Sonatas, duos and fantasies by Franz Schubert

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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 (violin, arpeggione).

Contents

Sonatas for piano solo

Twenty-four extant sonatas and sonata fragments are listed in the 1978 version of the Deutsch catalogue:

  1. D 154, Piano Sonata in E major (1815, fragment; similarity with the first movement of the Piano Sonata in E major, D 157)
    I. Allegro (fragment)
  2. D 157, Piano Sonata in E major (1815, unfinished – first three movements are extant)
    I. Allegro ma non troppo
    II. Andante
    III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace – Trio
  3. D 279, Piano Sonata in C major (1815, unfinished – first three movements are extant; the Allegretto in C major, D 346 fragment is probably the fourth movement)
    I. Allegro moderato
    II. Andante
    III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace – Trio
    IV. Allegretto (D 346, fragment)
  4. D 459, Piano Sonata in E major (1816, in 2 movements; also paired with D 459A to have a five movement sonata or five piano pieces "Fünf Klavierstücke")
    I. Allegro moderato
    II. Scherzo. Allegro
  5. D 459A, Three piano pieces "Drei Klavierstücke" (1816?, also paired with D 459 to have a five movement sonata or five piano pieces "Fünf Klavierstücke"
    III. Adagio
    IV. Scherzo. Allegro – Trio. Più tardo
    V. Allegro patetico
  6. D 537, Piano Sonata in A minor (1817, first published as Op. posth. 164)
    I. Allegro ma non troppo
    II. Allegretto quasi andantino
    III. Allegro vivace
  7. D 557, Piano Sonata in A-flat major (1817; there is not complete certainty that the third movement, in E-flat major, is the Finale of the work)
    I. Allegro moderato
    II. Andante
    III. Allegro
  8. D 566, Piano Sonata in E minor (1817, unfinished? – first three movements are extant; the Rondo in E major, D 506 is probably the fourth movement)
    I. Moderato
    II. Allegretto
    III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio
    IV. Rondo. Allegretto (D 506)
  9. D 568, Piano Sonata in D-flat major/E-flat major (1817, 2 versions; for the 1st version, the Scherzo in D-flat major, D 593 No. 2 possibly constitutes the third movement; the last movement is a fragment; NSA also appends an amended first movement from the 1st version; 2nd version first published as Op. posth. 122)
    I. Allegro moderato
    II. Andante molto
    III. Scherzo. Allegro moderato – Trio (D 593 No. 2)
    IV. Allegretto (fragment)
    I. Allegro moderato
    II. Andante molto
    III. Menuetto. Allegro – Trio
    IV. Allegro moderato
  10. D 571, Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor (1817, unfinished – fragment of an "Allegro moderato" first movement is extant. The Piano piece in A major, D 604, an Andante, as well as the Scherzo in D major and Allegro in F-sharp minor fragment from D 570 probably constitute the remaining movements)
    I. Allegro moderato (fragment)
    II. Andante (D 604)
    III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio (D 570)
    IV. Allegro (D 570, fragment)
  11. D 575, Piano Sonata in B major (1817, first published as Op. posth. 147)
    I. Allegro, ma non troppo
    II. Andante
    III. Scherzo. Allegretto – Trio
    IV. Allegro giusto
  12. D 613, Piano Sonata in C major (1818, unfinished – fragments of two movements are extant; the Adagio in E major, D 612 as well as the Minuet with Trio D 600/610 possibly constitute the remaining movements)
    I. Moderato (fragment)
    II. Adagio (D 612)
    III. Menuetto – Trio (D 600/610)
    IV. Without tempo indication (fragment)
  13. D 625, Piano Sonata in F minor (1818, unfinished – a completed Scherzo with Trio, and fragments of two "Allegro" movements are extant; the Adagio in D-flat major D 505 is probably the second movement)
    I. Allegro (fragment)
    II. Adagio (D 505)
    III. Scherzo. Allegretto – Trio
    IV. Allegro (fragment)
  14. D 655, Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor (1819, fragment)
    I. Allegro (fragment)
  15. D 664, Piano Sonata in A major, Little A major (1819 or 1825, first published as Op. posth. 120)
    I. Allegro moderato
    II. Andante
    III. Allegro
  16. D 769A, Piano Sonata in E minor [formerly D 994] (ca. 1823, fragment)
    I. Allegro (fragment)
  17. D 784, Piano Sonata in A minor, Grande Sonate (1823, first published as Op. posth. 143)
    I. Allegro giusto
    II. Andante
    III. Allegro vivace
  18. D 840, Piano Sonata in C major, Reliquie (1825, unfinished – first and second movements are complete; third and fourth movements are fragments)
    I. Moderato
    II. Andante
    III. Menuetto. Allegretto – Trio (fragment)
    IV. Rondo. Allegro (fragment)
  19. D 845, Piano Sonata in A minor (1825, first published as Op. 42)
    I. Moderato
    II. Andante poco mosso
    III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio. Un poco più lento
    IV. Rondo. Allegro vivace
  20. D 850, Piano Sonata in D major, Gasteiner (1825, first published as Op. 53)
    I. Allegro
    II. Con moto
    III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio
    IV. Rondo. Allegro moderato
  21. D 894, Piano Sonata in G major, Fantasie (1826, first published as Op. 78; NSA also appends a discarded 1st version of the second movement)
    I. Molto moderato e cantabile
    II. Andante
    III. Menuetto. Allegro moderato – Trio
    IV. Allegretto
  22. D 958, Piano Sonata in C minor (1828)
    I. Allegro
    II. Adagio
    III. Menuetto. Allegro – Trio
    IV. Allegro
  23. D 959, Piano Sonata in A major (1828)
    I. Allegro
    II. Andantino
    III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace – Trio. Un poco più lento
    IV. Rondo. Allegretto
  24. D 960, Piano Sonata in B-flat major (1828)
    I. Molto moderato
    II. Andante sostenuto
    III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace e con delicatezza – Trio
    IV. Allegro, ma non troppo

There are also some possibly lost piano sonatas:

Piano compositions that possibly were intended as piano sonata movements:

Distinction between complete and incomplete piano sonatas

Complete sonatas

These works are by all accounts complete and have always been taken as such:

Possibly complete sonatas

The works listed below are considered complete or incomplete, depending on source:

  • D 157, Piano Sonata in E major (1815, three movements extant)
  • D 459 and D 459A, Piano Sonata in E major (1816 and 1816?; D 459 is a Sonata in two movements; it is usually paired with the "Three piano pieces" ["Drei Klavierstücke"], D 459A to have either a five movement sonata or the work as it appeared in its first edition: "Five piano pieces" ["Fünf Klavierstücke"])
  • D 557, Piano Sonata in A-flat major (1817; there is not complete certainty that the third movement, in E-flat major, is the Finale of the work)
  • D 566, Piano Sonata in E minor (1817, unfinished? – first three movements are extant; the Rondo in E major, D 506 is probably the fourth movement)

Incomplete sonatas and sonata fragments

They can be divided into the following categories:

  • Unfinished sonatas with certainty about all intended movements
There's no doubt about the movements Schubert intended for the following sonata:
  • D 840, Piano Sonata in C major, Reliquie (1825, unfinished – first and second movements are complete; third and fourth movements are fragments)
  • Unfinished sonatas that have independent movements associated with them
The five works listed below are by all accounts unfinished, but have independent movements (either complete or fragments) that are generally accepted as forming part of their structure:
  • D 279, Piano Sonata in C major (1815, unfinished – first three movements are extant; the Allegretto in C major, D 346 fragment is probably the fourth movement)
  • D 568, Piano Sonata in D-flat major (1817, 1st version; the last movement is a fragment; the Scherzo in D-flat major, D 593 No. 2 [1] possibly constitutes the third movement)
  • D 571, Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor (1817, unfinished – fragment of an "Allegro moderato" first movement is extant. The piano piece in A major, D 604, an Andante, as well as the Scherzo in D major and Allegro in F-sharp minor fragment from D 570 probably constitute the remaining movements)
  • D 613, Piano Sonata in C major (1818, unfinished – fragments of two movements are extant; the Adagio in E major, D 612 as well as the Minuet with Trio D 600/610 [2] possibly constitute the remaining movements)
  • D 625, Piano Sonata in F minor (1818, unfinished – a completed Scherzo with Trio, and fragments of two "Allegro" movements are extant; the Adagio in D-flat major, D 505 is probably the second movement)
  • Unfinished sonatas consisting of a single, incomplete movement
The three works listed below are by all accounts incomplete and have always been taken as such; only a fragment of the first movement is extant in each case:

Numbering of the piano sonatas

For the piano Sonatas, there is no uniform numbering system. There are several reasons for this, including that there is no consensus regarding the inclusion of independent movements as being part of incomplete or unfinished sonatas. This issue has proven to be troubling to scholars and performers of the works, who have to decide which of these movements, if any at all, should be included for a certain sonata. In some instances, it is also necessary to determine the order in which they are to be presented.

A common numbering system, found on recordings and some websites has 21 sonatas: [3]

  1. D 157
  2. D 279 ('Unfinished')
  3. D 459
  4. D 537, Op. posth. 164
  5. D 557
  6. D 566
  7. D 567
  8. D 571 (fragment; including various other mvmts.)
  9. D 575, Op. posth. 147
  10. D 613 (fragment)
  11. D 625
  12. D 655 (fragment)
  13. D 664, Op. 120
  14. D 784, Op. posth. 143
  15. D 840 ('Relique')
  16. D 845, Op. 42
  17. D 850, Op. 53 ('Gasteiner')
  18. D 894, Op. 78 ('Fantasy')
  19. D 958
  20. D 959
  21. D 960

Unnumbered editions

The following two editions of Schubert's piano sonatas are incomplete and abstain from providing a numbering system:

  • Edition Peters – Sonaten für Klavier zu 2 Handen (Leipzig: C.F. Peters, 1970-1974): an edition in two volumes that includes eleven complete sonatas (D 537, D 568 2nd version, D 575, D 664, D 784, D 845, D 850, D 894, D 958, D 959, D 960)
  • Schirmer Edition – Ten sonatas for pianoforte (New York: G. Schirmer, 1906): an edition in one volume that includes ten complete sonatas (D 537, D 568 2nd version, D 575, D 664, D 784, D 845, D 850, D 958, D 959, D 960)

The following edition of Schubert's piano sonatas is complete, but abstains from providing a numbering system:

  • G. Henle Verlag – Klaviersonaten (München: G. Henle, 1979-1989): an urtext edition in three volumes that includes all complete sonatas, all unfinished sonatas, and all independent movements generally associated with these unfinished works (D 154, D 157, D 279/346/(277A), D 459/459A, D 537, D 557, D 566/506, D 568 1st and 2nd versions, D 571/604/570, D 575, D 613/612, D 625/505, D 655, D 664, D 769A, D 784, D 840, D 845, D 850, D 894, D 958, D 959, D 960) . Volumes I and II were edited by Paul Mies and fingered by Hans-Martin Theopold. Volume III was edited and fingered by Paul Badura-Skoda. It includes all unfinished sonatas and the independent movements associated with them, with completions by Badura-Skoda of all fragments with the exception of D 154, D 655 and D 769A. While the sonatas in this last volume carry a numbering of 1-10, this is not a numbering system of the entire sonata output, given that the first two volumes assign numbers 1-11 to the works they contain.

Numbered editions

This was the first publication that claimed to print the complete set of Schubert's piano sonatas. This edition has been reprinted from 1970 onwards by Dover Publications. The International Music Score Library Project IMSLP website has facsimiles of many of the sonatas according to this first edition, including the numbering X,1 – X,2 – etc. on the score. In the supplement (series 21) were printed the fragments D 154, D 568 (1st version), D 571, D 613, D 625, D 655, and D 840; D 459 and 459A were printed in series 11 for piano pieces.
  • Wiener Urtext Edition (Schott/Universal Edition) Franz Schubert: Complete Sonatas. An edition in three volumes that includes all complete sonatas, all unfinished sonatas, and all independent movements generally associated with these unfinished works: [5]
    • Vol. 1
      • Sonate Nr. 1 E major D 157
      • Sonate Nr. 2 C major D 279
      • Sonate Nr. 3 E major D 459
      • Sonate Nr. 4 A minor D 537
      • Sonate Nr. 5 A flat major D 557
      • Sonate Nr. 6 E minor D 566
      • Sonate Nr. 7 D-flat major D 567
      • Sonate Nr. 8 E-flat major D 568
      • Fragment E major D 154
      • Menuetto A minor D 277A
    • Vol. 2
      • Sonate Nr. 9 F-sharp major D 571
      • Sonate Nr. 10 B major D 575
      • Sonate Nr. 11 C major D 613
      • Sonate Nr. 12 F minor D 625
      • Sonate Nr. 13 A major D 664
      • Sonate Nr. 14 A minor D 784
      • Sonate Nr. 15 C major D 840
      • Sonate Nr. 16 A minor D 845
      • Fragment Sonate C-sharp minor D 655
      • Fragment Sonate E minor D 769A
    • Vol. 3
      • Sonate Nr. 17 D major D 850
      • Sonate Nr. 18 G major D 894
      • Sonate Nr. 19 C minor D 958
      • Sonate Nr. 20 A major D 959
      • Sonate Nr. 21 B-flat major D 960
The only differences with the above "commercial" 21 sonatas numbering system are in the range 8–12 (starting with whether or not 567/568 is counted as one or two sonatas, and ending where the D 655 fragment is included or left out). It was edited from the sources and provided with commentary and fingering by Martino Tirimo.
Apart from preliminary sketches of some of the above, also following incomplete piano compositions are printed in the appendices of these volumes: D 154, D 309A, D 571, D 505, D 613, D 655 and D 769A.

Other numbering systems

In addition to the numbering systems found in the above named editions, one more can be cited. This numbering system can be found in two websites: [7]

This is a system in which twenty-three sonatas and fragments are numbered. In this system D 769A is numbered as No. 4.

Fantasies for piano solo

I. Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Presto
IV. Allegro

Sonatas and Fantasies for piano four-hands

Sonatas and duos for a piano and an instrument

Violin and piano

Arpeggione and piano

Flute and piano

Sonatas for three players

None of the other trios Schubert composed are indicated as sonata.

Scores

References

  1. ↑ Paul Badura-Skoda, ed. Klaviersonaten, Volume III. München: G. Henle Verlag, 1979-1989: V. Badura-Skoda states that "the Scherzo in D-flat major [...], the Trio of which is almost identical with the Trio of the Minuet of the E-flat major Sonata D 568, belongs most likely to the D-flat major Sonata, D 567, to be inserted before or after the Andante."
  2. ↑ Eva Badura-Skoda and Peter Branscombe. Schubert Studies: Problems of Style and Chronology. Cambridge University Press, 1982: 314. While the Adagio, D 612 has generally been regarded as the slow movement to this sonata, the suggestion of D 600/610 as the third movement has not carried as much weight. This inclusion was suggested by Reinhard van Hoorickx, who states that "it is not impossible that the Minuet in C sharp minor (D 600) and the Trio in E major (D 610) may also have been originally intended for this sonata: they would certainly fit in with the characteristic Schubertian key-scheme."
  3. ↑ Franz Peter Schubert at www.classicalarchives.com
  4. ↑ Franz Schubert's Werke: Kritisch durchgesehene Gesammtausgabe – Serie 10: Sonaten für Pianoforte. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1888.
  5. ↑ Numbering of the piano sonatas according to Franz Schubert: Complete Sonatas the Wiener Urtext Edition, Schott/Universal Edition–Musikverlag Ges. m. b. H. & Co., K. G. Wien: Wiener Urtext Edition, 1997.
  6. ↑ New Schubert Edition Series VII: Piano Music, volumes 2/1 (2000), 2/2 (2003) and 2/3 (1996). Bärenreiter
  7. ↑ Numbering of the piano sonatas as encountered in Franz Schubert: Catalogo delle composizioni at flaminioonline.it and at musiqueorguequebec.ca
  8. ↑ Franz Schubert. Franz Schubert. Thematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke in chronologischer Folge.

Lists of (piano) compositions by Schubert

Further reading

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