Nick Blue

Piano I
Carrie Carlson
2/1/16
Analysis of Movement One of Beethovens Pathetique
Beethovens 8th sonata in c minor, called the Pathetique, was written in 1798 when
Beethoven was 27 years old and still working to cement his place in the world of composition.
After beginning piano at the age of four and studying composition with Joseph Hayden in his
early 20s, Beethovens music was often light and even airy until around his late 20s, when he
began to lose his hearing and his music became moody and dark. Beethoven was also an
important figure in making the transition from the Classical Era to the Romantic Era, which saw
the shift from elegant and technically demanding music to music with more emotive harmonies
and less traditional structure. The Pathetique is an example of both of these transitions.
The first movement of the piece is in c minor, and generally follows the traditional sonata
form of theme, followed by development, and ending with a restatement of the theme with a few
departures. The biggest example of this departure is the inclusion of a grave intro before the
theme, featuring large heavy chords and, well, pathetic melody. A rapid 64th note run a few bars
into the piece, set apart from the large chords that surround it, modulates the key briefly into Eb
major, the key relative to c minor, through a perfect authentic cadence. Even though this key
only remains for a single bar before moving back to the home key, the left hand now begins to
strike 16th note chords and octaves to accompany the theme in the right hand; ideas of both hands
are later restated in the development section of the work in a different setting. The music

crescendos to airy and mournful right hand run work, ending in a very rapid and magnificent
chromatic scale down three octaves of the keyboard before moving into the theme section of the
work with a perfect authentic cadence.
This new section is marked Allegro di molto e con brio, meaning very fast and with fire.
The first theme presented begins piano and crescendos rapidly and furiously with quarter note
chords, the left providing an eighth note octave pattern that climbs and descends consistently
with the right hand; after two octaves of ascent, the music decrescendos down somewhat less
rapidly to the original position, where this theme is almost exactly repeated, but is cut off by a
half cadence. At this point, the music is standing on the dominant, and features right hand octave
chords followed by scathing arpeggios downward before moving on to a less slightly less frantic
sequence of staccato quarter note chords that climb the keyboard in a similar manner to the
original statement of the theme. After two renditions of this pattern in different keys, the
dominant arrives and is accompanied by sforzando chords that begin a descent down the piano to
introduce the movements first sub theme. This new theme is in eb minor and involves the right
hand briefly crossing over the left to strike out a staccato melody that occasionally bursts with
accented dotted half notes. The left hand continuously plays triad chords, with the root stated as
a whole note and the rest of the triad subsequently stated as three quarter notes, another element
that is to be restated in the development. Before moving to the second sub theme of the section
through a perfect authentic cadence to Eb major, the melody modulates around the circle of fifths
from C to F and Bb. The second sub theme is incredibly rapid in both the left hand and the right
and is reminiscent of the pattern of an alberti bass. After remaining stationary for four bars, the
melody climbs rapidly up the keyboard and works itself into a furor before being repeated. This
theme repeats. The natation of the music changes after the repeat to a dainty and tragic right

hand run accompanied by the previously used triad pattern in the left. Through a perfect
authentic cadence, the original theme is reintroduced briefly, before closing out the first section
of the movement.
Instead of moving straight to the development section, however, Beethoven inserts
material almost identical to the grave introduction section. After four bars of this, the
development section begins, again at allegro, with a melody similar to part of the main theme
and is followed by an octaves melody in the right hand also reminiscent of the introduction. This
is accompanied in the left by a similar triad pattern used in the first sub theme of the previous
section. Eventually, the melody moves to the left hand and is accompanied by a right hand
eighth note octave pattern very similar to the left hand of the main theme. Beethoven
masterfully uses his previous patterns and ideas here in very different settings to create different
moods than they originally did. The melody of this section again modulates keys frequently and
finally descends to the low section of the keyboard and a new melody, which stands on the
dominant is achieved by a half cadence. After four bars of this theme, the music climbs in a
similar fashion to the main theme to the top of the keyboard before jumping back down and
repeating this pattern. After the second climb, the melody there is repeated three times before the
left hand drops out completely and the right hand displays a brilliant eighth note run that spans
three octaves and brings the piece to its recapitulation section.
The original theme is stated exactly as before, but after a repeat the music is frantically
pounded out with half note chords that traverse up and down the key board, before a repeat of the
first sub theme in the subdominant key of f minor. This theme moves around the circle of fifths
in a similar way to its first statement. After a perfect authentic cadence, the second sub theme is
now repeated in c minor. The theme continues in a similar way to its original statement before

returning once again to the main theme, which works itself into a brilliant tantrum and ends
abruptly, returning the piece to a coda section beginning with another statement of the intro.
However, at this point, Beethoven excludes the first fortissimo chords of the previous intro
sections, perhaps indicating that the mood should be more empty than previously. After this
statement, the original theme returns yet again, and crescendos to finish the piece off with grand
and sorrowful dictated quarter note chords.
The mood of the peace is incredibly negative. In some ways, the piece can be
reminiscent of someone grieving a great loss. The intro sections are empty and pitiful, and
perhaps remind the listener of someone who is simply existing after the death of their parent or
spouse. The main theme of the work incredibly angry and lashes out at the listener, which can
indicate the anger people feel at being powerless to regain their great loss. The first sub theme is
more melancholy than angry, and tries to make progress to move toward something more but to
no avail. The second sub theme is slightly more optimistic, and can possibly indicate the
mourner thinking of fond memories of the person they have lost. However, the main theme,
along with the anger at the idea of having no further opportunity to create fond memories,
inevitably returns, just as grief tends to. The next statement of the intro indicates the shift in the
mourner from complete anger to the return of horrible sadness and emptiness. After the shift to
the next section of the work, in which the anger returns, the music seems to evoke the mourner
denying what they know to be true, as indicated by the octave melody of the right hand and the
subsequent melody of the left. The trilled half note somewhat further in the section is indicative
of the shrieking of the mourner. The right hand run down the piano which leads to the return of
the theme can be viewed as the mourners complete descent into angry and insane grieving. The
unique half note chord progressions can indicate the mourner trying to move on from the loss but

failing. The first sub theme returns again, as does the second sub theme. This second sub theme,
however, is now not in a major key but a minor one, and can indicate sheer anger and sadness at
not experiencing more pleasant times with their lost person. The music then again shifts to
another statement of the intro section, but with the first chords of the bars left out, indicating that
the person is, if even possible, yet even more empty than they were originally. The furious main
theme returns again to close the piece, and is reminiscent of a mourner deciding to simply
angrily accept that they are powerless to change their circumstances.