Sonata nr 3, second movement

Hello

Here is the second movement of my sonata nr 3. The writing went rather quick (it took me only about a week). Originally I wanted to write a theme with a set of variations, but it became more like a rondo (you will notice the recurrance of the theme ).I would be very interested to learn what you think of it

That's a fresh movement comparing to the first! I still find plenty of Schubertian humor and lightness in it! Many modulations are surprising and effective, like the one in bar 29-30, that modulation to d minor through diminished seventh surprised me!

It acts as a great contrast to the movement 1, which is for me heavier and darker. Here it's like a little dance smiling you off! The chord progressions you use are really mature, like the bunches of German sixth, diminished seventh, reinterpretation of the chords. Nice job!

Concerning some spelling issue, in bar 10 and 11 the G naturals should be spelled as F double sharp. In bar 93 the C and Db in the right hand should be spelled as B# and C# to have a German sixth chord, in bar 109 the Bb should be A# to show the German sixth chord too. But that's minor problem.

Looking forward to your third movement of the sonata!

I love the relaxing classically flavored music and the changes in dynamics and contrast between sweet and dramatic temperament.  You do have some no-no's in your engraving however, like this:    This format of tying an 8th note to two 16ths is used when the 8th note isn't dotted and the second 16th doesn't fall on the beat.  And it's easy to miss that dot on the first 8th note, making the player think that the group of two 16ths happen on the second beat of the bar.  To make the rhythm more clear you could have used this notation:    with the last 8th note marked staccato instead of putting an ugly looking 16th rest at the end of the bar imo.  Thanks for sharing this quaint little piece although I wish it were longer!

Giocoso, with a rhythm that vaguely reminds me to Beethoven's Sonata 27 Mov. 1. Those sforzatos saturate a little in my device. As @Henry Ngsaid, this acts as a very nice contrast and perhaps a breath of fresh air for the performer. The score is very beautifully and precisely crafted, and despite the music sounds elegant, even joyful in some passages, it has some sinister traces that stain it and give an extra of personality which makes this work even more recognizable in my humble opinion. 

You're making a very beautiful sonata. Keep going!

Kind regards,
Daniel–Ømicrón.

6 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

This format of tying an 8th note to two 16ths is used when the 8th note isn't dotted and the second 16th doesn't fall on the beat.

Oh, I didn't pay attention to that but didn't think it was really confusing, I totally see your point though.

Look how like in your image e.g. in M89 the score has already an stacatto in the 16th. What would you do in this case if you wanted to be super precise, untie maybe? Stacattissimo?
I'd go for the Stacattissmo just for preserving the figure structure I guess.

Kind regards!!

Hello Henry,

Thanks a lot for your feedback. I am very glad about all your nice comments. This is very stimulating for me!  Also, I am very grateful for indicating the spelling errors in the score. I should have seen them, but everything went a bit fast. I have now corrected them (a revised score is uploaded).

The next thing for me will be writing the third movement. This is going to be a big “tour de force ”and it will probably not be ready before early 2023. But I am much  looking forward to this work!

Best regards!

Hello Peter,

Oh-Oh, what a mistake in my score! Of course you are completely right. The notation of the two 16ths connected to the dotted 8th is not correct. It should be the way you indicated. I have changed this accordingly in the revised score.  I replaced the 16ths with a staccato with 8ths and staccatissimo´s.

I am really grateful for your review! And please let me know if you see any other peculiarities.

The piece is quite short, I agree. But maybe ok in the context of the middle part of a sonata. (The last movement will be longer!)

Best regards, and thanks again!

Hello  Daniel,

Thank you also for your positive response!  The notes with the   “sff” sign were perhaps a bit too loud in the (electronic) sound file, but on a real instrument, musicians could (would) play it the way they prefer.  

(I used staccatissimo´s as you will see in the revised score)

Best regards.

3 hours ago, panta rei said:

Thank you also for your positive response!  The notes with the   “sff” sign were perhaps a bit too loud in the (electronic) sound file, but on a real instrument, musicians could (would) play it the way they prefer.  

 

(I used staccatissimo´s as you will see in the revised score)

I'm sure a real interpretation would be fascinating to listen to. BTW, I'm listening again and my favourite part is definitely near 1:35-1:45. I will definitely be waiting for the publication of the third movement on early 2023, best wishes with that, I'm sure it's gonna be as good as these two are.

Ah, I wanted to ask you: I have a twitter followed by exactly two people where I try to share daily content from this and other site and thought I could try putting the link there. I don't think it will reach anyone but in any case I ask you for permission. 

Kind regards!

7 hours ago, Omicronrg9 said:

Ah, I wanted to ask you: I have a twitter followed by exactly two people where I try to share daily content from this and other site and thought I could try putting the link there. I don't think it will reach anyone but in any case I ask you for permission. 

Kind regards!

 

No problem with putting a link on Twitter.

Wonderful to listen to, with a good balance between the theme that provides structure and familiarity, and freer episodes. Just a minor remark: Those fast notes in m 98 and m 105 feel a bit ouf of place for me and do not go with the flow.

Concerning length: When browsing through keyboard sonatas, you will find sonatas with a duration of a few minutes, and others that go on for 45 minutes. More important is if the movement works - and yours works very well -, and how it works out in comparison to other movements. Thus, I think its length is just fine, though I share Peters sentiment that one really doesn't long for its end ...

On 12/28/2022 at 5:36 PM, Willibald said:

Wonderful to listen to, with a good balance between the theme that provides structure and familiarity, and freer episodes. Just a minor remark: Those fast notes in m 98 and m 105 feel a bit ouf of place for me and do not go with the flow.

Concerning length: When browsing through keyboard sonatas, you will find sonatas with a duration of a few minutes, and others that go on for 45 minutes. More important is if the movement works - and yours works very well -, and how it works out in comparison to other movements. Thus, I think its length is just fine, though I share Peters sentiment that one really doesn't long for its end ...

 

Hello Willibald,

Thanks a lot for your inputs. I am glad that you like the piece. I wrote it in a very short time    (at least when I compare with my normal period of time for writing something) When I look at it again, I can see that there is room for improvements.

Regarding your comment about the fast notes in measures 98 and 105, I definitely think that these notes should be there. It provides a feeling that we are approaching the end of the piece. But of course they should not disrupt the flow!. That is where I made a mistake. I should have slurred the group of fast notes to their following adjacent notes. Basically, the groups are a set of grace notes, and to get an uninterrupted integration of the fast notes, they should be played at a low sound level (almost like a whisper).

I uploaded an amended score and audio playback, and I would be interested to learn what you think about it.

Best regards and thanks again for your valuable comment!