Beethoven wrote, in Latin, the phrase “Between Tears and
Sorrow.” In this Romantic sonata, the two instruments are clearly equals; the piano part is not a slave to the cello and indeed calls for equal virtuosic ability. Melodies are shared by both players, as if Beethoven had divided a solo line from one of his more difficult piano sonatas between the two players. This analysis will be concerned only with the first of the sonata’s three movements.
The main theme is introduced by the cello in a near-solo setting in the opening bars with the piano taking over after the sixth measure, ending in a fermata on a half cadence at
m. 12. The melody is then repeated by the piano, in octaves, with the cello entering
“midstream.” This brief, but clearly established, main theme area also ends with a fermata on a half cadence. The next section begins at m. 25 with a counterstatement. The main theme returns in the counterstatement with diminution and grace-note ornamentation.
The melodic contour of the first four measures is quite similar to that of the opening
counterstatement of mm. 25 and 26 (ex.1). It also marks the first use of triplets in the sonata against the melody but certainly not the last.
At m. 29, the piece moves to E minor, the minor dominant of A minor. From here, using only three-measures of material beginning at m. 35, the piece is brought abruptly into
E major, which is also the key of the second theme area. This theme consists of almost two identical sections beginning at m. 38. The piano opens with the melody in a brief two-measure canon. This
Advanced Form and Analysis
Spring 1998
An Analysis of Beethoven s
Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major, Op. 69, mvmt. 1
Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 69, was written in 1808-09, just following his Symphony no. 6, Op. 68, “The Pastoral.” It may have been written with his
“immortal beloved” in mind, since the dedication is to one of the suspected “beloved’s” brothers-in-law. On one copy, Beethoven wrote, in Latin, the phrase “Between Tears and
Sorrow.” In this Romantic sonata, the two instruments are clearly equals; the piano part is not a slave to the cello and indeed calls for equal virtuosic ability. Melodies are shared by both players, as if Beethoven had divided a solo line from one of his more difficult piano sonatas between the two players. This analysis will be concerned only with the first of the sonata’s three movements.
The main theme is introduced by the cello in a near-solo setting in the opening bars with the piano taking over after the sixth measure, ending in a fermata on a half cadence at
m. 12. The melody is then repeated by the piano, in octaves, with the cello entering
“midstream.” This brief, but clearly established, main theme area also ends with a fermata on a half cadence. The next section begins at m. 25 with a counterstatement. The main theme returns in the counterstatement with diminution and grace-note ornamentation.
The melodic contour of the first four measures is quite similar to that of the opening
counterstatement of mm. 25 and 26 (ex.1). It also marks the first use of triplets in the sonata against the melody but certainly not the last.
At m. 29, the piece moves to E minor, the minor dominant of A minor. From here, using only three-measures of material beginning at m. 35, the piece is brought abruptly into
E major, which is also the key of the second theme area. This theme consists of almost two identical sections beginning at m. 38. The piano opens with the melody in a brief two-measure canon. This
Bibliography: Munchen: G. Henle Verlag, 1971. Drake, Kenneth. The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994. Newman, William S. The Sonata in the Classic Era. NewYork: W.W. Norton and Co., 1983. Rosen, Charles. Sonata Forms. NewYork: W.W. Norton and Co., 1980.