The genesis of Beethoven's Piano sonata in A flat, Op. 110
Date
1993
Authors
Matheson, Lynn Marie
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Abstract
Although Beethoven's Piano Sonata in A flat, Op. 110, is one of his outstanding compositions, it has not been exhaustively discussed in the literature. In particular, aspects of the genesis of the work are in need of clarification. One body of sketch materials has remained unknown to previous scholars and is examined here in detail for the first time. Study of the sources in question--Paris Manuscripts 51, 51/3 and 80--makes possible a reevaluation of Beethoven's compositional process.
The thesis assesses the work of other scholars who have written about the sonata, placing emphasis on studies of the primary sources. Various manuscripts are examined in detail and their relation to one another clarified. Important as well is the examination of the structure and chronology of the source materials--including the autograph scores. Both the physical structure and musical content of the source materials require close attention. Robert Winter's source study in The Beethoven Sketchbooks (Oxford, 1985) is reconsidered here against the evidence of the original manuscripts.
The largest part of this thesis concerns the genesis of the sonata as documented in manuscripts held in Berlin and Bonn, as well as Paris. Various stages of the compositional evolution are traced in the sources, with special attention given to the complex final movement of the work, for which many layers of revision are preserved in the manuscripts. Certain sketches for this movement are surprisingly different from the final version and can therefore offer a new basis for analytical insight into the finished work.
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