An Analysis of Beethoven Pathetique Sonata
An application of Analysis of Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’ piano sonata No. 8 inC minor, Op.13 with particular focus on musical features such as melody, thematic content, rhythm, form and structure, and harmony.
Bent states that analysis is the means of answering the question, how does it work? According to Bent, analysis is a relatively young discipline “analysis as a pursuit in its own right became established during the 19th century” (Bent, 2006, p.13), although basic methods of analysis of music has been suggested to date back to the eighteenth century and have become a seductively compelling and important topic for music scholars over the last fifty years, and as a result, an extensive range of literature proclaims the value of interaction between analysis and performance.
“Analysis needs to clarify our relationship to the music, not congest it with information which we cannot relate to our listening or playing” (Rink, 1995, p.4) Here Rink is suggesting that there is no point of analysis for analysis sake. Instead analysis should provide us with useful information which in terms of performers aids their performance practice. Musicologists and scholars use a variety of methods of analysis in order to inform performers of particular important aspects of the music that they play, such as Melody, thematic content, rhythm, form and structure and harmony. It has been stated that “Analysts should understand what it is that they analyse, especially when the goal of their analysis is to enlighten performers” (Lester, 2000, p.56) in order to achieve this goal analysts need to understand what information they need to be gathering as the needs will be different depending on whether the person is a musicologist, Listener, performer or composer and then will need to chose the method of analysis, which is suitable for their line of enquiry. Where these interests overlap a mixed method approach to analysis would be the most suitable option, depending on the line of
Bent states that analysis is the means of answering the question, how does it work? According to Bent, analysis is a relatively young discipline “analysis as a pursuit in its own right became established during the 19th century” (Bent, 2006, p.13), although basic methods of analysis of music has been suggested to date back to the eighteenth century and have become a seductively compelling and important topic for music scholars over the last fifty years, and as a result, an extensive range of literature proclaims the value of interaction between analysis and performance.
“Analysis needs to clarify our relationship to the music, not congest it with information which we cannot relate to our listening or playing” (Rink, 1995, p.4) Here Rink is suggesting that there is no point of analysis for analysis sake. Instead analysis should provide us with useful information which in terms of performers aids their performance practice. Musicologists and scholars use a variety of methods of analysis in order to inform performers of particular important aspects of the music that they play, such as Melody, thematic content, rhythm, form and structure and harmony. It has been stated that “Analysts should understand what it is that they analyse, especially when the goal of their analysis is to enlighten performers” (Lester, 2000, p.56) in order to achieve this goal analysts need to understand what information they need to be gathering as the needs will be different depending on whether the person is a musicologist, Listener, performer or composer and then will need to chose the method of analysis, which is suitable for their line of enquiry. Where these interests overlap a mixed method approach to analysis would be the most suitable option, depending on the line of