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Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13

“Pathétique”179820 min

This guide follows Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 “Pathétique” (1798) in three parts: Grave - Allegro molto e con brio (sonata form), Adagio cantabile (rondo) and Rondo: Allegro (rondo).

Recording: Daniel Barenboim (piano)

I Grave - Allegro molto e con brio · Sonata form · 20 sections

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: (b)
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AnalysisComments
  1. I - e · Sonata form
  2. II · Rondo
  3. III: · Rondo
I - e Sonata form0:09–9:34

A slow, heavy opens in C minor, with sudden extremes of loud and soft and a sighing . The fast begins with the first , a rising staccato over octaves (rapid repeated notes) in the left hand. The is in E-flat minor rather than the expected major, as a call and response between bass and treble. The at the start of the , before the proper, then the starts, and the comes back a third in the before a furious ending.

  2. :
  3. :
  4. : (a)
  5. : (b)
  6. :
  7. :
  8. :
  9. : (a)
  10. : (b)
  11. :
  12. (a)
  13. (b)
  14. :
  15. :
  16. : (a)
  17. : (b)
  18. :
  19. (a)
  20. (b)
II Rondo9:36–14:46

A-flat major, 2/4. The melody (A) is a lyrical song that three times in the same , so the is a simple . After the first (B), which turns to F minor and then E-flat major, the melody . The second (C) brings sixteenth-note triplets and a darker minor- , and the final takes on those triplets in the accompaniment. A short ends the .

  1. A
  2. B
  3. A1
  4. C
  5. A2
III: Rondo15:01–19:43

A in C minor and . The (A) is closely related to the first 's , sharing its first four notes in melodic shape. It three times, with episodes in between in E-flat, A-flat and C major, and a modified version of the 's melody is heard as well. Frequent sforzando accents give the a forceful edge, and the ends the .

  1. A
  3. B
  4. A
  5. C
  6. A
  8. B
  9. A

Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.

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More by Beethoven

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BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 11795BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 No. 21795BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2 No. 31795BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49 No. 21796BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 71797BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49 No. 11797BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10 No. 11798BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10 No. 21798BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 7 in D major, Op. 10 No. 31798BeethovenPiano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14 No. 11798

More in sonata form

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BachTrio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, BWV 5251730HaydnSymphony No. 1 in D major, Hob. I:11759HaydnHorn Concerto in D major, Hob. VIId:31762HaydnPiano Sonata in A-flat major, Hob. XVI:461770HaydnPiano Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI:201771HaydnString Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 61772HaydnString Quartet in C major, Op. 20 No. 21772HaydnString Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 41772HaydnString Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 20 No. 11772HaydnString Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 No. 51772

In listening paths

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Path 05

Understanding sonata form

The form behind most first movements, heard twelve times, from a small sonata to a symphony.

Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Mendelssohn → Brahms → Prokofiev

12 works · 4 h 43 min

Path 20

The piano sonata, from Mozart to Prokofiev

Twelve piano sonatas from Mozart and Haydn to Prokofiev's war sonata of 1942.

Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Chopin → Liszt → Berg → Bartók → Prokofiev

12 works · 4 h 15 min

In the catalog

Ludwig van BeethovenPiano sonatasClassical periodC minorSonata formRondo

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