After the stormy power and the serene beauties of the Sonata in C minor (a key which always called forth Beethoven's best) this Sonata appears somewhat colourless. The long-drawn Tempo di Minuetto is a little tedious, whilst the first and last movements, though vigorous and well varied in mood, by no means give us the deep Beethoven of the C minor Sonata. The scoring of many of the passages is unusually thin, and reminiscent of Haydn not at his best.
9th Sonata, Opus 47, in A.
Dedicated to Rudolph Kreutzer.
Adagio—Presto—Andante con variazioni—Presto.
Though absurdly over-estimated, perhaps on account of Tolstoy's stupid novel, this still remains one of the great masterpieces in music. Commissioned by a Mulatto violinist named Bridgetower, and written, as the original title-page says, "in a specially brilliant style," it was first given at 8 o'clock on a May morning in 1803 in the Augarten at Vienna, with Beethoven at the piano and Bridgetower with the violin. The Sonata opens with a majestic introduction, ending on a dominant pause. Tradition has it that Bridgetower improvised a cadenza here and that Beethoven approved. Amongst the whirl and excitement of the bold and vigorous opening Presto, the hymn-like second subject stands out with a marvellous way. Nothing is lost of the tenderness of the Andante in the brilliant variations which follow it, and this is all the more wonderful because this piece is the most virtuoso-like of all Beethoven's chamber-music. Tenderness with Beethoven is no maudlin sentiment, but the gentle sympathy of a strong man. The Tarantelle-like Finale originally belonged to the Sonata of Opus 30, No. 1, A major, but, as Beethoven had been dilatory in his commission, the time having arrived and no Finale, he took the Finale from the earlier Sonata and wrote a new one for it later on.
10th Sonata, Opus 96, in G.
Allegro moderato—Adagio espressivo—Scherzo allegro—Poco Allegretto.
This was written in 1810 and dedicated to Beethoven's firm friend and patron, the Archduke Rudolph. Although not really characteristic of the master's latest style, which does not commence until Opus 106, yet it is the most intimate of all the violin sonatas. It stands amongst the very great works and is indeed in some ways superior to the C minor. The Adagio, calm and sublime, is one of the most beautiful things in music. The scoring is like that of a string quartet. The ending dies away and creeps almost imperceptibly into the Scherzo through an unexpected C sharp. Full of life and bubbling over with fun, it has a jolly trio and a coda of its own. The Finale touches every mood from gay to sad, from lively to severe. The lovely Adagio makes a re-appearance in it, but the gay mood wins, for with a freakish little Presto the Sonata is brought to a triumphant close.