Piano Sonata in C major, D 840 (Schubert)

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Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata in C major, D. 840, nicknamed "Reliquie" upon its first publication in 1861 in the mistaken belief that it had been Schubert's last work, [1] was written in April 1825, whilst the composer was also working on the A minor sonata, D. 845 in tandem. Schubert abandoned the C major sonata, and only the first two movements were fully completed, with the trio section of the third movement also written in full. The minuet section of the third movement is incomplete and contains unusual harmonic changes, which suggests it was there Schubert had become disillusioned and abandoned the movement and later the sonata. The final fourth movement is also incomplete, ending abruptly after 272 measures.

Contents

The fragments of the sonata survived in Schubert's manuscripts, and later the work was collected and published in its incomplete form in 1861.

Movements

I. Moderato

C major, 4/4 time, sonata form

Duration approximately 15 to 18 minutes

II. Andante

C minor, 6/8 time, five-part rondo form

Duration approximately 10 minutes

III. Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio

A-flat major, 3/4 time, incomplete ternary form. Fragment (ends at measure 80 after the main theme returns in the B part of the menuetto)

Very unusually, the opening theme is immediately repeated, slightly embellished, in A major, and the reprise also begins in this key. Presumably the minuet would have then returned to A-flat major. The trio is in the parallel minor, notated enharmonically as G-sharp minor. [2]

IV. Rondo: Allegro

C major. Fragment (ends 32 measures after the development starts)

Even in this truncated form, the sonata takes approximately 30 to 35 minutes to perform.

Structure

Ernst Krenek outlined the structure of each of the work's four movements in notes that he contributed to a recording by Ray Lev in 1947. Krenek elaborates on how he composed a completion, included in the recording, for the unfinished movements. According to Krenek: [3]

Completions

Given its large scope and the extent of material that Schubert left for the incomplete movements, this sonata has inspired various composers and performers to undertake completions. Some of their efforts, particularly those penned by performers, have appeared on records. Among them are the following:

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Satz (2003)
  2. ↑ Newbould, Brian (1999). Schubert: The Music and the Man. University of California Press. pp. 322–323. ISBN   9780520219571.
  3. 1 2 Lev, Ray (1947). Franz Schubert – Piano Sonata no. 15 in C major (Unfinished); Allegretto in C minor – Ray Lev, Pianist (78 RPM). United States: Concert Hall Society. Release B3.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Benson (2008) , p. 35
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Deutsch (1978) , p.  530
  6. ↑ Edition Peters VN 12148 – 8376
  7. ↑ See Willi Kahl: Verzeichnis des Schrifttums über Franz Schubert 1828–1928 (Regensburg, Gustav Bosse Verlag: 1938), p. 123, entry 1482.
  8. 1 2 Berman (2002)
  9. ↑ Benson (2008) , p. V
  10. 1 2 Benson (2008) , p. 24
  11. 1 2 Benson (2008) , p. 36
  12. ↑ Tall Poppies.
  13. ↑ Hedley (2003).
  14. ↑ Newbould (2007), pp. 3–6.
  15. ↑ Standford (2008).

Sources

Further reading

Piano sonatas (2 hands) by Franz Schubert
Preceded by
Sonata in A minor (D. 784) 		21 Sonatas numbering system
No. 15		Succeeded by
Sonata in A minor (D. 845)
23 Sonatas numbering system
No. 17
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