First two bars of the piece, indicating the syllables 'Le - be wohl' over the three-note theme

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, opus 81a, known as the Les Adieux sonata, was written during the years 1809 and 1810. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Opus, from the Latin word opus meaning work, is usually used in the sense of a work of art. In this sense the plural of opus, opera, is used to refer to the genre of music drama. ...

The title Les Adieux implies it is of a programmatic nature. The French attack on Vienna, led by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1809, forced Beethoven's patron, Archduke Rudolph, to leave the city. Yet, there is some uncertainty about this nature of the piece — or at least, about the degree to which Beethoven wished this programmatic nature would be known. He titled the three movements "Lebewohl," "Abwesenheit," and "Wiedersehen," and reportedly regarded the French "Adieux" as a poor translation of the feeling of the German "Lebewohl" (Kolodin, 1975). Indeed, Beethoven had written the syllables "Le-be-wohl" over the first three chords.^[1] Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (born Napoleone di Buonaparte, changed his name to Napoléon Bonaparte)[1] (15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica – 5 May 1821; Saint Helena) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... Erzherzog Rudolph of Austria, Fürsterzbischof von Olmütz. ...

On the first 1811 publication, a dedication was added reading "On the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration".

An average performance of the piece lasts about 16 minutes.

Form

The sonata has three movements:

1. Das Lebewohl (Les Adieux - The Farewell); Adagio - Allegro
2. Abwesenheit (L'Absence - The Absence); Andante espressivo (In gehender Bewegung, doch mit viel Ausdruck)
3. Das Wiedersehen (Le Retour - The Return); Vivacissimamente (Im lebhaftesten Zeitmaße)

The sonata opens in a 2/4 time Adagio with a short, simple motif of three chords, over which are written the three syllables Le-be-wohl ('Fare-thee-well'). This motif is the basis upon which both the first and the second subject groups are drawn. As soon as the introduction is over and the exposition begins, the time signature changes to split C (alla breve) and the score is marked Allegro. In musical notation, Adagio is a tempo marking indicating that the music is to be played slowly. ... In music, a motif is a perceivable or salient reoccurring fragment or succession of notes that may used to construct the entirety or parts of complete melodies, themes. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Allegro may mean: a musical tempo Allegro library, a computer game programming library Allegro (airline), a charter airline based in Mexico City Allegro (auction), a Polish online auction website, also known as Aukro (Czech Republic), TeszVesz (Hungary) and Av-Av (Russia and Ukraine) Allegro (musical), a 1947 musical by Rodgers...

The Andante espressivo might be misunderstood as an introduction to the ending Vivacissimamente, but a closer look finds the beauty and depth in this movement. The movement is 2/4 time throughout and is naturally junctured to the finale. This article is about tempo in music. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and a modern editors metronome marking: = 120. “Andante” redirects here. ...

The finale, also in sonata form, starts joyfully on the dominant, B flat, in 6/8 time. After the startling introduction, the first subject shows up in the right hand and is immediately transferred to the left hand, which is repeated twice with an elaboration of the arrangement in the right hand. Before the second subject group arrives, there's one remarkable bridge passage, introducing a phrase that goes from G flat major to F major, first through distinctive forte arpeggios, then in a more delicate, fine piano arrangement. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... “Fortissimo” redirects here. ... This article will be merged with Italian musical terms at some point in the near future. ...

References

• Kolodin, Irving (1975). The Interior Beethoven. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-46626-2.

1. ^ http://bayes.wustl.edu/etj/music/m7h.pdf

External links

• Piano Sonata No. 26: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.