Struggling to answer questions for GCSE Music: Pathetique Sonata? Well, struggle no longer – this is the place to be!
Struggling to revise for the GCSE Music Pathetique Sonata questions, and not sure where to start?
Panicking because there are only a few months left until the exam?
Not to worry, this is the place to be!
As a grade 9 ex-GCSE music student myself, I know all the best tips and tricks for doing well in your exam. I have tried to make all this information as concise as possible so you can get the best value for your time spent reading. Using this guide to Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, you can boost your grades with as little effort as possible!
Make sure you write EVERYTHING down and learn it thoroughly. Reading alone will not help you absorb this information!
This post is all about GCSE Music: Pathetique Sonata.
GCSE Music: Pathetique Sonata
To start with, here is my favourite recording of the first movement of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata.
Youtube: Barenboim – Pathetique Sonata
I’m tentatively assuming most of the people reading this will already have the GCSE Anthology of Music recommended by Edexcel. If not, here is a link to where you can buy it.
Unfortunately, the anthologies are very expensive. However, if you are lucky, you can find a second hand one on amazon or ebay.
Thankfully, Pathetique Sonata is out of copyright, so you can find it on that lifesaver of a site called IMSLP. Here is a link to the page:
Context of Pathetique Sonata
The Pathetique Sonata was the eighth sonata written by German composer Beethoven (in total he wrote 32 of them!), and it was published in 1799. It was dedicated to Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. For GCSE you study the first movement.
Unfortunately, the Pathetique Sonata doesn’t fit clearly into either the Classical or the Romantic era – in fact, it bridges both! Here are some features you should know:
Classical era
- Scalic patterns
- Melody and accompaniment texture
- Simple harmony
- Crescendos and diminuendos
Romantic era
- Wide range of the keyboard
- Wide dynamic range
- Lyrical (cantabile) melodies
- Use of rubato
- Adventurous key changes
Which of these can you spot in the Pathetique Sonata?
Structure of Pathetique Sonata
The first movement of the Pathetique Sonata uses a structure called sonata form, which was common in both the Classical and Romantic eras. Sonata form has three main sections: exposition, development and recapitulation.
The Pathetique Sonata begins with an introduction (marked Grave). It has a very different character to the main section of the movement, but it helps to set the mood.
The exposition begins at bar 11. This is where the two subjects are played for the first time. The first subject begins at bar 11, whilst the second subject begins at bar 51. There is also a short transition from bars 35 to 50.
The exposition ends with a short codetta at bar 121, before it is then repeated to ensure the two subject stick in the listener’s mind.
The development begins after the repeat, at bar 133. This is when the two subjects are developed (surprise, surprise!). Here are some ways Beethoven develops the first subject:
- Modulating through different keys (e.g. bar 137)
- Moving it to the left hand (e.g. bar 149)
- Changing the phrasing (e.g. bar 153)
The recapitulation begins at bar 195. This is a repeat of the exposition but with the subjects in different keys – normally the tonic, tonic major or relative major. Of course, Beethoven doesn’t quite follow this! Read the tonality section to find out what he does instead.
The whole movement ends with a coda at bar 295, which references the introduction material and then repeats the first subject to end.
Tonality of Pathetique Sonata
A key part of sonata form is the tonality of each subject. This means Beethoven moves through many different keys.
The movement begins in C minor, but only stays there for 4 bars. We land in Eb major (the relative major) in bar 5. We then move through several keys before arriving in C minor again for the exposition.
Our first subject (bar 11) is in C minor, the tonic key. This is typical of sonata form. However, Beethoven switches things up for the second subject (bar 510), which is in Eb minor, the mediant minor. According to the rules of sonata form, we should be in Eb major, the relative major – our fist example of Beethoven going rogue with keys!
The development, however, moves us to yet another key. We begin in G minor at bar 133 (the dominant minor). As always, however, we don’t stay here for long. The development moves through many keys – here are some examples:
- By bar 137 we are in E minor
- Bar 145 arrives in D major before a modulation to D minor two bars later
Finally, the recapitulation brings us back to C minor, as is typical of sonata form. Beethoven then moves us through several different keys before the repeat of the second subject.
The repeated second subject begins in F minor (the subdominant key), unusually for sonata form. We would expect the tonic, tonic major or relative major here. However, we have returned to C minor by bar 237, where we stay until the end of the movement.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to know bar numbers! Except for essays, sadly, but then you will have a copy of the sheet music for reference.
Melody of Pathetique Sonata
The main melodies you will need to recognise through thick and thin are the first and second subject. Learn these OFF BY HEART! Here’s what they look like:
Pictured above is the first subject. The first subject is characterised by a rising melody over a very wide, two octave range (typical of Romantic music), with dramatic staccato chords. If you look at the top notes of the chords in bars 12 and 14, you will notice that they form the end of a harmonic minor scale.
You can find a picture of the second subject below. The second subject is characterised by an even wider range (somehow!) of about 3 octaves. The first bar of the subject is even below the bass line in the left hand. This melody is more lyrical and cantabile. There is also some ornamentation, such as the mordents of bar 57 and the acciaccaturas of bars 61 and 62.
Sotto means above, which indicates that the right hand should cross over the left hand.
Here are some other interesting points throughout the movement:
- the chromatic scale of bar 10
- the extremely virtuosic nature of the movement (look at… bar 10!)
- the staccatissimo (very short) markings from bar 105
- the scalic movement of bars 113-116
- the trills of bars 182 and 184
If you have a melody question on the Pathetique Sonata and you are stuck, listen out for either of those two subject. Chances are, there will be a reference to one of them (or both!), and you can compare it to the original, undeveloped subject.
Dynamics of Pathetique Sonata
The dynamics of the Pathetique Sonata are almost entirely Romantic in style. We can see this by the many fp (fortepiano) markings in the very first bars, followed by many sf (sforzando) markings, indicating accents.
Bar 5 continues with the extreme dynamic contrasts, giving us a few beats of p (piano), followed by a few of ff (fortissimo).
Beethoven also uses markings such as cresc. to indicate gradual changes in dynamic. For an example, see bar 15 for a four bar long crescendo.
This sort of extreme dynamic range is seen throughout the movement. We finally end with loud ff chords, to add drama to the end of the movement.
Well that was nice and easy at least!
Rhythm, metre and tempo of Pathetique Sonata
Beethoven writes two tempos in this movement. We start at Grave, which means serious and slow. However, by bar 11 we are Allegro di molto e con brio, which means very fast and with brightness. This contrast in tempo is typical of the Romantic era.
Another Romantic feature Beethoven uses is rubato. This is not specified in the score, but if you listen to the recording you will notice the liberty the performer takes with rhythm. This makes the music more expressive.
Beethoven also uses two metres in this movement. We start in common time, which is equivalent to 4/4. However, the exposition starts in cut common time, also known as 2/2 or alla breve.
Beethoven brings back the tempo and metre of the introduction throughout the movement (e.g. bar 133), but he always returns to the Allegro tempo and metre soon after.
The introduction uses dotted semiquavers to create a sense of drama. There is also lots of silence, for similar reasons. The sextuplet and septuplet at the end of the introduction add to the virtuosity of the music.
The first subject is characterised by repeated quavers in the left hand (also known as tremolo), which sounds almost like thunder. The right hand plays spiky crotchets to add to this ominous character.
The second subject has a lighter character, as shown by the less intense crotchet accompaniment.
In the coda, there is no first beat. This creates a sense of uncertainty, as it is difficult to figure out the pulse. The whole movement ends with a dramatic fermata (pause) to ensure the performer sits in perfect stillness at the end of the storm.
Harmony of Pathetique Sonata
Romantic harmony focuses on extreme tension with brief, often delayed, release.
The introduction is characterised by dense chords, not all of which are within the key. For example, there is a diminished chord in bar 4. There is also an augmented chord in bar 34. These chords were popular in the Romantic era and add more colour to the music.
The exposition begins with a tremolo tonic pedal in the left hand, creating an ominous atmosphere. Beethoven also uses dominant pedals as a form of dominant preparation, increasing tension further. Look at bars 43-48 for an example. In fact, that dominant pedal continues throughout the second subject!
Perfect cadences aren’t as frequent as in previous eras – remember, there was a desire to weaken the tonic when possible. However, they still pop up to establish a new key, such as in bars 89 and 137.
A weak cadence can be found at the beginning of the second subject, as chord V is implied in bars 49-51 but is not realised. The dominant pedal in the next bar weakens the cadence even more. Other avoided perfect cadences can be found in the section from bar 207 to bar 220.
There is also an interrupted cadence in bar 9, another way of delaying the tonic.
We are given a brief moment of Classical harmony with the circle of fifths in bars 245-249.
The sustaining pedal is used throughout (although bear in mind that the method of sustaining was different in Beethoven’s time). This helps blur the harmony a little and was a new development of the Romantic era.
Texture of Pathetique Sonata
The Pathetique Sonata opens with a homorhythmic chordal texture. This means that both hands are playing chords to the same rhythm. However, we move to melody with chordal accompaniment by bar 5.
The rest of the set work stays fairly solidly in a melody and accompaniment texture, the only exceptions being those brief returns to introductory material. There are a few interesting moments, however, such as:
- the broken chords of bars 29 and 33
- the Alberti bass of bar 89
- the contrary-motion of bars 93-98
- the left hand taking over the melody at bar 153
- the use of 3rds in the right hand at bar 181
- the brief monophony of bars 187-195
Beethoven uses lots of octaves throughout the movement. For example, look at bars 5-8 in the right hand, or the left hand in the first subject. This not only increases the range but is also very idiomatic – i.e. pianists like playing in octaves!
Coda
And there we have it! A rather detailed dissection of everything you need to know for the GCSE Music Pathetique Sonata questions, from harmony and melody to structure and context.
This article was all about the Ultimate Guide to GCSE Music Pathetique Sonata.
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Ultimate Guide to GCSE Music: Brandenburg Concerto
Ultimate Guide to GCSE Music: Music for a While