The
piano sonata has four
movements:
I. Allegro vivace The autograph has
alla breve Allegro while the first edition (published during Schubert's lifetime and thus probably a revision) gives common-time
Allegro vivace – this is uncharacteristically quick for a Schubert
allegro, a marking he often qualified with
moderato. The first movement is unrelentingly energetic, ranging from ebullient to stormy to triumphant. A fanfare-like introduction introduces the primary thematic material featured in this movement and ultimately throughout the sonata. In a characteristic Schubertian gesture, this theme is immediately repeated in the minor – also typical is the
modulation through
remote keys as the
exposition is spun out. The cheerful second subject, with its vacillating high-low pattern, is reminiscent of
yodeling. This theme is also similar to the opening of the
Lied Das Heimweh (homesickness), composed at the same time. The
development section features a grandiose chordal fanfare theme based on the first subject, also used in the
coda closing the movement. Some of the most challenging writing in Schubert's solo piano oeuvre is found here, with the relentless triplets providing opportunity for virtuosic display.
II. Con moto Like the first movement, the second movement is unusual in its quickness, signified by the unique tempo marking. A driving pulse written into the phrasing augments an otherwise wistful melody in the A section. The bold, expansive B section features a novel syncopated dotted rhythm that produces stops and starts of momentum and is used to dramatic effect
. Several recitatives and meditative digressions punctuate the piece, which has a sophisticated texture and inventive writing in general. The syncopated rhythm of theme B is merged with theme A for its final appearance, and the movement dies off with a brief and shadowy outro.
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace – Trio In the athletic scherzo, Schubert expands a jaunty dotted-note idea to its limits, with thick chordal writing and frequent abrupt changes of register, texture, and key.
Hemiola is used extensively – a strong pulse pervades the scherzo. The stately trio, with its even, lyrical repeated chords and distant modulations, contrasts considerably with the kinetic music surrounding it.
IV. Rondo: Allegro moderato The playful and innocent march-like rondo theme, repeated twice with increasing rhythmic subdivision and decoration, is punctuated by two contrasting episodes, each with their own stormy central sections. The B episode features quick scales passed between the hands as a simple staccato phrase is developed. The C episode features a lyrical repeated chord theme that digresses into a dramatic minor section. After the last highly ornamented statement of the rondo theme, a valedictory coda brings the work to a quiet and understated close. The work takes approximately 40 minutes to perform, one of the longest and most ambitious of Schubert’s solo works, especially up to this point. ==External links==