Sonate op.22, G
minor
composed 1830-1838 - dedicated to Mrs. Henriette Voigt geb. Kunze So rasch wie möglich
Presto, Passionato o.op. (original final from the sonata op.22) |
The
compositional process of the Second Sonata in G minor lasted from 1830
to 1835, but was then extended to 1838 as Schumann composed an additional
Finale (influenced partially by Clara’s critique, who considered the original
Finale too difficult, but perhaps also because it so closely resembled
that of the Sonata in F minor). The Sonata in G minor, op. 22, is the shortest
and most transparent (apart from the original Finale Presto, without opus
number) of his three sonatas. It employs a motif of a descending fourth,
similar to the “Premonition of Suffering” in the later op. 124. The Sonata
in G minor makes a slenderer impression than the weighty Sonata in F minor.
The crystalline architecture of the movements allows Schumann’s sense of
urgency full expression, a mood that culminates in both sonatas in the
first movement and in the coda of the Finale. Modulations are progressively
more distant, and accompanying voices sometimes drop out altogether, leaving
one with the impression of overflowing enthusiasm. “Now I could
wish only for the Sonata to be published, so that the world could see to
whom it is dedicated for old time’s sake. If the public consisted only
of Eleanores, I would know whose works were so impetuously printed and
played. But of such there are only a few,” wrote Schumann to Henriette
Voigt in 1839, to whom the work is dedicated. She, a devoted musical amateur,
was a champion of Schumann’s works. To Clara he wrote, “it would be
for the best were you to play the Sonata in G minor, because it really
possesses a distinctive character.” Of the much-cited tempo marking
for the first movement “as fast as possible,” he wrote Clara, “It occurs
to me that you should not take the opening of my Sonata too quickly; certainly
not as quickly as we have done. Would you do that to please me?” The
implication is that the tempo is only to be taken as fast as expression
of the motif allows (in an earlier sketch of the work, Schumann even labelled
the theme “Andante”). In the second movement, he returns to the Lied “Im
Herbst” (“In Autumn”) from the year 1828, whose main theme ends with a
descending fourth, which is answered at the end of this movement with a
quiet rising call as if from a distance. After a short Scherzo, which strictly
adheres to the normal rules of metrical accentuation, comes the Finale
that was changed according to Clara’s wishes, and of which he wrote pithily,
“it is very simple, but fits well with the first.” When compared
to the original Finale, the composer’s logic is confirmed. This second
finale was written in 1838, a time of relative peace and quiet when he
was certain of Clara’s affections.
The Presto passionato, the original finale, evokes the most disparate sounds from the piano. The rhythmic alternation between two and three is woven into the theme, and adds to the sense of tension. Modulations are also more daring than in the rest of the Sonata in G minor. Translation: William Melton
© Franz Vorraber |