Authors: Robert Taub, Hal Leonard Corporation Staff
ISBN-13: 9781574671780, ISBN-10: 1574671782
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Amadeus Press, LLC
Date Published: March 2009
Edition: (Non-applicable)
Acclaimed pianist Robert Taub offers the insights of a passionate musician who performs all 32 of Beethoven's well-loved piano sonatas in concert worldwide, bringing a "fresh perspective on Beethoven," as the New York Times put it. In this book, he shares his intimate understanding of these works with listeners and players alike.
For anyone who plays the piano, Beethoven's 32 sonatas loom as the mighty peak of the repertoire. Taub, a concert pianist who has played them all, gives a performer's-eye view of the experience. Taub sets the tone on the first page by declaring that pianists enter into "an implied moral contract" with the composer to understand and respect his intentions. What follows is a close, careful reading of every aspect of performance from fingering to tempo. Like Rosen, Taub does not follow the standard division of the sonatas, opting instead to describe them as "Epitomizing Classical Styles" (Op. 2-49), "Experimentation" (Op. 26-31), "Post-Heiligenstadt, Crossing the Rubicon" (Op. 53-57), "Compression, Homogeneity" (Op. 78-81a), and "Summation, Transcendence" (Op. 90-111). These are thoughtfully construed categories, but Taub is more persuasive when arguing that each sonata is unique, and the most fascinating part of the book for any performer is the division of the sonatas into nine distinctive programs (this reviewer finds the Tempest/Hammerklavier combination especially intriguing). Throughout, Taub is intelligent, informed, exhaustive (74 musical examples grace the text), and genial if sometimes a bit dry. Definitely a performer's guide (Rosen's study will probably work better for larger audiences), this is highly recommended for any library serving pianists, amateur or professional, who want to play Beethoven better. Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal" Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Preface | 9 | |
Part 1 | Preparation | |
Chapter 1 | The Basics | 15 |
Chapter 2 | Beethoven, His Hands, and His Feet | 23 |
Chapter 3 | Tempo | 44 |
Chapter 4 | Improvisation | 58 |
Chapter 5 | Trills, Pirouettes, and Good Humor | 66 |
Chapter 6 | Publishers and Editions | 79 |
Chapter 7 | The Myth of the Authentic Pianoforte | 89 |
Part 2 | Concert Programs | |
Planning the Programs | 97 | |
Program 1 | Sonata in F minor, Op. 2 no. 1 (1795) | 99 |
Sonata quasi una fantasia in E-flat major, Op. 27 no. 1 (1800-01) | ||
Sonata in F-sharp major, Op. 78 (1809) | ||
Sonata in C major, Op. 53 ("Waldstein") (1803-04) | ||
Program 2 | Sonata in A major, Op. 2 no. 2 (1795) | 117 |
Sonata in E major, Op. 14 no. 1 (1798-99) | ||
Sonata in G major, Op. 14 no. 2 (1798-99) | ||
Sonata quasi una fantasia in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 no. 2 ("Moonlight") (1801) | ||
Program 3 | Sonata in C minor, Op. 10 no. 1 (1796-98) | 129 |
Sonata in F major, Op. 10 no. 2 (1796-98) | ||
Sonata in D major, Op. 10 no. 3 (1796-98) | ||
Sonata in A major, Op. 101 (1816) | ||
Program 4 | Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 7 (1797) | 143 |
Sonata in G major, Op. 31 no. 1 (1802) | ||
Sonata in E minor, Op. 90 (1814) | ||
Sonata in C minor, Op. 13 ("Pathetique") (1798-99) | ||
Program 5 | Sonata in G minor, Op. 49 no. 1 (1798) | 162 |
Sonata in G major, Op. 49 no. 2 (1796) | ||
Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 31 no. 3 (1801-02) | ||
Sonata in F major, Op. 54 (1804) | ||
Sonata in F minor, Op. 57 ("Appassionata") (1804-05) | ||
Program 6 | Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 26 (1800-01) | 176 |
Sonata in C major, Op. 2 no. 3 (1795) | ||
Sonata in E major, Op. 109 (1820) | ||
Program 7 | Sonata in D minor, Op. 31 no. 2 ("Tempest") (1801-02) | 194 |
Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 106 ("Hammerklavier") (1817-18) | ||
Program 8 | Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 22 (1800) | 213 |
Sonata in G major, Op. 79 (1809) | ||
Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110 (1821) | ||
Program 9 | Sonata in D major, Op. 28 ("Pastoral") (1801) | 229 |
Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 81a ("Das Lebewohl") (1809) | ||
Sonata in C minor, Op. 111 (1822) | ||
Glossary | 249 | |
Bibliography | 251 | |
Index of Beethoven Piano Sonatas | 255 |