LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109
Though there was no standard form for piano sonatas during this period,
Beethoven’s opp. 109, 110, and 111 sonatas are still striking in their
overall design. One of the most notable features of Op. 109 may be the
sequence of tempos: The Vivace is unusually fast for a first movement,
and the second, Prestissimo, even faster. The sonata closes with a
comparatively languorous Andante theme and variations.
Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110
Beethoven’s later works are marked by an increasing interest in
counterpoint; the finale of Op. 110 is an early example. The
third-movement fugue, whose subject derives from the first theme of the
first movement, is interrupted by a “song of lament” from the second
movement recitativo.
Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111
Op. 111 falls in two movements that juxtapose C minor and C
major—characteristic keys of Beethoven’s oeuvre. Unlike other works of
those years, however, this sonata does not so much document a triumphant
struggle from darkness to light, but rather creates a contrast only to
rise above it. The second-movement variations end with a series of
trills that many have found altogether transcendent.