An Analysis of The Beethoven's Story Sonata No 12 Op. 26

Prose Analysis: Sonata No. 12 Op. 26 Mvt. III by Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven has been widely considered one of the most renowned and prominent composers in the world since his time. This fame was not obtained by the light-hearted nature of his music; rather it is his intensity and cleverness that to this day captivate audiences globally. Among his vast number of works, Beethoven’s Funeral March of Piano Sonata No. 12 Op. 26 is a prime example of the musical intricacy and emotional connection that the composer evokes. This piece, while seeming somewhat short and perhaps repetitive, holds ornate detail that can be, and has been, analysed to be incredibly significant. When it comes to staying within the lines, Beethoven was never one to abide by the rules. His complete compositional output highlights this over and over again, and this particular piano sonata is no exception. Typically, Beethoven’s sonatas for his primary instrument were structured so that the second movement was slow and contrasting tonally, while the penultimate movement was characteristically a scherzo and trio, even more upbeat and lively than the traditional minuet and trio. This is reversed in Piano Sonata No. 12, and coupled with the first appearance of a funeral march within a sonata, the piece stands out in the spotlight.

Marcia Funebre sulla morte d’un Eroe releases its meaning through a compound ternary form. The first part, the actual Funeral March itself, can be labelled as Section A, while the Trio is Section B. There is also a small Coda that finalizes the grandeur of the piece. As the Funeral March is structurally longer than the Trio, it could be considered to have all the interesting detail that provokes such intrigue in this piece. Beethoven carefully selects chords and progressions that do his bidding to the T. A♭ minor opens the movement, creating an atmosphere of dark suspension. This key signature contains every ♭ the staff has to offer, an occurrence that could not possibly be a coincidence; the foreboding sound of the music is only darkened more because of this key. The opening phrase produces the musical idea and motif that will carry on throughout the March, but before a strong cadence is reached, there is a modulation to C♭ Major, or rather the relative major key. Immediately after the cadence, however, the key shifts to B minor. Enharmonic to C♭, this move to the parallel minor and restatement of the motif brings a brighter sound to the progression of the piece. Following suite after the first modulating period, mm.9-16 form a copycat period. The difference in the second period is that the modulation to D, what would be the relative major, is not confirmed as either major or minor. Harmonies that can be found in both major and minor are used, such as minor supertonic and cadential dominant six-four to five-three, and the resolution is an ambiguous open octave tonic. The undefined sound of this cadence allows the music to fall back down to the original key of A♭ minor with the use of a common tone modulation. This is where the harmony stays until the end of Section A, however the length of the period is extended in order to create a convincing final cadence. This is reached with the use of a Neapolitan chord and two stated cadential progressions.

While Section A is far longer than Section B, even without having repeats like the Trio does, there is a fair amount of importance to be found in the latter segment of the piece. Whereas there are modulations occurring almost every four bars in the Funeral March, the Trio holds a stable and bright sound in the key of A♭ Major. Not once does it modulate. The only variance in tonality of the harmony is in mm.3-4, where there is tonicization of the dominant. Considering the harmonic difference between Sections A and B is vital in the analysis of this piece.

It is expected that a funeral march will feel somber and painful. Beethoven pairs this with passionate, almost angry, phrases to create the mood in what ended up being his own Funeral March. However, the modulations that he implanted in the piece could be seen as something more. When taken into account that the harmony moves from the tonic to the relative major, and then continues in that major’s parallel minor, it could be speculated that there is a struggle here. After making use of such a heavy key, Beethoven lifts the music by an entire minor third, and then continues his ideas from that height. The interval leap alone is enough to create a more vibrant feel to the music, not to mention that the key of B minor, containing two ♯’s and a raised leading tone, is wholly different in timbre to A♭ minor. Emotionally, this piece is climbing. Dealing with death is no easy thing to be taken lightly. Beethoven portrays this, showing the grief, anguish, and despair of death, and capturing the strife of trying to move past and continue to live life. His music climbs, trying to find a way out of the hole it was put in, only to fall back down into its depths. This is the Funeral March, a picture of effort and sadness, which is unstable and constantly moving. What is embodied in the Trio is the exact opposite. Non-modulating, the short and bright notes created a sense of stability. While it lasts, Section B is entirely cheery and joyful. The textbook opposite of its predecessor, this shows how different happiness is compared to the sadness that was painted in the March. The security felt in the Trio could even be viewed as the goal of the being that is struggling through Section A. It is unreached and only dreamt of, though, because the end is not found in the Trio but within the return of the Funeral March. As the air of solemnity repeats, the listener is brought back down to the hopeless nature that was originally introduced. However, the Coda that truly ends the piece leaves something new and real in the audience. Coming to a close on a picardy third, Beethoven foreshadows that all is not lost, that the pellucid world of the Trio is not unattainable. He leaves the listener with a tiny but visible light at the end of the tunnel.

Music can be interpreted in almost any way imaginable. There is no set answer, no right and no wrong. It is the epitome of, “to each his own.” It can never be known if the emotional definitions described above are what Beethoven intended in the third movement of his twelfth Piano Sonata. The truth rings in the statements above because it is the individual result and internal experience that one could experience, and did experience, while listening to one of the many masterpieces of the great and celebrated Ludwig van Beethoven.