Piano Sonata in A-flat major, D 557 (Schubert)

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Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata in A-flat major D 557 was composed in May 1817.

Contents

Movements

The work is relatively short and a performance takes somewhat between 10 and 15 minutes. The sonata is cheerful and uncomplicated, and carries remembrances of Mozart and the Baroque era. [1]

I. Allegro moderato
A-flat major
The beginning resembles the opening of the menuetto, D. 380, Nr. 3. [2]
II. Andante
E-flat major
III. Allegro
E-flat major
This movement has a dance-like character. [1]

The fact that the last movement is in the key of E-flat major rather than the tonic key of A-flat major is evidence in favor of Schubert possibly intending to add a fourth movement, although the extant third movement has much of the character of a finale. At the time this was written it was quite unusual to end a composition in another key than its tonic, however Schubert did do this in some of his early works, e.g. D. 553 ("Auf der Donau", beginning in E-flat major and ending in F-sharp minor). [3]

Score

The sonata was first published in 1888, in the Breitkopf & Härtel complete edition.

Manuscripts

The autograph of the sonata, dated May 1817, is incomplete — it stops at the 28th measure of the third movement, but there is a contemporary complete manuscript. [2]

First publication — Alte Gesammtausgabe (AGA)

D. 557 was first published in 1888 as No. 3 of the Piano Sonatas volume (Series X) of the Kritisch durchgesehene Gesammtausgabe. [2]

Urtext Editions

Both Paul Badura-Skoda (Henle) and Martino Tirimo (Wiener Urtext) published an Urtext edition in 1997. [3] [4]

Neue Schubert-Ausgabe (NSA)

In the New Schubert Edition D. 557 is given in VII/2/1. [5]

Related Research Articles

The Piano Sonata in E minor D 566 by Franz Schubert is a sonata for solo piano written in June 1817. The original manuscript appeared to lack a finale. Ludwig Scheibler (1848-1921) was the first to suggest in 1905 that the Rondo in E, D.506 might be that movement. The British composer and musicologist Kathleen Dale produced the first edition using this suggestion in 1948. The 1976 Henle edition by Paul Badura-Skoda followed the same practice.

The Piano Sonata in E major, D 157 is a piano sonata with three movements composed by Franz Schubert in February 1815. The Allegro D 154 is an early version of its first movement.

The Piano Sonata in C major, D 279, composed by Franz Schubert in September 1815, has three movements and is regarded as incomplete for lacking a fourth movement. D. 346, an unfinished Allegretto in C major, has been suggested as its final movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Schubert Edition</span> Compilation of works by Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert (1797–1828): New Edition of the Complete Works, commonly known as the New Schubert Edition (NSE), or, in ‹See Tfd›German: Neue Schubert-Ausgabe (NSA), is a complete edition of Franz Schubert's works, which started in 1956 and is scheduled to conclude in 2027. The projected number of volumes of the publication, which includes score editions, critical reports and supplements, is 177, of which, as of 2020, 150 have been realised.

Sonatas, duos and fantasies by Franz Schubert include all works for solo piano by Franz Schubert, except separate dances. They also include a number of works for two players: piano four hands, or piano and a string instrument.

References

  1. 1 2 David Doughty in album notes of Brilliant Classics Nr. 99678/4 (2001)
  2. 1 2 3 Deutsch 1978, pp 323-324
  3. 1 2 Badura-Skoda 1997, p VII
  4. ↑ Tirimo 1997
  5. ↑ Litschauer 2000

Sources

Piano sonatas (2 hands) by Franz Schubert
Preceded by AGA, Series 10 (15 sonatas)
No. 3		Succeeded by
Preceded by 21 Sonatas numbering system
No. 5
23 Sonatas numbering system
No. 6
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