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Beethoven, Ludwig van : Sonate für Klavier Nr.7 2.Satz Largo e mesto

Work Overview

Music ID : 30698
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:sonata
Total Playing Time:10 min 00 sec
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (2)

Author : Kikuchi, Yusuke

Last Updated: April 1, 2020
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Second Movement

Among Beethoven's early works, it possesses outstanding musicality for depicting the darkest abysses of the human psyche. Here too, motive a and motive b both appear, but whereas the first movement primarily developed motive a, in this second movement, motive b creates an extremely strong impression from the outset. The interval of a fourth latent in the three notes of motive b is greatly transformed here (perfect fourth → diminished fourth), and this interval, which resists ascent, suggests a strong psychological sense of confinement.

Numerous dissonances, especially diminished seventh chords, are repeatedly played fortissimo (ff), creating the effect of a heart's scream expanding in panic. The long coda ascends spirally with hesitation, pleading for help from heaven, but without reaching revelation, it sinks back into the abyss with the deep despair conveyed by numerous diminished intervals (diminished fourth, diminished seventh, diminished third).

Writer: Kikuchi, Yusuke

Author : Saitoh, Noriko

Last Updated: March 5, 2019
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Translation in Progress
Writer: Saitoh, Noriko