The Classical Music Book

132

T

he development of the

instrumental sonata

mirrored a change in the

function of music in the Classical

period. Music was no longer an

accompaniment to dance or prayer

but a focus in its own right, and

composers thus worked to find

new ways to engage the audience.

With the rise in popularity of the

newly invented piano, one way

of achieving this was through the

drama of juxtaposing loud and soft

passages, which had not been

possible on the harpsichord. This

became commonplace. Composers

also began structuring their music

into large-scale arcs called sonatas,

which allowed the audience to

experience a more varied musical

journey. Anglo-Italian composer

Muzio Clementi was an important

innovator in this evolving structure,

his Sonata in F-sharp minor being

a prime example of the form.

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

The instrumental sonata

BEFORE

1758 Domenico Scarlatti

publishes his 30 Essercizi per

Gravicembalo, which form

part of his more than 500

sonatas for keyboard.

1771 Joseph Haydn

specifically names a piano

piece a “sonata” rather than

a divertimento.

AFTER

1818 Beethoven completes

his Hammerklavier Sonata,

Op. 106, which takes the

sonata to new heights of

complexity and virtuosity.

1853 Franz Liszt writes his

piano Sonata in B minor and

redefines the genre for the

Romantic age.

THE OBJECT OF THE

PIANO IS TO SUBSTITUTE

ONE PERFORMER FOR A

WHOLE ORCHESTRA

PIANO SONATA IN F-SHARP MINOR, OP. 25, NO. 5

( 1790 ), MUZIO CLEMENTI

A Clementi & Co. square piano

from London, where Clementi’s

piano manufacturing company

flourished in the early 18th century.

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