Liszt's B minor Sonata . Precedents for a structural Analysis Br RM, Loxovean te written that would be organized around eras cme wee Ms Fiten Decisive Bales ot Pratt Bat rola at 27s lo cl ay ene That Chee Hire ald be ne of the central compesitions fe ments Lists B mot en cepredents, on one hand, unique Iandmatin the Gicasid, Forti one etness ofthe sonata-form movement wih the sory of mu, mental te (gue), which Nevin bas called a Ir a history of music FIGURE «1's B MINOR SONATA AS DOUBLE-FUNCTION FORM soe oe ee —_ 7 ee ae crmevormns Be Peay mC soley aan Fame sy 8 Smeets be Closing group (153-78 * Be 9, cae eee eects) ne mae cerns os L ‘Retransition (397-459) XGA oe oe eee (460-522) oa on an Second theme-group (600-15) D ‘Second transition excised Closing group (616-641) ° ‘Transitional lose (642-49 paral- Bt leling 179-198) coma. Siretto quasi presto (650-82) B ‘paralleling incaleano (255-76) Presto (653-91) A Prestissimo (652-709) B ‘Apotheosis '710-19) D Peroration (721-37) x Epilogue (738-69), CBA 4X9. This analysis represents revision of the structural anal inally published pom structural analysis orisially Pa ty Ninetsenth-Century Romanticism in Music (Englewood Cliffs, 1969), P 11° tLIS2T’S B MINOR soNATA “doublesfunction form”. On the other hand th a of several generations of experimentation with sngons 8 ako a cul tal cycle, disclosing techniques ascertainable in aoe and the instrumene writing between 1848 and 1853. If we examine some of toy niet List was Lisit’s Sonata and then the explanations of this comes tne Pececdens for precedents and in analogous other compositions by List g's ht ofthese Liszt's sonata better. we may understand ‘Some of the precedents for Liszt's B minor Sonat of the sonata idea itself. The design that incorporsiees con te precursors dea itself. corporates a circular relationship in 1 work that is sectional in concept but ends in the way the form begen back in the realm of instrumental music atleast to Andrea Gabris thee quently-performed Ricercar in the twelith Mode). Motive relationship which includes thematic and motivic reminiscences from section to section or from theme-group to theme-group, is found in the Baroque suite and several Classic era sonatas and is not a purely Romantic device, In the Classic period there are two basic types of sonata-form proportions: the binary, comprised of two complementary if not mathematically equal halves, and the temary design ‘comprised of exposition, development and a recapitulation ir. which the frst theme-group appears in the tonic? In a recent study, Larsen has identified “two fondamentally diferent types of form included under the rub of sonata form: a type introducing only afew motives and sling at base impresn of formal whole- fea and is counterpart, a frm based on the introduction of sa aividaied Tonics or episodes, and aiming at an impression of change and contrast. The fst these two fypea is characteristic of Haya, the second of Mozart ination Liszt's sonata represents a point : x sonata-types described by Larsen but also between binary and terary deg During the entire history of the sonata there have been numerovs varies in the normative, familiar processes, especially in the recaptuistite the recapitulation always begin with the first theme, stated ' fo Ti ‘This has never been an ironclad rule of the sonata ross. np, UT oe Romantic period there was a striving to reverse 1h sonata prototype had taken, when the one-movemer | zona” expanded its sections, with greater contnT Tf thetype we associae that the individual sections became separate MOvemea.” te the opening tc with the term from Corelli to early Beethoven. sn. idea of sepa of the nineteenth century we see composers SITIOS tio or transitions selon af snevements, joining them through alae Ft theme gous ee a mae from one movement to another. Clear-cut eee only ct and between exposition and development disappear fewman, Sonate wu, Roses aa Cage st URS 2 erman Pas Sma sat RMS i Silo tee ea i ny an, The nai gementsin8 ane i ss FE ge Sate se Te ee ‘RM, Longyear, “Binary Variants: ‘Sonat i. t 162 oot: A Chall (Pate Bee Larsen, The Viennese Classical Sh ‘Fens Peter Masog, 1% (1965). 130.THE MUSIC REVIEW 200 ovement of Beethoven's oP. x0r piano Sonata. Not only the song Be tony and eoncerto, but also the extended fantasies of Schubert a mann and Chopin, are arenas for the new conception of the instrumental eycle Finally, there are Lisat's own attempts between 1848 and 1853, the date of the completion of the B minor Sonata, to achieve the goal of what Newman Ing calle the “doublefunction” form that achieves the combination of the unity of the one-movement sonata form with the vatiety of the instrumental eyelet ‘Though it will not be possible to discuss all the intervening stages that led to Liszt's B minor Sonata, some representative precursors can be examined, par. ticularly from the standpoint of musical structure, ‘The first movement of Muzio Clementi’s piano Sonata in G minor op. 34 no. 2, frst published in Vienna in x795, on one hand is a culmination of the Sturm und Drang ethos of the Classic period, yet also forecasts the future. One ofits main features is the motivic relationship of most of its thematic material ‘examples of which are cited in music example r. A second salient features the MUSIC EXAMPLE 1, Clementi, piano Sonata, op. 34 no. 2, first move- ‘ment: thematic transformations. ape nate ip en aga a fo 19 ‘Willams S, Newman, Sonata since Boathooen, p. 373.ev LISZT’S B MINOR SONATA 201 “pase of the introduction, stated in major and tre reprise ovement theme. The reprise comes betwace deeceeset nd jon and is well prepared by the sl "n development and re- transi prepared by the slowing of the harmonic rhyth frajm of the dissonant harmony that originally led from intralucton seGpening in subdominant rather than tonic minor, but alo’ through ite i’ rsual re-ordering of the thematic material and the use of memes This movement represents a “‘double-function form” in embryo. Its prece dents for Liszt's B minor sonata are a critical use of sub-mediant harmony in deere nor wat ae tea whet hare in 2 quasi-slow movement in the course of the development, prepared by a drastic Stowing-up of the harmonic rhythm and rhythmic propulsion of the develop- Sent; and a non-tonic recapitulation which must be analyzed in terms of fnotivie-thematic correspondences rather than as a re-unfolding of thematic material. ‘A sccond precedent for Liszt's B minor Sonata, nether ffom the piano repertoire nora first movement, s the second movement of Beethoven's string Quartet in F major, op. 59 no. x. Three salient features may be noted (a) a recapitulation that begins in a really “wrong” key, the fat submediant, and with { pivet chord in the recapitulation that jerks the tonality back to its original tonic; {@) the addition of material to the first theme in the recapitulation; Beethoven's sehr venture was in a less unconventional but equally contrapuatal movement, {he second movement of his op. 18 no. 4 string Quartet, where the starkly simple pening theme is garlanded with triple counterpoint ia the reeapulation. I the sEond“movement of the op. 59 no. 1 Quartet, the recapitulation is concealed itr a melodious countersubject over the first motive ofthe frst theme group and thith a spiky contrapuntal accompaniment to the second motive (0) in the second movements of both op. 18 n0. 4 and op. 59 no. Beethoven ors te seem sthercando, which be seems to have associated with both sonata forn snd SRM eapivulation incorporating contrapuntal devies net present ia che exposition as been considered a precedent for Lisa's B minor Sonata because of the cyclic inter-relationship off themes Tamu ats fone movements -Lsrt bad arranged this wok for pitta St trchestra shortly before writing this Sonata. In addition tothe Tg Ship of themes ik the Trundererfantaisie, to other features shoul est” the semitonal relationship (C major to CE minor, prepared by ®t ts tion to the dominant of C minor) between the fst and SST Nye gost ‘and, most important, the fugal treatment of the cose iset’s sonata i ovement inthe finale. Another important precedent f0° ‘73.9 tor Schubert's greatest work in fantaisie form, the F minor TTT clearly Plano four Hands, Diggo. Whereas the section of te 17 * Forth oe RM, Longyear, “Beethoven and Romans 1 los tsp . Tortner ane Doosld Tove: Fe apherany Sua since Bathoven, p37" st TV (Londo, 1930), Bp. 70-73aoa 1 REVIEW ible Pauses between them, Fuhr metas seuntes is oersomain Particularly thee withers sconhip: F minormajr inthe Bt to FE minor in the eon ta in the third, with its scherzo quality, with F minor for the fnale 7 Tir 5 an instrumental eyle with alli movements bound tgethe 7 movement form: as Brown has observed, "Schubert tres to nes ventional structure of the four-movement sonata; to loosen st gntiely break with convention and avoid it altogether” Some ti ideas are event in the two outer sections of this fantabi, seen sponding to fist movement exposition and finalerecapitultion, Inthe section Schubert relies on the contrast of his thematic ideas in bth minor and major forms, a precedent for so many of Lisa's other wos ae favly Weimar peiod especially the Grosses Rorzertlo and Tas, Sens in this ist setion Schubert writes with great tonal feedoms hs Fn includes such wildly unrelated keys as D flat minor and A ‘minor. Then, in the finale Schubet strives forthe equivalent ofa sonata-trm resptuerse with its concomitant tonal stability, by replacing the minormajor nai, and the tonal wandering by an extensive fugue based on the send ten, we shall later sein List’ sonata the tonal stabilization provided by thee Critical points in Liset's B minor Sonata should be examined in erase Most significant immediate precursor, Chopin's Fantasie in F mince op wy some of the other works which Liszt wrote befor his B minx Sonata; ad he ‘two most significant and detailed analyses of this work.* The basic idea is to tablish a structural analysis of this sonata, with the motivie teatmess therein discussed only as they serve to reinforce the architestonic features of this work (Figure 2) The initial problem comes in the first seven measures, motive Aas shown in ‘music example 2. Is this the slow introduction that prefaced so many somali form movements in the pas, or ist a theme proper? There are many preo= dents for an introduction in which the germ of the opening theme is sated The essential aesthetic of the Classic sonata form intreductien is @ state! of the tonic, often in a bare unison, and then a departure from the key with 4 yetur, usually on the dominant, preparing the tonicoftheexposition. Yete"® Haydn would begin a first movement theme on the dominant (Synpbo0) $2) ot Beethoven on the subdominant (Les Adieux Sonata, xp. 812). Ot introductions are mere gestures (Beethoven's F major sonata op- 78: Gin’ B fat minor Sonata, ap. 9s) or even integral pute tthe nt het earls Tempest” Sonata pg no, ).‘Tonaly nod ‘wider afield: note the diminished seventh chord that ‘opens Beethoven's 82 nar Sng Quartet or the introductions to Chopin's fst blade and B Irigy autalaa start out ofthe ey, then int ita principle iat Lise este in the introduction to his B minor Sonata. The other important element [= ESTEE Bog, So Site esa Yr yp a oot Eety BOE tech ht Geese Yh 2.8 Ba 8 73-82: Newinas, Sonata since Beethoven . an. be will no203 LISZT'S B MINOR SONATA oa ose eyes un tpg a “@Y) SUT Nog PP ANON "AN a Tab RDS STII soy 11 De we Geovooremon a or fst yp aa 0 8 e Gsm) ma ecenpooden soo ysmyonne pa sanyo om FE YRYODS SOULE SAAT EMEaoa THE MUSIC REVIEW Liszt's introduction are that the theme is perceivable as clay p= rather than open-ended; that its emphatic centre of gravity isG, the.” ct of B minor; and that itis linked to motive B through & 7t°¢S*™Metag ‘between submediant and a diminished seventh chord ee tone dominant harmony to the tonic of B minor, ionally ag Egert, in his analysis of the Sonata, regards the introductory theme 5 leitmotive from which the other themes are derived, and substan? tennous reasoning by showing hypothetical “transition farms" ec [Music Example 2 a4 ation = ‘4 See a a eters ae ng on A oes By mm) al dee | aS at woe " r 2% ede mtn) Seen iapaciom phe pany ok Rta cowed o e natn, ae ne ow 8) Beye : Sabre aes x Which unfortunately do not occ i nagisteril and monumental The occur anywhere inthe sonata? Inhis mat % maiy an Intor aad termine of aes “ke eM Vaget ona ACTS Sipe ens aLiszt’s B MIO) R SONATA 205 recurrences of this motive (and note that the renner tral inthe couse of the sonata je ot, gTENTE® of inoday Century) a structural distinction is found in the: interval enced naeeeth the octave oer only in the introduction (6-6) jar aa he J (Fg-F4), and at the very end of the sonata (B-B), wheress in the motive A's oir appearances (mm. 81-201, where the ef of the tan etn A site by transformation ofA with the ote A servings ance | forthe new key mm. 555-381; 685-65) thinkers embned con Pel an “open-ended” character Though this motive A appears closed in its octave frm, List teat itn the introduction and atthe str ofthe eapitalaton ss amopen notte riety the note G to a common tone in a diminished seventh eure metic 2 ne acisas the dominant ofthe tonic. Motive Band, which begin eee ene, J Spe ts fete) ar era wes Bana whe th xpi mony, and thus giving no apparent sense of finaly of motive Ain te trae spanning form. A few subsequent passages play an important crest the E flat major harmony at measure 25, the fist fortsamo in the Someta, oa ‘Prepared by dominant harmony and motive C, the frst time that's B easee chord is stated in root postion at measure 32, the start of the transition tothe | second theme-group. Between measures 81 and 10 Lise emphasizes mative ‘Aut in a form which emphasizes the note A, the dominant of the new tonal centre, D major. y The grenioo motive D coresponds tothe contrasting second theme of the normal sonata form: its ending ona chord ofthe diminished seventh at measure ui9 also makes it an open-ended theme, Between measures 119 and 152 another transition occurs, fist away from D major and then back to it, t0 | prepare the transformation of motive Casa theme coresponding to the claing thee ofa snatefrm exoton (in exami) inter fo La Kohler of Sth Jane 1854, List praised his "very perspicuovs discovery of my intention nthe pecand ote [of teva, cnt ith pv hammer-blows (C)". -Egert considers the section begining at measure 2 Hho to epeted epsn nh © nc eps at mine D shoud ocapy" yet the eaharmonte chang of aie Bo the diane p _Emajor and the onal ux that begin at measure 79 eliminate any felg of 28 exposition”, Equally fored is Egert’s arbitrary designation 25x the begin ofthe tid “pnp ct cy sag Batween the opening measure and measure 178 we have ll he neces brtets of adit sonata form expesi-eunsnsoduto, wi & SF greater reliance on traditional Key-relationships, ths Targe fist theme- Hamp inthe fst movement (which in erupt a ee Bot ee, Soup) ot his Aut major piano Conerto, rhs smbonic poms C4 ‘Mien sur la montagne aid Les Préudes, On the other band, Tew York, 968, 2 vaHE MUSIC REVIEW 2 smes in the Grosses Konzertsolo and id the contrast between frst and Secon rose is comes contrasting minor and mas forms of the same basic thematic idea. Js B minor Sonata with a puzzle: whe Lit ra oat his B mor eitional interpretation i ao oe ipa coat mane me 8 See te ry t's whee ne nal anchor in the section between measures 179 and 230 tht one aks sth any Kind of exposition. seach for correspondences in ne assoc on dsloses two mar pints of contact: the corespondenes the reap 179 (Bin example 2) and 642 (Bon one hand, and onthe betwee Mand begining at measure 255 with the srt quasi reso begiae Othe cage 6go, both on an energetic transformation of (These core: ting eet the dstneion between a directional harmony inthe rai ronda et nondirectional harmony in the development; the sie ui pret the opening of a “grand cadence” leading to the dominant at mas 2r-Gso, whereas the incazando is tonally stable in B minor only between aaeareres og and 264, after which it enters a period of tonal flux leading to The unexpected statetaent of motive D in Cg minor at measure 297. The Mtamects of this motive, with the concomitant change of metre to 3/2 and the ensuing rectative sections, are a drastic slowing down of the rhythmic fhomentun to prepare the andanfe sostnudo, and parallel Clementi’ use of this ‘levee in the fist movement of his op. 34 n0. 2 sonata. ‘an excellent precedent for a similarly concealed development is Chopa's F minor Fantaisie, op. 49, In this work there is a clear-cut closing section in E flat major (the dominant of the new tonic of A flat major) which ends with 2 deceptive progression, V of E flat to Vi of E major at measure 143; this ‘opens a development that is based on the arpeggio triplets with non-harmonic tones that originally provided the initial transition from the march-Uke intro Auction tothe fist theme (mm. 43-67). “In some older textbooks on musical analysis, the term “ree fantasia” {s wed to indicate the development section. If the criteria of freedom, moive Bay, and tonal ax are the one oe ied to ndcate a developmen. et few sections in any sonata-form movement deserve this appellation more thn the sagen Lins Sonata aterm meses 79 and 5 sncine ston between measures 351 and 459 correspond to the sow move tof the ful-cale instrumental cle. | The opeing motive of this eto sphich roc at measure 397 islabelled as “X", since iti entirely new material onal ths is oe ofthe most tbl portions ofthe Sonata: male. erin of B mito or Bajo. Tete arseveral precedents fot 8 oe ating new material in free sonata form, not opis Fantaisie in For, but also other silly constructed works of Tisai ee 2 Tbe mach ie itr pera cae on i ln a feature of Lise’ Groves Konuertcs, a woth Ore eb Ranta, of. 49 au ciel a Lise's potas sa bales paral oP rot Apple Forme (andor 33) P38. ai. 207 LISZT'S B MINOR SONATA the Grosses Konzertsolo and Ce qu'on entend sur la montage to use this structural device for a programmatic purpose, with ne Geet 2S ofthe "Gretchen theme as an X motive in the fase oe aeent J picks", ot his Faust Symphony. In all these aforementioned neas ates fnotive recurs towards the end of the movement in the ante ery ‘An essential ingredient of the sonata form is a retransition that intensif the dominant of the home tonic in order to it takes particular pains to establish F§ major after measure Jo6 not only three restating X but also repeating C’ in FE major at meat Anis the mediant-related A major at measure 349. Rounding of ‘he entire slow section is a statement of A as a closed octave, strongly emphasising TF, in measures 453-459. This introduces the second analytical problem: what ole. ¢! inthe double-functio form does the ensuing fugue play? Isit recapitulation, as in the traditional analysis, or is it a scherzando, a separate “movement” in the double-function form, as Nevrman states? Recall from the opening eight measures (see example 2, motive A) the introduction, its emphasis on the note G, the submediant of the toni, and its linkage to motive B through an implied deceptive progress, This same Phenomenon is present between measures 459 and 460, the opening of the fugue, only with the deceptive progression reversed (example 3) Prepare the recapitulation, Liszt -——s ee lasers palmer Traditionally this eton has Boon considered the recapitulation bncase ot the fgal sober whch incorporates motives Band (eae 3) @& —_Fgert is far-fetched in his reasoning in justifying this ection eTOTENE the tonic when he ontlates tat fhe fag realy in A mins, teenie tone of the original tonic.” Newman regards 15 iret i in which the Pethaps ain ttt of is’ at major Coco etn i 1 {Sande tsa and ey compro avr ue ea ting sally with te restatement of mote D in Mee WI ool There are Several precedents for receptions Peng second theme stated inthe tonic, not only fom the binatare sonatas. It 8 early Classic period, but also from Chopin's three Mo sonata a possible to reconcile both interpretations of the fugue 1M Newman, Sonata since Betoun, B. 375 Eger, op. aeepTHE MUSIC REVIEW itulati fugal expesitions are, by defini —— = (7 Be mon ng pti ab en my ap : PEslon ia the exposition. ‘The fugue subject is not open ended soo Band Cin the exposition, frat meavure 470, the tenth measareaf tn ea the answer is stated, the B flat mincr triad in root positon is leary nteee ot until the development ofthe fogve (beginning in measure 493) dos Lint {rom the feling of tonal stability inherent in the concept of the fuga expe (2) Thetonal scheme of introduction exposition and retrasition fugu ar complen, tary deceptive cadences in reverse. That the introduction vas whale, tround the submediant ofthe tonic was nt inadvertent on Lists part “ren {ational of the deceptive cadence fs motion to submediant rather than Dut Liset reverses this: VI to vi of {in his introduction: V to vif of B har in his recapitulation, thus extending the entire rationale of the deceptive pene, sion asa structural device (G) In earlier works, notably the second ballad (also in B minor) List ft atated to the idea of semitonal gravitation. In the second ballad the fst sctae Sate in B minor and then in B fat minor. In the Grosses Koncersolo, ding frandios statement ofthe frat theme in G major (eather than the E ano ft fst appearance: major contrast wih minor fo create a related cond thee) Liset makes frst a half-cadence t D, then lyrical restatement of te thew G major but modulating to D fat mejor to prepare the ensuing X motive (9) To examining Lise’s B flat major piano Concerto from a structural sand, fone notices that the indicated "movements" do not correspond with ts uh fanction structure. The allegreavivace, midway in the estensble "seend ae rent, coresponds to an “X" motive stated in the tonic minor. Theretaaution begins in the course ofthe cadens afer measure 10 and begin with astateme the open-ended fiat theme, withthe allegro anima (measure 192) coments sith measure ofthe frat movernen. The rue thematic recapitulation besa measure 210 with a frtasina statement ofthe opening motive, staring © CF 3€ measure a0 tonic (E iat major) harmony donttoaten but in the second ‘sion. Not until the opening of the “third movement” is there a geavine V-I ‘cadence into the tonic, but the thematic material is that of the "second theme” ‘transformed into a march (6) Recall that inthe exam of the op tho. and {hee sonata ort over ssi ia the tone (©) Fina, recy F : ples by Beethoven previously cited, the second movements 8b. 39 no. 1 string quartets, schersando associated wth vent implies a contrapuntal recapitulation that is not a= itulations imply also certain crucial thematic and tonal coespo™ fences in the exposition. Particularly eriical are the F fat major triad baron i motive B at measures 25 and 52%, and the 3 minor triad, preceded BY 086 € 00 the dominant. in measures Soha cad he begionine Conte 3038 and 531H45, thee are the Begins Tn summation, the recapituletic usual veneration, the fal recapitulton and its tonal centre af i the fugue is none theless a recapit 2 Ane a e less a recapitulation. Menton, manaenees Between exposition and. recapitulation ws i state ive Bin measures 7-65 iced i, Une atone statement of motive B in nessL1sz1's » uiwor soxara 209 {alowed by a dominant seventh-chord on {he dominant of tonic major in which © is meneame; this i ences are mm. 179 and 642 and mm. 255 and O36 ne pre w “OEspon- $erich the recaptulatory correspondens are ase qas review described, teginning of the coda proper. The statement of motive Dea soon tHe Corresponds to the apotheoses of Lise'ssymphonse eenet opt the X motive at measure 72r is analogous to similar recurrent F minor Fantaisie and Lisit's Ce quo entend sla montagne nore wo tee the Grosses Konzetsolo. In place ofthe brilian ending, ges cece Liset has a final peroation in which he unrolls his mative reece oe first C, then B, then finaly A, a full octave on the toni: this ese af ssa magn cer cides ean ae ace Aw of the sonata Several other analyses of this Sonata are possible. the variety of hs adaptation and transformations of his motives art utd hi ony i the Fad Symphony. "A detailed study of this Sonata from every aspect would ot be possible without access tothe sketches and the autograph manuscript tothat one could see Lisa's search for alternatives, which must bereconsracied x fod facto from his other works. Perhaps there may even tea concealed Siulosophical programme of the type which is evident, for explo, in the Fraud Symphony wherein the “Faust” motive is stated as augmented minor, dr major triad: I efte but one example from the epllogue ofthe Sonata, ‘teresetheerteal places where the isolated quartersnotes appear to precede tnotive A in the introduction, transition and retrasiion (81-89), are stated ae stark unison, they aze harmonized percussvely in he extrene low register it the recapitulation (mmm. 555762) but with sft toni major harmony inthe epilogue (mm. 757-58). This Sonata would bea fertile field for the comparative Say of various schools of harmonic analysis, since its harmonic vocabulary, sey thee of fequent tonal flux ies onthe footer between Fnetional and descriptive harmonic analysis. Tae text ofa landmark in the history of music i the amount of materi it can provide for study. "As Schiller remarked in his epigram on Kant and hs interpreters: Tree cin einziger Reicher so vile Beterin Nahrung Setzt! Wenn die Kénige baun, pale ee zu tun.™ Liszt's sor stil has mach nit fr our musiclogical wheebarcows sec and the hs mach no oar es gohan wn titer licen based thereon, both by G. Henle Verlag, Munch oS Clotusatly arived too ite for discussion inthis sty. An aris UA Faereetey Aine Text of Lists B Minor Sonata” containing 8 7S of Liszt’s manuscript, will be published in @ {forthooming weasure 710 RMD Musical Quarterly "Cited in Newman, Sonata nce Bretoven, B77 at 6, vle, B28 2» Silos mich Werke: Sahar Ribegart gad Bethea hens Dal rey ranated See how a gleich san eed 9 ma SEPA ‘iow hese ave work”