Beethoven`s Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion [Hardcover]

Dr. Charles Rosen (Author), Charles Rosen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

Beethoven's piano sonatas form one of the most important collections of works in the whole history of music. Spanning several decades of his life as a composer, the sonatas soon came to be seen as the first body of substantial serious pieces for piano suited to performance in large concert halls seating hundreds of people. In this comprehensive and authoritative guide, Charles Rosen places the works in context and provides an understanding of the formal principles involved in interpreting and performing this unique repertoire, covering such aspects as sonata form, phrasing, and tempo, as well as the use of pedal and trills. In the second part of his book, he looks at the sonatas individually, from the earliest works of the 1970s through the sonatas of Beethoven's youthful popularity of the early 1800s, the subsequent years of mastery, the years of stress (1812-1817), and the last three sonatas of the 1820s. Composed as much for private music-making as public recital, Beethoven's sonatas have long formed a bridge between the worlds of the salon and the concert hall. For today's audience, Charles Rosen has written a guide that brings out the gravity, passion, and humour of these works and will enrich the appreciation of a wide range of readers, whether listeners, amateur musicians or professional pianists. This book includes a free CD of Rosen performing extracts from several of the sonatas, illustrating points made in the text.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rosen's prize-winning study The Classical Style was a wide-ranging look at music history. His latest book originated in seminars given to piano students at an Italian festival, and is divided into two sections, "Formal Principles" (considerations of phrasing and tempo, for example) and "The Sonatas" (analyses of the 18th- and early-19th-century sonatas). Rosen points out that though Beethoven wrote his sonatas at a time when such works were meant for amateur performances at home, he consistently made them too difficult for this purpose. He also observes that Beethoven rarely used simple indications of tempo, such as allegro (quickly) or lento (slowly); instead, he saddled his interpreters with complex and debatable instructions like allegro vivace e con brio (quickly, lively, and with gusto). How fast should the opening of the famous Moonlight sonata, which is "often taken at too slow a pace," be played? And what about the knuckle-busting Hammerklavier sonata, about which Rosen notes, "high-minded pianists consider the very fast tempo vulgar... [but] more than anything else, it is an explosion of energy"? Rosen addresses many such practical questions, and, in the accompanying CD, he plays excerpts from some of the sonatas to illustrate his points. Mostly steering clear of the kind of catty comments about performers and fellow critics that pepper his journalism, Rosen keeps his eye on the subject, and the result is measured and sane. A nice complement to, if not a substitute for, earlier books by Timothy Jones, Kenneth Drake and Robert Taub, this book's musical examples and occasional technical language should not turn off Ludwig-o-maniacs. (Mar.)Forecast: Sure to get endless plugs in the tony lit-crit rags where Rosen is omnipresent, like the New York Review of Books, this book will no doubt also benefit from Rosen's penchant for radio appearances as both interviewee and performer.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rosen, whose legendary books of music criticism (e.g., Critical Entertainments, LJ 4/1/00) are among the most lucid and valuable in print, has produced yet another outstanding work: a performer's guide to Beethoven's piano sonatas. Rosen divides the book into two equal parts. In the first, "Formal Principles," he discusses the musical elements of phrasing, tempo, and articulation as they pertain to all 32 sonatas. This is an enormously useful section, accompanied by copious musical examples, which the author himself illustrates on the companion CD. The second part deals with the sonatas individually. Here, Rosen departs from the traditional practice of dividing Beethoven's output into three large stylistic divisions: an early, a middle, and a late period. He argues as does pianist/author Robert Taub in his recent Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas and in the liner notes to his five-volume set of the complete piano sonatas for a more precise delineation of five categories, though his differs markedly from Taub's. Rosen labels his divisions "18th Century Sonatas" (Op. 2-22), "Youthful Popularity" (Op. 26-28), "The Years of Mastery" (Op. 31-81a), "The Years of Stress" (Op. 90-106), and "The Last Sonatas" (Op. 109-111). The text is rich in detail, and Rosen's prose is typically graceful and embracing. All admirers of this repertory will gain much from this book. Highly recommended for all collections. Larry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300090706
• ISBN-13: 978-0300090703
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Piano Sonatas
  • #13 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Beethoven

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106 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music of a Lifetime, July 20, 2002

By 

Robin Friedman (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven`s Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion (Hardcover)

Beethoven's 32 sonatas are the glory of music written for the piano. They are music of Beethoven's lifetime in that their composition spans the period from his early days in Vienna to near the end of his life. In another sense, Beethoven's piano sonatas are the music of my lifetime. I first was exposed to them as an early adolescent through concerts, records, and my own early attempts at playing the easier of them. Today, all too many years later (I am 55), I still try to play the sonatas and I go to recitals. I listen to them on CDs now instead of records. And I read about them, particularly Charles' Rosen's edudite and eloquent study. With short periods away, Beethoven's piano sonatas are probably the most lasting interest I have had in my life.

Rosen was inspired to write this book by giving a performance of the sonata cycle and to lecture on Beethoven at a summer music festival and school. The book is, on one level, a continuation of Rosen's study, "The Classical Style" with application to the Beethoven sonatas. The book is marked by its wide-ranging references. There is a great deal of specific discussion of Beethoven's piano sonatas, of course, but the book is enriched immeasurably by examples from and discussions Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert, as their works are compared and contrasted with Beethoven's.

The book is divided into two Parts. Part I, "The Tradition" begins with a discussion of the nature and development of the sonata form. Rosen describes well how Beethoven's sonatas have, until very recent years, been a bridge from the world of performance of classical music in the home to its appreciation in the concert hall. This was certainly the case with me.

The book discusses various ways in which the sonatas have been interpreted over the years and attempts to find that elusive quarry -- the manner in which the composer would have interpreted the sonatas. Rosen devotes a great deal of attention to questions of tempo and questions of phrasing, with examples from Beethoven's predecessors. He concludes that modern performers place more emphasis on a smooth legato style than would have been the case in Beethoven's day and that Beethoven's tempos would be somewhat different from those at which we now hear the music. In some cases, tempos would have been faster, but I get the impression that in the main tempos were taken at a slower pace. The book comes with a CD recorded by Guiilio Caesare Ricci which illustrates helpfully many of Rosen's musical examples. Rosen stresses that there is no single way of performing these complex, wonderful pieces of music. His discussion of performance practices still is highly useful in understanding the sonatas and in listening to them.

The second part of the book consists of a chronological discussion of each of the 32 sonatas. The discussion is arranged in five parts: a)the early 18th Century sonatas (the sonatas from opus 2 to opus 22); b) the sonatas of Beethoven growing in popularity and independent style (the sonatas from opus 26 to opus 28) c) the sonatas in which Beethoven attained mastery (the sonatas from opus 31 through opus 81a) d). the sonatas composed during Beethoven's years of stress and personal difficulty (the opus 90 and opus 101 sonatas and the "Hammerklavier" sonata, opus 106 ); and e)the last sonatas (opus 109. 110,111)

In each instance Rosen offers some general comments on the character of each sonata followed by detailed thematic, harmonic and pianistic discussions.

I found it useful in this section of the book to read first Rosen's discussion of the sonatas with which I was most familiar, either by attempting to play them or by repeated hearings over the years. Thus I began with Rosen's discussion of the opus 26 sonata and followed it the the "Waldstein", the "Pathetique" and the opus 90 sonata. I then went through Rosen's discussion work by work as it appeared in the book. There is much to be learned, and Rosen's discussion will be useful in listening to the sonatas and following along with the score or with Rosen's discussion.

It is worth noting that Rosen spends a great deal of time on sonatas which are relatively little performed, particularly the opus 54 (which is given in full on the CD that comes with the book) and with the opus 31 no. 1 sonata. His discussion of these work illuminates them and illuminates Beethoven's output. He also gives thorough discussions of more familiar works particularly the "Moonlight" sonata and the Hammerklavier -- with respect to the latter, he follows-up upon the lengthy analysis of this work in The Classical Style.

Beethoven's piano sonatas are indeed music of a lifetime. If you love them, by playing or by hearing them, you will love this book. If you want to learn about them, this book will be an outstanding guide.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable guide to some of the best piano music ever written, October 5, 2004

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven`s Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion (Hardcover)

There are a number of well-known books about Beethoven's piano sonatas. If one simply likes listening to the sonatas but has no intention of playing them, I wouldn't recommend this book, nor the ones by Tovey or Drake. I'd suggest reading about them in a book about Beethoven's life, or maybe the chapter on them in Kentner's book on the piano. But if you enjoy playing any or all of these sonatas, yes, you'll enjoy this book, with its emphasis on simplicity of style (which Rosen explains to us is the advice of Proust's grandmother).

While there's good advice on phrasing, pedaling, and trills, the most interesting part of any book on the Beethoven sonatas is going to be about tempos. This one is no exception. The author points out that it is not illegal to play a piece of music at the wrong tempo. One won't get a speeding ticket or a fine or a jail sentence for doing so. Still, even if a tempo seems comfortable to us, it may not be anything like what Beethoven had in mind, so it is useful to see what the correct tempos appear to be. I like the fact that Rosen tries to discover what those who read Beethoven's tempo descriptions would have concluded at the time they were written, as opposed to relying on what Czerny, Moscheles, Schindler, or others might have said long afterwards.

Rosen's comments are backed up with excerpts on an accompanying CD (played by Giulio Ricci). I think these add substantially to the value of this book.

And of course, if you play the piano but haven't tried the Beethoven sonatas, you are missing something truly special.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars con brio, March 9, 2007

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My Uncle Stu (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Beethoven`s Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion (Hardcover)

This is a nice read for hard-core Beethoven-heads. It'll change the way you approach playing the pieces, or at the least change the way you listen to them. There's nothing wrong with just listening to the music and absorbing it, not worrying about why a particular change is brilliant or why it should affect you. It's like watching a movie and just letting the movie touch you however it does, not worrying about why the director chose a particular camera angle or what some set detail might be referencing. But it is hard for modern listeners to realize just how much some of Beethoven's compositions broke against the assumptions of the time. When the harmonies pivot on thirds, for example, modulating through a series of keys before landing where the ear expects it, it doesn't necessarily hold the same tension to modern ears. Wagner, as well as every composer of cinematic background music, have now manipulated Beethoven's techniques to the point of emotional burlesque. But you get extra credit for being the first, and still the best, to do it.

But the best parts of reading Rosen- a scholar whose words are mostly measured- are those brief moments when he gushes. When he expands on the revolutionary character of the music. When he stops intellectualizing about music and briefly speaks as an admirer in awe. Compositional theory can only go so far, after all. Eventually you give yourself over to the sheer transcendence of this brilliant music.

It reminds me of a calculus teacher I had once. He was just about the slowest, driest lecturer I had ever had. But one day, when discussing the fact that the derivative of sine is cosine, his gaze softened. His voice choked for a moment, "this is when math becomes something more than logic, something more beautiful. There is nothing in the Universe that says the derivative of a sine wave will be a cosine wave. It didn't have to be..." I nice little warble of emotion broke through and I briefly cared about calculus.