It’s 1802, and Beethoven is 31. Lou decided to turn once again to the violin sonata. The first movement is marked simply “allegro” in 3/4, and it’s genial, not stretching anybody’s horizons. The second subject is in E Major, and the exposition is repeated. Development concentrates on the second subject, and it’s not as struggle-bound as other Beethoven developments. It briefly turns to the minor before resolving into the recap. It ends quietly and contentedly.
The slow movement is in 2/4, D Major and marked “adagio molto espressivo,” a direction we’re coming to see a lot in Beethoven’s chamber works. The mood actually turns to the Baroque; Handel could have written this dotted-rhythm tune. The central panel turns to the remote key of B-flat and a dark D minor. He re-composes his return, replacing the dotted notes with triplets, then returning to the dots.
For the first time, Beethoven uses a theme-and-variations format in a finale; up to now he has used that structure in slow movements only. This is marked “allegretto” in 2/2 and A Major. The melody could have come from Mozart, and it’s marked by its simplicity.
Variation #1 breaks the theme up into pieces on the piano with the violin adding exclamation points and then taking the theme.
Variation #2 takes the theme on both instruments playing in thirds while the piano plays syncopations.
Variation #3 takes the theme in counterpoint on both instruments while the piano plays a triplet underlay.
Variation #4 has the violin playing quadruple-stops in rolling fashion while the piano takes the theme.
Variation #5 is the obligatory minor key vareiation, here in A minor. The piano gets the theme, while the violin works around it. After a long fermata, the theme returns in B-flat and D minor.
Variation #6 moves to 6/8 and “allegro ma non tanto,” which means Lou doesn’t want it speeded up all that much. This is a dance, very much in Mozart’s vein.
During my three years on the Georgia coast, I often went to a chamber music series at the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, which was about a 90 minute drive. This series was run by Edward Arron, a cellist based in New York. One concert, the violinist couldn’t make it due to the flu, and Ed substituted Tessa Lark, a newcomer, with a last minute change of program. With minimal rehearsal time, Tessa stepped in and acquitted herself brilliantly. As an encore, she tore the place up with a bluegrass fiddle solo worthy of Bill Monroe’s band. I had a chance to chat with her backstage, and I was very impressed. This video has Tessa on violin, and she brings such a sweet tone to this work.
Tomorrow night it’s another violin sonata.