Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2 (1801)
Valentina Lisitsa, pianist (video, 14:30)
What makes it Romantic? REVOLUTION! Just as with the Romantic movement as a whole, the Romantic Era of music was all about pushing boundaries. It emphasized artistic freedom, abandoning traditional restraints to achieve intense expression of emotion - 'Music that embodies feeling' (Lizst).
It dismissed the Classical era that came before it in both style and performance.
Style Context
The Classical Period was a conservative era of music, running parallel to neoclassicism throughout other forms of art. It was a relatively simple period in music compared to the more complex than the Romantic which followed it, and very homophonic - consisting almost ubiquitously of single, short melodies with chordal accompaniments.
It had definite phrases (consecutive melodic notes) and cadences (chords that end a phrase), and was limited to a few primary forms such as the sonata, trio and concerto. This was a very exclusive and conforming style of music - creative exploration was limited by 'rules.' This piece is a Sonata in G Major by Franz Joseph Haydn (click to play). Note the light, running melody and constant time. It is very restrained, allowing little room for personal interpretation. Throughout, the mood stays singular and calm. Throughout the Classical Period, music was entirely the domain of the affluent. Audiences were small and of 'noble' heritage, generally knowledgeable about the nuances of music. Musicians were sustained on the patronage of the aristocracy that had very discriminate tastes.
The Classical Period was concerned with form, polish, balance and restrained performance. Composers emphasized balance, clarity and rationalism in music - just as the Enlightenment thinkers believed the universe to be governed by definite, inflexible laws, Classical era musicians defined their music through a strict set of guidelines. Impassioned emotion was avoided, for it caused "inconsistencies... in music" (Haydn). The Romantics rebelled against this interpretation of music. They perceived Classical style to be somewhat sterile - they revolutionized music, with emotion held as a virtue above all others.
“Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.” Beethoven
The Romantics denied aristocratic patronage, bringing music to people of all creeds and class in large, public concerts and festivals. The Romantic composer Edward Elgar claimed: "there should be no segregation of musical tastes," that his "purpose was to write music that was to be heard." The conventions of the Classical Era were gradually abandoned, and the Romantics innovated an entirely new style. Romantic composers wished to achieve, above all, intimacy. Composition and performance was all about personal expression and capturing emotions, without regard for formalities. In opposition to the strict definitions of the Classic era, musicians such as Beethoven and Wagner explored harmonies with previously disdained chords and chord progressions. Chromaticism, dissonance, and complexity of rhythms became vital for creating unorthodox and unexpected sounds that would evoke emotion that was not necessarily positive. Romantic music hoped to replicate poetry as an artistic form. Its melodies grew longer and unpredictable, but with characteristic motifs; fluidity and engagement were vital to performance.
It was heavily influenced by literary and artistic works of the Romantic movement. Goethe and Dante consistently recur throughout many musical pieces, particularly Franz Lizst, Franz Schubert, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Gustav Mahler; while the Promethean myth, a fable heavily explored by the Romantics, was the inspiration for many of Beethoven's symphonies. The Romantic musicians largely followed the progressive philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, with their emphasis on common human value and emotion. Note in this Liszt sonata (inspired by Dante's 'Inferno') the emphasis on dramatic minor sounds, rising chromatics, unexpected modulation and tense silence. It does not follow conventional form, design or rhythm; and contains varying pitches with dynamic contrast. The climaxes are spectacular and dramatic - this is a piece intending to evoke a virtual landscape.
It is quite apparent in this piece the sheer contrast between Classical and Romantic styles of music. The Romantic is a revolution from Classical styles, attempting to erase the esoteric, technical nature of Classical music in exchange for evocative and more human pieces. The Romantics hoped to bring passion back to the arts.
So where does Ludwig Van Beethoven fit in all of this?
Beethoven is crucial to Romantic Era of music - he pretty much started it. Beethoven was a transitory figure, a staunch Classicist in his earlier works and a forerunner of all Romantic music as he grew older. His insistent experimentation and refusal of Classical conventions brought the Romantic Era to life, just as Rousseau departed from his Enlightenment contemporaries with his progressive Romantic ideals. Beethoven typified the Romantic persona. While initially groomed in in the restrictive Neoclassic standards, as he grew more and more respected, he became less and less respectful. His tempestuous character disdained authority, and he abandoned the restrictive Classic styles - "I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on I intend to take a new way. My way." This, in essence, was the beginning of Romantic music.
Beethoven was attracted to the principles of Rousseau and Kant, particularly in their regard for man as a natural, vulnerable creature. He often quoted Robert Burns' - "A man's a man, for a 'that" - believing a man should be "judged on his goodness and not his upbringing". He was a stalwart supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte's egalitarianism - even devoting a symphony to him - until Bonaparte's imperial ambition became clear, when he tore his manuscript to pieces and renamed the work "in memory of a great man." His character was so individual and extravagant that he would often find himself unable to restrain emotion. As a conductor "he would vehemently spread out his arms; then when he wanted to indicated soft passages, bend lower and lower until he disappeared from sight. Then... at the fortissimo, he would spring into the air."
Ignaz Moscheles described him as "standing at the open window in his night shirt... desiring to feel the air", and when attracting the attention of a crowd of juveniles inquiring with bemusement "what those confounded boys were hooting at."
Richard Wagner described him as "facing the world with a defiant temperament... savage independence;" his nature was described by Carl Maria von Weber as having "a certain severe integrity and passionate power and lofty sadness about it... it claimed kindred with a world out of proportion to our own".
Beethoven's work can be categorised into 3 periods:
Early (1790 - 1800) - Heavily influenced by Classic predecessors Haydn and Mozart, he had only begun to explore new musical sounds and techniques.
Middle (1801 - 1815) - Brought on by his encroaching deafness, Beethoven began to experiment largely with sound. Traditional conventions were ignored, and elements of both Romantic and Classic styles. Large-scale works expressing personal struggle, including Moonlight Sonata, were written in this period.
Late (1816 - 1826) - It was in this period that Beethoven is regarded as a complete Romantic. These works are characterized by their innovation and extreme expression. This is why 'Sonata quasi una Fantasia', commonly known as the 'Moonlight Sonata', is so important as a predecessor piece.
It is a vivid expression of the gap between these two eras, the Romantic revolution against musical conservatism and rationalism. From one movement to the next it tells a parallel story: of the tempestuous emotion of forlorn love, and of a conflict between style. It is initially restrained and dampened, yet becomes an epitome of Romantic passion in the final movement - a transgressive furor of anger, desire and misery. The Moonlight Sonata is an informal name coined by the Romantic poet Ludwig Rellstab, yet has become more commonly used than its original title, as it encapsulates the mood of the first movement greatly.
This sonata was dedicated to Beethoven's 17 year old (at the time) pupil, the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, whom he held wild passion for. He describes to his pupil Ferdinand Ries "I found One only, and her I have no chance of ever calling mine... my immortal beloved," a sentiment analogous to the Romantic notion of 'elective affinities.'
This passion was marked by bitter disappointment however, as the Countess married Count Gallenberg following social standards. Beethoven claimed "she did not know what she was doing!... I was much loved by her - far better than she ever love her husband." However, he was a commoner, going deaf and of insufficient title, and so the Countess denied him. This was said to haunt him for years, his servant claiming "he would throw books, and even chairs, at our heads", and he would mourn "whom he had passionately loved... it would be the highest joy on earth to possess." As a side note, the tale of Beethoven and the Countess is eerily reminiscent of Heathcliff and Cathy in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Indeed, as 'Moonlight Sonata' progresses throughout the three movements, it almost parallels the first volume which tells of Cathy and Heathcliff's tempestuous relationship.
The First Movement: Adagio Sostenuto
The first, and most popular movement, is deeply emotive, yet not entirely Romantic. It was highly novel to begin a sonata with such a slow, moody sonority (chordal timbre), and having the 'misty' atmosphere building a very tumultous sense of emotion; yet it is properly played in an understated manner - "mit der aubersten feinfuhligkeit gespielt" ("should be played with the utmost sensitivity.")
The movement is described as 'adagio sostenuto', or slow and sustained, and marked with 'sempre pianissimo senza sordino' - without dampers, allowing the sustain pedal to draw out the haunting harmonies. This creates an almost ethereal atmosphere when performed correctly, an expression of Romantic obsession with imagination, and is highly atmospheric, even hypnotic. It speaks of mourning, a pianissimo, restrained tragedy only intensified occasionally with the use flattened supertonics. In terms of form, it follows that of a funeral march relatively closely with dotted (half-beat) rhythms, repeated dominant (5th) notes and melodic descents.
This movement is Romantic in emotion, yet Classic in form. Beethoven is telling of innate passion restrained, an almost tortured loss of self as profound emotion is restricted by the form. The first movement acts as a social criticism of superficial restrictions: his music is limited in expression, enormous beauty repressed by Classical restrains; just as his love for the Countess Guicciardi is prevented by the limited perspective of aristocratic society.
The Second Movement: Allegretto
This movement is the shortest of the three, almost a brief interlude before the agitated final. It is marked 'allegretto', or moderately fast, and follows the conventional form of a 'scherzo' - light-hearted and superficial. 'Scherzo' in Italian means joke, a statement on Beethoven's part - the only truly Classical movement in 'Moonlight Sonata' is described as empty.
The first four measures of the movement are played in a dominant key, then repeated immediately after transposed to a tonic key, giving the impression that the initial four are played inaccurately. This again is Beethoven questioning the wisdom of restrained, emotionless music - it is quite literally 'played wrong'. The majority of the movement is played in piano, with occasional sforzando accents to maintain a cheerful disposition. Above all, this is a very refined piece, with very limited potential for interpretation.
Liszt describes this movement as a "flower between two abysses" - it is plain and shallow when compared to the outer movements. This is Beethoven's criticism of Classicism in music - it lacks emotional depth, individuality, empathy and paints a distorted, sterile picture of the world. Its contrasting superficiality is analogous to Beethoven's rejection by the Countess - he has been disconnected from his passion by the nuances of a stagnant society.
The Third Movement:- Presto Agitato
The finale of Moonlight Sonata represents Beethoven's emotive ferocity. This final movement, 'Presto agitato' - literally fast and agitated - is a pained, angry and pleading exploration of wild emotion; layered in temperamental outbursts and breathless cadenza (elaborate solo ornaments).
This movement is in reality, the most important piece of the sonata - Beethoven expresses the sheer enormity of emotion by placing the weightiest movement last in an unprecedented manner. It begins with the triplets of the first movement, returning to those restrained emotions and freeing them in angry, surging arpeggios, extending multiple octaves and evoking images of crashing waves. This is Beethoven denying all Classical restraints, indulging in sheer Romantic emotion.
The trembling bassline plays consistently with frantic ascending chromatics creates a dramatic turbulence, and sforzando accents imitate the crashing of thunder. Constant and unexpected changes in key (modulations) between the predominant minor and fleeting major create a feeling of instability and tumult.
This is Beethoven's ultimate expression of Romantic music. It is a powerful exploration of primal forces, replicating the ferocity of a storm and denying any Classical constraints. It is rebellious by nature, expressing the severity of anger at a society that stifled emotion and individuality, encouraged mechanical conformity even throughout the arts. It is Beethoven's wild passion towards the Countess Guicciardi, his fury that she was taken by a man she didn't love.
Adapted from 'The Moonlight Sonata', Beethoven, and Romantic Music by Finnegan Lowe
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