Schubert's Last Sonatas

1/28/2019 Schubert's last sonatas - Wikipedia
Schubert's last sonatas

Franz Schubert's last three piano sonatas, D 958, 959 and 960, are the
composer's last major compositions for solo piano. They were written during
the last months of his life, between the spring and autumn of 1828, but were
not published until about ten years after his death, in 1838–39.[1] Like the rest
of Schubert's piano sonatas, they were mostly neglected in the 19th century.[2]
By the late 20th century, however, public and critical opinion had changed,
and these sonatas are now considered among the most important of the
composer's mature masterpieces. They are part of the core piano repertoire,
appearing regularly on concert programs and recordings.[3]
One of the reasons for the long period of neglect of Schubert's piano sonatas
seems to be their dismissal as structurally and dramatically inferior to the
sonatas of Beethoven.[4] In fact, the last sonatas contain distinct allusions and
similarities to works by Beethoven, a composer Schubert venerated.[5]
However, musicological analysis has shown that they maintain a mature,
Portrait by Anton Depauly, of
individual style. Schubert's last sonatas are now praised for that mature style,
Schubert at the end of his life
manifested in unique features such as a cyclical formal and tonal design,
chamber music textures, and a rare depth of emotional expression.[6]
The three sonatas are cyclically interconnected by diverse structural, harmonic and melodic elements tying together all
movements in each sonata,[7] as well as all three sonatas together;[8] consequently, they are often regarded as a trilogy.
They also contain specific allusions and similarities to other Schubert compositions, such as his Winterreise song cycle;
these connections point to turbulent emotions expressed in the sonatas, often understood as highly personal and
autobiographical.[9] Indeed, some researchers have suggested specific psychological narratives for the sonatas, based on
historical evidence concerning the composer's life.[10]
Contents
Historical background
Structure
The sonatas
Sonata in C minor, D. 958
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto: Allegro – Trio
IV. Allegro
Sonata in A major, D. 959
I. Allegro
II. Andantino
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace – Trio: Un poco più lento
IV. Rondo: Allegretto – Presto
Sonata in B♭ major, D. 960
I. Molto moderato
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schubert%27s_last_sonatas 1/23
II. Andante sostenuto

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza – Trio
IV. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto
Compositional process
Unifying elements and cyclicism
Allusion to other works by Schubert
Extramusical connotations and suggestions of a narrative
Beethoven's influence
Reception, criticism and influence
Legacy
Performance issues
Available editions and recordings
Notes
References and further reading
External links
Historical background
The last year of Schubert's life was marked by growing public acclaim for the composer's works, but also by the gradual
deterioration of his health. On March 26, 1828, together with other musicians in Vienna, Schubert gave a public concert of
his own works, which was a great success and earned him a considerable profit. In addition, two new German publishers
took an interest in his works, leading to a short period of financial well-being. However, by the time the summer months
arrived, Schubert was again short of money and had to cancel some journeys he had previously planned.[11]
Schubert had been struggling with syphilis since 1822–23, and suffered from weakness, headaches and dizziness.
However, he seems to have led a relatively normal life until September 1828, when new symptoms such as effusions of
blood appeared. At this stage he moved from the Vienna home of his friend Franz von Schober to his brother Ferdinand's
house in the suburbs, following the advice of his doctor; unfortunately, this may have actually worsened his condition.
However, up until the last weeks of his life in November 1828, he continued to compose an extraordinary amount of
music, including such masterpieces as the three last sonatas.[12]
Schubert probably began sketching the sonatas sometime around the spring months of 1828; the final versions were
written in September. These months also saw the appearance of the Three Piano Pieces, D. 946, the Mass in E♭ major, D.
950, the String Quintet, D. 956, and the songs published posthumously as the Schwanengesang collection (D. 957 and D.
965A), among others.[13] The final sonata was completed on September 26, and two days later, Schubert played from the
sonata trilogy at an evening gathering in Vienna.[14] In a letter to Probst (one of his publishers), dated October 2, 1828,
Schubert mentioned the sonatas amongst other works he had recently completed and wished to publish.[15] However,
Probst was not interested in the sonatas,[16] and by November 19, Schubert was dead.
In the following year, Schubert's brother Ferdinand sold the sonatas' autographs to another publisher, Anton Diabelli, who
would only publish them about ten years later, in 1838 or 1839.[17] Schubert had intended the sonatas to be dedicated to
Johann Nepomuk Hummel, whom he greatly admired. Hummel was a leading pianist, a pupil of Mozart, and a pioneering
composer of the Romantic style (like Schubert himself).[18] However, by the time the sonatas were published in 1839,
Hummel was dead, and Diabelli, the new publisher, decided to dedicate them instead to composer Robert Schumann, who
had praised many of Schubert's works in his critical writings.
Structure
Schubert's three last sonatas have many structural features in
common.[19] D. 958 can be considered the odd one of the group, with
several differences from the remarkably similar structure of D. 959
and D. 960. First, it is in a minor key, and this is the primary
departure that determines its other differences from its companions.
Accordingly, the major/minor scheme is alternated, with main
material being minor, and digressions and the slow movement set in
the major. Its opening Allegro is considerably more concise than
those of the other two sonatas and does not make use of the
expansive time-dilating modulatory quasi-development passages that
Schubert at the Piano by Gustav Klimt
so strongly characterize the other two opening movements.
Furthermore, its slow movement follows an ABABA form instead of
the ABA form of the other two sonatas. Its third movement, instead of a scherzo, is a slightly less lively, more subdued
minuet. Finally, the finale is in a sonata form rather than rondo-sonata form.
However, these differences are relative and are significant only in comparison to the extreme similarity of D. 959 and D.
960. Those two are similar to the extent that they can be considered variations on an identical compositional template,
having no major structural differences.
All three sonatas, most importantly, share a common dramatic arc and make considerable and identical use of cyclic
motives and tonal relationships to weave musical-narrative ideas through the work. Each sonata consists of four
movements, in the following order:
I. The first movement is in moderate or fast tempo and in sonata form. The exposition consists of two or three thematic
and tonal areas and, as common in the Classical style, moves from tonic to dominant (in major-mode works) or to the
relative major (in minor mode works). However, as often with Schubert, the harmonic scheme of the exposition
involves additional, intermediate tonalities, which may be quite remote from the tonic-dominant axis and sometimes
imbue certain expository passages with the character of a development section. The main themes of the exposition
are often in ternary form, with their middle section digressing to a different tonality. The themes generally do not form
symmetrical periods, and irregular phrase lengths are prominent. The exposition ends with a repeat sign.
The development section opens with an abrupt turn into a new tonal area. A new theme, based on a melodic
fragment from the second thematic group of the exposition, is presented in this section over recurrent rhythmic
figuration, and then developed, undergoing successive transformations. The first thematic group returns in the
recapitulation with different or additional harmonic digressions; the second group returns unaltered, only transposed a
fourth up. The short coda maintains the tonic key and mainly soft dynamics, achieving a resolution of the movement's
conflicts and ending pianissimo.
II. The second movement is slow, in a key different from the tonic, and in ABA (ternary) or ABABA form. The main
sections (A and B) are contrasted in key and character, A is slow and meditative; B is more intense and animated.
The movement begins and ends slowly and quietly.
III. The third movement is a dance (a scherzo or minuet) in the tonic, in overall ABA ternary form, with a trio in either
ternary or binary form, and in a conventionally related key (relative major, subdominant, and parallel minor
respectively). They are based on their sonata's first movements, with a similar tonal scheme and/or motivic reference.
The B section of each piece features tonalities serving important dramatic functions in previous movements. Each
features animated, playful figurations for the right hand and abrupt changes in register.
IV. The finale is in moderate or fast tempo and in sonata or rondo-sonata form. The themes of the finales are
characterized by long passages of melody accompanied by relentless flowing rhythms. The exposition has no repeat
written in. The development section is more ordinary in style than that of the first movement, with frequent
modulations, sequences, and fragmentation of the exposition's first theme (or the main theme of the rondo).[20]
The recapitulation closely resembles the exposition, with the minimal harmonic changes needed to end the section in
the tonic: the first theme returns in a shortened version; the second theme returns unaltered, only transposed a fourth
up. The coda is based on the exposition's first theme. It is composed of two parts, the first quiet and attenuated,
creating a sense of expectation, the second animated, dissipating the final tension in decisive, agitated motion and
ending with fortissimo tonic chords and octaves.
The sonatas
Sonata in C minor, D. 958
I. Allegro
The opening is dramatic, with a fully voiced, forte C-minor chord.
The voice leading of this passage outlines a chromatic ascent to
A ♭ – this will be the first instance of a remarkable degree of
chromaticism in the sonata as a whole. The most salient feature
of the first theme is the sudden modulatory digression to A ♭
major, established by a rushing downward scale initiated by the
final achievement of this key in the ascending voice of the minor
theme. The exposition shifts from the tonic to the relative major
(E♭ major), touching midway upon its parallel minor (E♭ minor),
all in accordance with Classical practice. This second theme, a Opening of the Sonata in C minor
hymn-like E ♭ major melody in four-part harmony, greatly
contrasts with the first, though its melodic contour is prefigured
in the sudden A ♭ major departure. Both themes progress somewhat in the style of variations and are structured with
irregular phrase lengths.
The development section is highly chromatic and is texturally and melodically distinct from the exposition. The
recapitulation is once again traditional, staying in the tonic and stressing subdominant tonalities (D♭, the lowered second
degree – in the first theme). The coda returns to the material of the development section but with stable tonality, dying out
in a dark series of cadences in low register.
II. Adagio
The second movement is in A ♭ major, ABABA form. Nostalgic in its traditional Classical character (one of the few
instrumental Adagios Schubert wrote), the opening theme of this movement is an elegant, touching melody that eventually
undergoes remarkable tonal and cadential treatment, undermining the peaceful setting. Charles Fisk has pointed out that
the voice leading of the first phrase, 1–7–1–2–3–4–3, is based on the initial A ♭ digression in the beginning of the
Allegro.[21] The unorthodox, chromatic harmonic structure of this movement is generated from a short progression that
appears towards the end of the A section,[21] leading to a plagal cadence in the subdominant key (D ♭ ), chromatically
colored with its own minor subdominant chord (G♭ minor). The importance of this progression and of D♭ in general is
emphasized by its quotation in a climax of the finale's exposition. This diversion of the main theme's expected cadence
leads to the haunted atmosphere of the B section, which is full of chromatic modulations and startling sforzandos.
In the second appearance of the A and B sections, almost the entire music is shifted a semitone up, further cementing the
importance of the ascending minor second in the sonata as a whole. The focal plagal progression returns transformed at
the end of the movement, with even subtler chromatic coloration and more distant modulations, touching on C major,
before the piece finally ends in the tonic, the theme now weakened and given an illusory quality due to the evasion of
cadences, free modulation, and tendency toward digression into troubled minor passages.
III. Menuetto: Allegro – Trio

The third movement is somber, quite distinct from the typical atmosphere of dance movements. It is relatively
conservative in its key scheme, moving to the relative major key and back to the tonic. In the B section, a sequence of
hemiolas is interrupted by a dramatic interpolation in A♭ major, referencing the departure to this key in the opening of
the Allegro with the added minor sixth. The second A section is a transformation of the first, interrupted every four bars by
a silent bar, creating a mysterious atmosphere. The trio is in A♭ major, ternary form, with a B section beginning in E♭
major colored by its own minor sixth and modulating to G♭ major via the parallel minor.
IV. Allegro
This movement is written in 6 and in tarantella style and is characterised by a relentless galloping rhythm calling on
8
demanding pianistic effects with frequent hand-crossing and leaps across registers. It employs the three-key exposition, a
recurrent element in Schubert's style. The first theme shifts from C minor to C major – another Schubertian feature, and
contains many allusions to D ♭ major, which finally becomes established in a climactic reference to the Adagio's
characteristic plagal cadence. The second theme, proceeding with the enharmonic parallel minor of this cadence (C ♯
minor), further develops the cadence in its alternation of tonic and subdominant tonalities. After a series of modulations,
the exposition ends in the traditional relative major, E♭.
The development section begins in C♭ with a new theme, derived from the last bars of the exposition. Later on, additional
material from the exposition is developed, gradually building up towards a climax. The recapitulation is also written in
three keys; the first theme is drastically shortened, and this time the second theme veers to B♭ minor, the result being that
the closing section appears in the traditional tonic.
The coda begins with a long anticipatory passage which stresses A ♭ , the submediant, and then reintroduces the first
theme, restoring most of the music omitted from its reprise. This last passage is characterized by sweeping arpeggios with
violent dynamic contrasts – a series of subito fortissimo decaying to piano, following the rise and fall of the melody. On
the last iteration, the melody hits triple forte at the zenith of its register and then plunges four octaves in a descending
arpeggio, marked poco a poco diminuendo al pianissimo. An emphatic cadence then concludes the piece.
Sonata in A major, D. 959
I. Allegro
The sonata begins with a forte, heavily textured chordal fanfare

emphasizing a low A pedal and duple-meter stepwise diatonic
ascent in thirds in the middle voices, followed immediately by
quiet descending triplet arpeggios punctuated by light chords
outlining a chromatic ascent. These highly contrasting phrases
provide the motivic material for much of the sonata. The second
theme is a lyrical melody written in four-part harmony. The Opening of the Sonata in A major
exposition follows standard classical practice by modulating from
tonic (A) to dominant (E) for the second theme, even preparing
the latter tonality with its own V – the only first movement to do so in the mature Schubert.[22] Despite this traditional
approach, both exposition themes are built in an innovative ternary form, and in each resulting 'B' section a highly
chromatic development-like section based on the exposition's second phrase modulates through the circle of fourths, only
to return to the tonic. This novel structure creates a sense of harmonic movement without actually committing to a
thematic modulation,[23] and is one of the techniques Schubert uses to achieve a sense of scale in the movement.
The development proper is based on a scalar variation of the second theme heard at the end of the exposition. Here, in
contrast to the striking modulatory excursions nested in the exposition, the tonal plan is static, shifting constantly between
C major and B major (later B minor). After the development theme is finally stated in the tonic minor, the dramatic
retransition has the unconventional role of only shifting to the major mode to prepare the recapitulation, rather than fully
preparing the tonic key (which in this case has already been established).[24]
The recapitulation is traditional – staying in the tonic, and emphasizing the tonic minor and the flat submediant (F major)
as subdominant tonalities. The coda restates the first theme, this time in a much more 'hesitant' manner, pianissimo and
with further allusions to subdominant tonalities. The movement ends with serene arpeggios; however, for the penultimate
chord, Schubert chose a striking Italian sixth on ♭II, instead of the more usual dominant or diminished seventh chords.
This choice is not arbitrary – it is a final statement of the chromatically based ascending minor second motive that
pervaded the movement, a motive that will be reversed into a descending minor second in the following movement.
II. Andantino
The second movement is in F♯ minor, in ABA form. The A section presents a sparse, lamenting, poignant melody, full of
sighing gestures (portrayed by descending seconds).[25] This theme, despite its vastly different character, references the
opening bars of the Allegro, an aforementioned source of much of the sonata's material – the Andantino's first measure
shares with the fanfare a second-beat bass note 'echo' after the downbeat on A, creating an audible rhythmic affinity;
additionally, the quiet close of the A theme features the fanfare's characteristic pattern of stepwise thirds in the middle
voices enclosed between tonic octaves.
The middle section is of an improvisatory, fantasia-like character, with extremely harsh modulations and sonorities,
culminating in C ♯ minor with fortissimo chords. The chromaticism, triplet emphasis, and modulatory patterns of this
section are all reminiscent of the developments nested within the Allegro's exposition. After the C ♯ minor climax
(according to Fisk, a key of great importance in the cycle due to its relation to "Der Wanderer"), a recitative section with
startling sforzando outbursts emphasizing an ascending minor second leads to a serene phrase in the major mode (C ♯
major), which in turn leads (as the dominant of F♯ minor) back to the A section, here somewhat transformed, with new
accompanimental figuration. The final bars of the movement feature rolled chords that prefigure the opening of the
following Scherzo.
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace – Trio: Un poco più lento
The A section of the scherzo uses a playful leaping rolled chord figure that is rhythmically and harmonically reminiscent of
the opening bars of the sonata. The B section is dominated by the juxtaposition of two distant tonal realms. It commences
in C major for a rollicking theme that is abruptly interrupted by a downward-rushing C ♯ minor scale without any
modulatory preparation,[26] in a striking cyclic reference to the climax of the preceding movement's middle section.
Following this outburst, the B section quietly ends in C♯ minor a grace-note melody identical in contour to a figure from
the theme of the Andantino (2–1–7–1–3–1), before modulating back to the movement's tonic. C major returns in the
concluding A section, this time more tonally integrated into its A-major surroundings, by modulatory sequences. The
ternary form trio in D major uses hand crossing to add melodic accompaniment to the chordal theme, and is rhythmically
and harmonically based on the opening of the Allegro.
IV. Rondo: Allegretto – Presto

This lyrical rondo movement consists of flowing triplet movement and endless songful melody. Its form is a sonata-rondo
(A–B–A–development–A–B–A–coda). The rondo's main and opening theme is taken from the slow movement of the
sonata D. 537 of 1817.[27] Charles Fisk has pointed out that this theme would make musical sense as a response
subsequent to the questioning leading tone that closes the Allegro's opening fanfare; in this capacity the Rondo's lyricism
is the dramatically delayed final goal of the sonata.[25] The second thematic group is written in the traditional dominant
key; however, it is very long, modulating through many different subdominant tonalities.
The development section, in contrast, culminates in a long passage in C♯ minor with a climax characterized by a tension-
building ambiguity between E major and C ♯ minor and a greatly prolonged evasion of a cadence. This leads to a false
recapitulation in F♯ major, which then modulates to begin again in the home key.
In the coda, the main theme returns fragmented, with full bar pauses, which lead each time to unexpected changes of key.
This is followed by an agitated Presto section, based on the final bars of the main theme, and the sonata concludes with a
bold evocation of its very opening measures, with an ascending arpeggio (essentially an inversion of the descending figure
from the Allegro's second phrase), followed by a fortissimo full statement of the opening fanfare in retrograde.
Sonata in B♭ major, D. 960
I. Molto moderato
This movement employs a three-key exposition. The first theme
introduces a G♭ trill[28] that anticipates the following harmonic
events – a shift to G ♭ major in the central section of the main
theme, and, after a return to the tonic, an enharmonic shift to F♯
minor at the start of the second theme.[29] After a colorful
harmonic excursion, the third tonal area arrives in the traditional
dominant key (F major). Opening of the sonata in B♭ major
In contrast to the previous sonatas, here the development section

elaborates on several different themes from the exposition. It Randolph Hokanson playing
reaches a dramatic climax in D minor, in which the first theme is D. 960
presented, fluctuating between D minor and the home key, in a I. Molto moderato
manner similar to the parallel passage from the previous sonata 0:18 MENU
(see above). In the recapitulation, the bass line in the first theme
rises to B♭ instead of descending to F (as in the exposition), and II. Andante sostenuto
0:00 MENU
the second theme enters in B minor, instead of F♯ minor. The rest

of the exposition is repeated without alterations, transposed a III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace con
fourth up, meaning that it returns to the home key, B ♭ , for the
delicatezza
0:00 MENU
third tonal area. The coda once again recalls the first theme,
although only fragmentarily.
IV. Allegro, ma non troppo
0:00 MENU
This movement is written in ternary form, and is in the key of C♯ Problems playing these files? See media
minor – "the most tonally remote inner movement in Schubert's help.
mature instrumental works in sonata form".[30] In the main
David H. Porter playing D. 960
section, a somber melody is presented over a relentless rocking
I. Molto moderato
rhythm in a texture swimming in pedal. The central section is
0:00 MENU
written in A major and presents a choral melody over an
animated accompaniment; it later touches upon B ♭ major, the
sonata's home key. The main section returns with a variant of the
0:00 MENU
original accompanying rhythm. This time, the tonal scheme is
more unusual: after a half cadence on the dominant, a sudden,
III. Scherzo (allegro vivace con
mysterious harmonic shift introduces the remote key of C major. delicatezza)
This eventually turns into E major, and proceeds as before. The 0:00 MENU
coda shifts to the tonic major but is still haunted by glimpses of

the minor mode. IV. Allegro ma non troppo
0:00 MENU
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza – Trio

Problems playing these files? See media
The first part of the scherzo proper cadences not in the tonic or help.
dominant but in the subdominant. The second, B part, continues
to modulate by ascending fourths, until it reaches the key of D♭ major. In this key, a new theme is presented, emphasizing
the local subdominant (G ♭ major, a further fourth upward) – first in the major mode, then in the minor, with an
enharmonic shift to F♯ minor. This harmonic excursion eventually leads, through A major and a B diminished triad, back
to the tonic and the opening section. The trio is in binary form and in B♭ minor, the first presentation of the tonic minor in
the sonata.
IV. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto

The finale has the same structure as that of the previous sonata. Many elements of this movement imply large-scale
resolution of harmonic and thematic conflicts established earlier in this and even the two previous sonatas. The main
rondo theme opens with an 'empty' octave on G, which resolves to C minor, subsequently interpreted as ii in B♭ major.
Alfred Brendel asserts that this theme, beginning in the ambiguous G/Cm, functions as a resolution of the troubling G♭
trill presented in the very beginning of the sonata, using G♭ to resolve to F major as V of B♭. The second theme, in ternary
form, is written in the traditional key of the dominant, with a central section in D major; it consists of an extended,
characteristically Schubertian stepwise melody played over an uninterrupted flow of semiquavers. This second theme uses
the same melodic contour (5–8–7–6–6–5–(5–4–4–3)) of the remarkable C-major modulation in the final A section of the
second movement, implying further connotations of conflict resolution.
After an abrupt end to the second theme and a pregnant pause, a minor dotted-rhythm chordal theme in F-minor
suddenly enters fortissimo, elaborating and modulating before sublimating into a pianissimo version of itself in the
parallel major. This third theme is highly similar in rhythm and melodic contour as well as left-hand pattern to the
tarantella of the C minor sonata, which may not be a coincidence when considering the overall high level of cyclic
connection between the sonatas. This theme evolves into a rhythmic segue that leads seamlessly back to the main theme of
the rondo.
The development section, based entirely on the rhythmic pattern of the main rondo theme, is characterised by juxtaposed
eighth notes and triplets, reaching a climax on C ♭ major, from which the bass descends in chromatic modulation
eventually to G in an extended diminuendo to return to the main theme.
In the coda, the main theme is fragmented in a manner also similar to the finale of the previous sonata; in a highly
chromatic and unstable progression, the octave on G here descends through G ♭ to F, in an extension of the G-G ♭ -F
resolution of the theme. After finally reaching this dominant preparation for the final time, the movement closes with an
exceedingly triumphant and affirming presto section that totally resolves all dramatic conflicts in the sonata and the
series.
Compositional process
The compositional process of the last sonatas can be studied owing to the almost complete survival of their manuscripts.
According to these, the sonatas were written in two stages – a preliminary sketch (the first draft) and a full, mature final
version (the fair copy).[31]
The sketches were written during the spring and summer of 1828, possibly even earlier. The inner movements were
sketched up to the final bar, while the outer, sonata-form movements were only sketched up to the beginning of the
recapitulation and in the coda. In the sketches, passages from different movements (or even different sonatas) sometimes
appear on the same leaf; such evidence suggests that the last two sonatas were composed in parallel, at least in part.
Furthermore, in the B ♭ Sonata, Schubert sketched the finale before completing the first movement, unlike his usual
practice, in which finales were conceived at a later stage.[32]
The final versions of the sonatas convey the impression of a single unit and were likely notated in close succession during
September 1828. The sonatas were labeled Sonate I, II, III, respectively, and Schubert wrote at the bottom of the last folio
of the third sonata the date September 26. As compared to the sketches, the final versions are written much more neatly
and orderly, with full notation and greater care for small details.[33]
A thorough study of the emendations that Schubert edited into the final versions, in comparison with his sketches, reveals
many insights. "Examination of Schubert's sketches for the sonatas reveals him as highly self-critical; moreover, it shows
that the 'heavenly lengths' of the sonatas were actually a later addition, not conceived from the start. In his subsequent
corrections, Schubert elaborated on his themes and expanded them, giving them more 'musical space'", in Alfred Brendel's
words. In the revision, Brendel continues, "proportions are rectified, details start to tell, fermatas suspend time. Rests
clarify the structure, allowing breathing space, holding the breath or listening into silence".[34]
The major emendations in the final versions can be summarized as follows:
1. The most frequent modification is expansion of the original material. The expansions frequently repeat preceding
measures or consist of rests or left-hand figurations without the melody, providing a pause in the motion. This is
especially noticeable in the Adagio, minuet and finale of the C minor Sonata, the middle section of the Andantino in
the A major Sonata, and the first movement of the B♭ Sonata.[35]
2. Changes in the tempo or meter indications, mainly in the opening movements: D.958/I was originally marked
Allegro moderato; D.959/I was originally in alla breve time; D.959/II was originally marked Andante; and D.960/I was
originally marked Moderato.[36]
3. Some of the major cyclic elements in the sonatas were only added in the final version. This includes the final bars of
the A major Sonata, which consist of a cancrizans of its opening; and the arpeggiation at the end of the slow
movement of the same work, which anticipates the opening of the scherzo.[37]
4. Classical-type sonata-form transitions, going from tonic to dominant, were also modified. In the opening movement
of the A major Sonata, the transition was originally written a fourth higher; as it appears, only after figuring out the
recapitulation, did Schubert decide to transpose the transition in the exposition in accordance with the recapitulation's
harmonic scheme, thus creating the more Classical type transition that establishes V of V, found in no other opening
movement in late Schubert.[38] In the analogous place in the finale of the same sonata, Schubert started writing the
transition but eventually discarded it and started again, once he realized he was still in the tonic, rather than
establishing the dominant.[39] These examples demonstrate the weakening of the tonic-dominant axis in Schubert's
harmonic thinking and his general "aversion to the dominant".[40]
5. Two passages in the sonatas were radically modified: the development section in the finale of the A major Sonata,
and the middle section in the slow movement of the B♭ Sonata.[41]
In addition to the differences mentioned above, numerous other, local modifications of the structure, harmony or texture
were applied to the original material. In these modifications, certain uniquely 'daring' original progressions were
occasionally toned down, whereas in other places, the new version was even bolder than its predecessor.
Unifying elements and cyclicism

Schubert composed his three last sonatas in close succession. He intended to publish them together as a set, as evident by
the sonatas' titles.[42] In support of this view that the sonatas are a single unity, pianist and scholar Alfred Brendel has
found profound musical links between the sonatas. He has argued that the sonatas complement each other in their
contrasting characters and demonstrated that the entire sonata trilogy is based on the same basic group of intervallic
motifs.[43] Moreover, each of the sonatas contains a complex network of inner harmonic and motivic connections linking
together all movements, and passages from one movement often reappear, usually transformed, in later movements.[44]
Most of these connections are too subtle to be detected during casual listening. In some cases, however, Schubert quotes a
theme or passage from an earlier movement with little alteration, inserting it in structurally significant locations, creating
an immediately audible allusion. Such explicit connections are related to the cyclic form, one of the musical forms
associated with the Romantic period in music.
The most manifestly cyclical work of the three

sonatas is the Sonata in A major.[45] In the
sonata's scherzo, a joyous passage in C major is
suddenly interrupted by a fierce downward
rushing scale in C♯ minor, which closely recalls
a parallel passage at the climax of the preceding
movement. This is followed in the scherzo by a
dance theme whose melody is derived from the
Andantino's opening melody. This unique
moment is one of the most explicit, audible
cyclic references in the sonata trilogy. Another
important cyclic element in the A major Sonata
is the subtle similarities and connections that
exist between each movement's ending and the The opening and closing bars of the Sonata in A major. Note the
following movement's opening; the connection cancrizans relationship in pitch.
between the opening and ending of the sonata
as a whole, is even bolder: the sonata ends in a
cancrizans of its opening, a framing device which is probably unprecedented in the sonata literature.[46]
Charles Fisk, also a pianist and music scholar, has described another cyclic element in Schubert's last sonatas – a unifying
tonal design, which follows a similar, basic dramatic scheme in each of the three works. According to Fisk, each sonata
presents at its very beginning, the generative kernel of a musical conflict from which all the ensuing music will derive. The
first movement, beginning and ending in the sonata's home key, confronts this key with a contrasting tonality or tonal
stratum.[47] This dichotomous tonal design is also manifested in both third and final movements, whose openings are
variants of the first movement's opening. Moreover, the contrasting tonality becomes the main key of the second
movement, thus increasing the harmonic tension in the middle of the sonata, while projecting the first movement's tonal
design (home key – contrasting tonality – home key) on the sonata as a whole. In the first half of each sonata, the musical
material in the contrasting tonality is presented in sharp conflict with the material in the home key – in each appearance
boldly detached from its surroundings. However, in the third movements and especially in the finales, this contrasting
tonal realm is gradually integrated into its environment, bringing a sense of unity and resolution to the tonal conflict
which was presented at the beginning of the sonata.[48] Fisk goes further to interpret the dramatic musical scheme
manifested in the tonal design of the sonatas, as the basis of a unique psychological narrative (see below).[49]
Allusion to other works by Schubert

Besides the internal references that they often make to earlier passages within them, Schubert's last sonatas contain
distinct allusions and resemblances to some of his previous works, mostly earlier piano works, as well as many of his
songs. Important similarities also exist between certain passages in the sonatas and works from other genres that were
composed in parallel, during the same months in 1828.
The finale of the A major Sonata, uses as its main theme,

a transformation of an earlier theme from the second
movement of the Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 537.
Schubert introduced some changes to the original
melody, which make it conform better with the sonata's
basic motifs, in accordance with the cyclical scheme of
the sonata.[50] Another allusion to an earlier piano work
appears in the middle of the sonata's slow movement:
after the climax in the middle section of the Andantino,
appears a passage (bars 147–158) that closely recalls
bars 35–39 from the Impromptu in G♭ major, D. 899.[51]
An important, unique work for solo piano written by

Schubert, stands apart from his sonatas but is closely
related to them in its concept and style: the Wanderer
Fantasy of 1822. The harmonic scheme inherent in each
of Schubert's last sonatas, according to Charles Fisk, of a
tonal conflict gradually resolved through musical
integration, finds its precedent in the Fantasy.[52]
Moreover, a tonal stratum which plays a unique role
throughout the sonata trilogy – C♯ minor/F♯ minor, is
also precedented in the Fantasy as well as the song on
which it was based, "Der Wanderer" (of 1816)[53] (Fisk
calls C ♯ minor "the wanderer's key").[54] In these two
The finale of the A major Sonata uses as its main theme, a
earlier works, and likewise in the last sonatas, passages
transformation and transposition of an earlier theme from
written in the C ♯ minor/F ♯ minor stratum portray a
the second movement of the Piano Sonata in A minor, D.
sense of alienation, of wandering and homelessness, 537.
according to Fisk.[55] The allusion to the song "Der
Wanderer" becomes fully explicit when, in the development section of the B♭ Sonata's opening movement, the new theme
first presented in this section, undergoes a transformation (in bars 159–160) to become an almost literal quotation of the
song's piano introduction.[56]
Another composition from the song genre, also mentioned by Fisk and others as intimately related to the last sonatas and
also depicting a feeling of wandering and homelessness, is the Winterreise (A Winter's Journey) song cycle. Numerous
connections between different songs from the cycle and the sonatas, especially the C minor Sonata, have been mentioned.
For example: in the C minor Sonata, the first movement's development section recalls the songs "Erstarrung" and "Der
Lindenbaum"; the second movement and the finale recall the songs "Das Wirtshaus", "Gefrorne Tranen", "Gute Nacht",
"Auf dem Flusse", "Der Wegweiser", and "Einsamkeit". These allusions to Winterreise retain the alienated, lonely
atmosphere of its songs.[9]
Several of Schubert's last songs (the Schwanengesang collection), composed during the period of the sketching of the last
sonatas, also portray a deep sense of alienation and bear important similarities with specific moments in the sonatas.
These include the songs "Der Atlas" (which recalls the opening of the C minor Sonata), "Ihr Bild" (the B♭ major/G♭ major
conflict at the opening of the B ♭ Sonata), "Am Meer", and "Der Doppelgänger".[57] Additional songs which have been
mentioned in analogy to specific passages in the last sonatas include "Im Frühling" (the opening of the A major Sonata's
finale),[58] and "Pilgerweise" (the main section of the Andantino in the A major Sonata).[59]
Schubert's famous String Quintet was written in September 1828, together with the final versions of the sonatas. The slow
movements of the Quintet and the B ♭ Sonata bear striking similarities in their main sections: both employ the same
unique textural layout, in which two-three voices sing long notes in the middle register, accompanied by the contrasted,
short pizzicato notes of the other voices, in the lower and upper registers; in both movements, the long notes over the
relentless ostinato rhythm, convey an atmosphere of complete stillness, of arrest of all motion and time.[60] String quintet
textures also appear elsewhere, throughout the sonata trilogy.[61]
Extramusical connotations and suggestions of a narrative

Schubert's mature music often manipulates the listener's sense of time and forward movement. Passages creating such an
effect appear frequently in the last sonatas, mainly in the first and second movements. Two harmonic devices are
employed in the sonatas to create this effect:
Tonal detachment of passages or complete movements from their home-key surroundings. These passages are
often introduced by sudden, "magical" harmonic shifts that closely juxtapose the home key (or a closely related key
such as the dominant) with the new, distant tonality.[62] Two examples of this procedure, from the opening movement
of the B♭ Sonata, are shown on the right.
Creation of tonal stasis by rapid oscillation between two contrasting tonalities.[63] Such a device appears in the
development sections of the A major and B♭ sonatas, opening movements.
Harmonic manipulations of this kind create a sense of standstill, of arrest of time and motion; they often suggest a feeling
of detachment, of entering a new dimension, independent of the preceding material, such as the realm of dreams and
memories (if the preceding material is conceived as reality); some tonally detached passages may convey a feeling of an
alienated, inhospitable environment, an exile (if the preceding material is conceived as home).[64]
The emotional effect of these passages is often further enhanced by textural and/or cyclical devices, such as a sudden shift
of musical texture, concomitant with the shift in tonality; the use of mechanically repetitive accompanimental patterns,
such as ostinati and repeated chords, in the tonally remote or oscillating passages; and the allusion to previously stated
material, which appeared earlier in the piece, in tonally detached

passages. Schubert's frequent use of similar harmonic, textural
and cyclical devices in his settings of poems depicting such
emotional states, only strengthens the suggestion of these
psychological connotations.[65]
Extramusical connotations of this kind have sometimes been

used as a basis for the construction of a psychological or
biographical narrative, attempting to interpret the musical
program behind Schubert's last sonatas.[10] Charles Fisk has
suggested that the sonatas portray a protagonist going through
successive stages of alienation, banishment, exile, and eventual
homecoming (in the A major and B♭ Sonatas), or self-assertion
(in the C minor Sonata). Discrete tonalities or tonal strata,
appearing in complete musical segregation from one another at
the beginning of each sonata, suggest contrasting psychological
states, such as reality and dream, home and exile, etc.; these
Two sudden, swift changes of tonality, texture,
conflicts are further deepened in the ensuing slow movements.
and mood, in the opening movement of the B♭
Once these contrasts are resolved at the finale, by intensive Sonata, bars 19–20 and 116–17. The tonalities
musical integration and the gradual transition from one tonality depicted in these two transitions represent,
to the next, a sense of reconciliation, of acceptance and according to Charles Fisk, three distinct tonal
homecoming, is invoked.[66] Fisk's hypothetical narrative is strata, conveying contrasting moods, which
dominate the entire sonata (these are: B♭–F
grounded on the basis of the ample cyclic connections within the
major; G♭–D♭ major; and C♯–F♯ minor).
sonatas and their unique tonal design, as well as their musical
similarities to songs such as Der Wanderer and the Winterreise
song cycle; and on biographical evidence concerning Schubert's life, including a story written by Schubert (Mein Traum –
My Dream).[67] Fisk suggests that the sonatas convey Schubert's own feelings of loneliness and alienation; by their striving
towards musical and tonal integration, the writing of these works offered Schubert a release from his emotional distress,
particularly deepened after finishing the composition of the lonely, depressive and hopeless songs of Winterreise, during
the preceding year.[68]
It is often suggested that the Last Sonata, in B ♭ major, is a farewell work in which Schubert faces his own death
(somewhat analogous to the myths surrounding Mozart's Requiem); this is usually ascribed to the relaxed, meditative
character which dominates the two opening movements.[69] Death scenes are also associated, somewhat more explicitly,
with the more tragic C minor Sonata; Charles Fisk, for example, mentions ghosts and a 'dance of death', in the outer
movements.[70] However, when judging from a biographical point of view, the notion that Schubert felt his imminent
death at the time of composing the last sonatas is questionable.[71]
Beethoven's influence
It is well acknowledged that Schubert was a great admirer of Beethoven, and that Beethoven had an immense influence on
Schubert's writing, especially on his late works.[72] Schubert often borrowed musical and structural ideas from the works
of Beethoven, to combine them into his own compositions. There are two outstanding examples for this practice in the last
piano sonatas:
1. The opening of the Sonata in C minor is "taken almost note-for-note" from the theme of Beethoven's 32 Variations in
C minor.[73]
2. The structure of the finale of the Sonata in A major is

borrowed from the finale of Beethoven's Piano Sonata, Op.
31, No. 1, as evident through numerous parallels in
structural features.[74]
Numerous additional, less obvious similarities to works by
Beethoven have been frequently mentioned in the literature. In
these cases, the question of whether or not Schubert had actually
borrowed his ideas from Beethoven is open to musicological
debate. Here are some examples:
in the C minor Sonata, certain passages in the first two

movements resemble parallel passages from Beethoven's
Piano Sonata No. 8, Op. 13 (the Pathétique), written in the
same key.[75]
in the A major Sonata, bars 200–206 from the end of the
development section in the finale recall bars 51–55 from the
first movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C♯ minor,
Op. 27, No. 2 (the Moonlight Sonata).[76]
in the B♭ Sonata, the opening theme of the first movement
recalls the opening of Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio, whereas
bars 34–39 recall bars 166–169 from the first movement of
Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto, the Emperor; in the latter The opening bars of the C minor Sonata quote
case, both passages are similarly modified in the
the theme of Beethoven's 32 Variations written in
recapitulations.[77] The opening of the sonata's finale, in turn,
recalls the opening of the finale from Beethoven's String the same key
Quartet in B♭ major, Op. 130.[78]
A striking feature of many of these alleged borrowings from Beethoven is that they retain, in their borrowed state, the
same structural position they had in Beethoven's original design – they appear in the same movements, at the same
structural points. However, despite all this evidence in support of Schubert's borrowing from Beethoven, "he evokes the
memory of Beethoven and the classical style, but is no docile follower", as Alfred Brendel points out. "On the contrary, his
familiarity with Beethoven's works taught him to be different... Schubert relates to Beethoven, he reacts to him, but he
follows him hardly at all. Similarities of motif, texture or formal pattern never obscure Schubert's own voice. Models are
concealed, transformed, surpassed".[79] A good example of Schubert's departure from Beethoven's line can be found in his
most overt quotation of Beethoven – the opening of the Sonata in C minor. Once Schubert's theme has reached A♭ – the
highest note in Beethoven's theme – instead of the original, witty cadence in the tonic, Schubert's theme continues to
ascend to higher pitches, culminating fortissimo on another A♭, an octave higher, tonicized as a downward rushing A♭
major scale. From this A ♭ major interlude – an evasion of the opening material's harmonic goal, the main generative
thematic material for the entire sonata will arise. In this way, what had initially appeared to be a mere note-to-note
plagiarism of Beethoven has eventually given way to a radically different continuation, one which invokes Schubert's own,
idiosyncratic compositional style.[80]
But perhaps the best example of Schubert's departure from the style of his idol is the finale of the A major Sonata.
Although starting from themes of equal length, Schubert's movement is much longer than Beethoven's. The added length
comes from the episodes within the rondo structure:[81]
Schubert's second theme (the B section of the rondo) indulges in a long harmonic and melodic excursion, going
through the keys of the subdominant and flat submediant. Beethoven's more traditional short and simple theme
merely consists of alternating tonic and dominant harmonies.
Schubert's development section ends with a long passage in C♯ minor, with no parallel in Beethoven's finale.
Charles Rosen, who unraveled this unique borrowing of a Beethovenian structure in Schubert's A major Sonata, has also
referred to Schubert's departure from the former's style in this instance: "Schubert moves with great ease within the form
which Beethoven created. He has, however, considerably loosened what held it together, and stretched its ligaments
unmercifully... the correspondence of part to whole has been considerably altered by Schubert, and explains why his large
movements often seem so long, since they are being produced with forms originally intended for shorter pieces. Some of
the excitement naturally goes out of these forms when they are so extended, but this is even a condition of the unforced
melodic flow of Schubert's music". Rosen adds, however, that "with the finale of the A major Sonata Schubert produced a
work that is unquestionably greater than its model".[82]
Reception, criticism and influence

Schubert's piano sonatas seem to have been mostly neglected during the entire nineteenth century, often dismissed for
being too long, lacking in formal coherence, being un-pianistic, etc.[83] However, references to the last sonatas can be
found among two nineteenth-century Romantic composers who took serious interest in Schubert's music and were
influenced by it: Schumann and Brahms.
Schumann, the last sonatas' dedicatee, reviewed the works in his Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1838, upon their
publication. He seems to have been largely disappointed by the sonatas, criticizing their "much greater simplicity of
invention" and Schubert's "voluntary renunciation of shining novelty, where he usually sets himself such high standards",
and claiming the sonatas "ripple along from page to page as if without end, never in doubt as to how to continue, always
musical and singable, interrupted here and there by stirrings of some vehemence which, however, are rapidly stilled".[84]
Schumann's criticism seems to fit the general negative attitude maintained towards these works during the nineteenth
century.
Brahms's attitude towards the last sonatas was different. Brahms found special interest in Schubert's piano sonatas, and
expressed his wish to "study them in depth". In her diary, Clara Schumann mentioned Brahms's playing of the B♭ Sonata,
and praised his performance.[85] In Brahms's works dating from the early 1860s, a clear Schubertian influence can be
observed, in features such as closed lyrical themes, distant harmonic relationships, and use of the three-key exposition.
Two of these works, the First String Sextet and the Piano Quintet, contain specific features that resemble Schubert's B ♭
Sonata.[86]
The negative attitude towards Schubert's piano sonatas persisted well into the twentieth century. Only around the
centennial of Schubert's death did these works begin to receive serious attention and critical acclaim, with the writings of
Donald Francis Tovey, and the public performances of Artur Schnabel and Eduard Erdmann.[87] During the following
decades, the sonatas, and especially the final trilogy, received growing attention, and by the end of the century, came to be
regarded as essential members of the classical piano repertoire, frequently appearing on concert programs, studio
recordings, and musicological writings. Some late twentieth century scholars have even argued that Schubert's last sonatas
should rank together with Beethoven's most mature sonatas.[88]
Legacy
Schubert's last sonatas mark a distinct change of compositional style from his earlier piano sonatas, with several
important differences. The typical movement length has increased, due to the use of long, lyrical, fully rounded-off,
ternary-form themes, the insertion of development-like passages within expositions, and the lengthening of the
development section proper.[89] Texturally, the orchestral grandeur of the middle-period sonatas gives way to a more
intimate writing that resembles a string ensemble.[90] New textures appear in the last sonatas – scale-like melodic
elements, free counterpoint, free fantasia, and simple accompanimental patterns such as Alberti bass, repeated chords,
and ostinati; the orchestral unison texture, abundant in the preceding sonatas, has disappeared.[91] The harmonic
language has also changed: more distant key relationships are explored, longer modulatory excursions, more major/minor
shifts of mode, and more chromatic and diverse harmonic progressions and modulations, using elements such as the
diminished seventh chord.[92] In general, the last sonatas seem to enact a return to an earlier, more individual and
intimate Schubertian style, here combined with the compositional craftsmanship of Schubert's later works.[93]
Certain features of Schubert's last sonatas have been mentioned as unique among his entire output, or even that of his
period. Here one can mention the profound level of cyclic integration (especially the cancrizans which "parenthesize" the A
major Sonata);[94] fantasia-like writing with a harmonic daring looking forward to the style of Liszt and even of
Schoenberg (in the slow movement of the A major Sonata, middle section);[95] exploitation of the piano's ability to
produce overtones, both by use of the sustain pedal (in the slow movement of the B♭ Sonata), and without it (in the A
major Sonata);[96] and the creation of tonal stasis by oscillating between two contrasting tonalities (in the development
sections of the opening movements of the A and B♭ major sonatas).[97]
As mentioned above, Schubert's last sonatas have long been historically neglected, dismissed as inferior in style to
Beethoven's piano sonatas. However, the negative view has changed during the late twentieth century, and today these
works are usually praised for their conveying of an idiosyncratic, personal Schubertian style, indeed quite different from
Beethoven's, but holding its own virtues. In this mature style, the Classical perception of harmony and tonality, and the
treatment of musical structure, are radically altered, generating a new, distinct type of sonata form.[98]
Schubert's last sonatas are sometimes compared to Mozart's last symphonies, as unique compositional achievements: both
consist of trilogies with one tragic, minor-key work, and two major-key works; both were created during an astoundingly
short period of time; and both creating a culmination of the composer's lifetime achievement in their respective genres.[99]
Performance issues
Several key issues are routinely raised by musicians and music scholars, when discussing the performance of Schubert's
compositions for piano. These discussions also concern the last piano sonatas. For most of these issues, no general
agreement has been reached; for example, to what extent should the sustain pedal be used, how to combine triplets with
dotted rhythms, whether to allow tempo fluctuations within the course of a single movement, and whether to observe each
repeat sign meticulously.[100]
The issue of repeat signs has been debated particularly in the

context of the opening movements of the two last sonatas.[101]
Here, as in many of Schubert's sonata form movements, a repeat
sign is written for an exceedingly long exposition, while the
material of the exposition is repeated a third time in the
recapitulation with little alteration. This has led some musicians
to omit the exposition repeat when performing these movements.
In the last two sonatas, however, unlike other movements, the
first ending of the exposition contains several additional bars of
music, leading back to the movement's opening. When
performing the movement without the repeat, the music in these
bars is totally omitted from the performance, as it does not
appear in the second ending. Furthermore, in the B ♭ sonata,
The first ending of the exposition in the B♭
these added bars contain strikingly novel material, which does Sonata's opening movement contains nine bars of
not appear anywhere else in the piece, and is radically different unique material, which is not repeated elsewhere
from the second ending. Pianist András Schiff has described the within the piece.
omission of the repeat in these two movements as "the
amputation of a limb".[102] Brendel, on the other hand, considers the additional bars as unimportant and prefers to omit
the repeats; with regard to the B♭ sonata, he further claims that the transitional bars are too unconnected to the rest of the
movement, and believes that their omission actually contributes to the coherence of the piece.[103]
Another performance issue pertains to the choice of tempi, which is of special relevance in Schubert's major instrumental
works, particularly in the opening movements. Schubert often notated his opening movements with moderate tempo
indications, the extreme case being the Molto moderato of the B♭ piano sonata. The latter movement in particular, has
been interpreted in vastly different speeds. Ever since the famous performances by Sviatoslav Richter, taking the opening
movement at an extremely slow pace, similar tempo interpretations for this movement have been frequent. However, the
majority of Schubert scholars tend to dismiss such an interpretation, arguing instead for a more flowing pace, a measured
allegro.[104]
Some Schubert performers tend to play the entire trilogy of the last sonatas in a single recital, thereby stressing their
interrelatedness, and suggesting that they form a single, complete cycle. However, since each of these sonatas is rather
long (as compared, for instance, with most of Mozart's or Beethoven's sonatas), such a program may prove exhausting to
some listeners. One of the solutions to this problem is to shorten the program by omitting repeats, mainly those of the
opening movements' expositions (however, this practice is highly disputed, as noted above). The pioneers of the Schubert
sonata performance, Schnabel and Erdmann, are known to have played the entire trilogy in one evening; more recently, so
did Alfred Brendel,[105] Maurizio Pollini,[106] Mitsuko Uchida,[107] and Paul Lewis.[108]
Available editions and recordings

Several highly acclaimed editions of Schubert's last sonatas are available, namely those of Bärenreiter, Henle, Universal,
and Oxford University Press. These editions have, however, occasionally received some criticism for the wrong
interpretation or notation of Schubert's intentions, on issues such as deciphering the correct pitches from the manuscript,
notating tremoli, discriminating between accent and decrescendo markings, and reconstructing missing bars.[109]
The sonatas have been performed and recorded by numerous pianists. Many, especially the devoted Schubert performers,
have recorded the entire sonata trilogy (and often all of Schubert's sonatas or his entire piano repertoire altogether).
Others have sufficed with only one or two of the sonatas. Of the three sonatas, the last (in B♭) is the most famous and most
often recorded. The following is an incomplete list of pianists who have made notable commercial recordings of the sonata
trilogy, in full or in part:
Entire sonata trilogy: Leif Ove Andsnes, Claudio Arrau, Paul Badura-Skoda, Daniel Barenboim, Alfred Brendel
(several recordings), Richard Goode, Wilhelm Kempff, Walter Klien, Stephen Kovacevich, Paul Lewis, Radu Lupu,
Murray Perahia, Maurizio Pollini, András Schiff, Andreas Staier, Martino Tirimo, Mitsuko Uchida, Christian Zacharias.
Sonata in C minor: Nikolai Lugansky, Sviatoslav Richter.
Sonata in A: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jorge Bolet, Christoph Eschenbach, Artur Schnabel, Rudolf Serkin, Krystian
Zimerman.
Sonata in B♭: Clifford Curzon, Jörg Demus, Leon Fleisher (two recordings), Clara Haskil, Vladimir Horowitz (two
recordings), Evgeny Kissin, Maria João Pires, Menahem Pressler, Sviatoslav Richter (four recordings), Arthur
Rubinstein (two recordings), Artur Schnabel, Rudolf Serkin (two recordings), Vladimir Sofronitsky, Maria Yudina,
Krystian Zimerman.
Notes
1. Robert Winter, "Paper Studies and the Future of Schubert Research", pp. 252–3; M. J. E. Brown, "Drafting the
Masterpiece", pp. 21–28; Richard Kramer, "Posthumous Schubert"; Alfred Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 78;
M. J. E. Brown, "Towards an Edition of the Pianoforte Sonatas", p. 215.
2. András Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", p. 191; Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", pp. 97–8.
3. Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", pp. 97–8, 130.

4. Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", p. 191.
5. Charles Fisk, "Returning Cycles", p. 203; Edward T. Cone, "Schubert's Beethoven"; Charles Rosen, The Classical
Style, pp. 456–8.
6. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 133–5; Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 274–6.
7. Martin Chusid, "Cyclicism in Schubert's Piano Sonata in A major"; Charles Rosen, Sonata forms, p. 394.
8. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 99–127, 139–141; Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 1.
9. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 50–53, 180–203; Fisk, "Schubert Recollects Himself".
10. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 203, 235–6, 267, 273–4; Fisk, "What Schubert's Last Sonata Might Hold"; Peter Pesic,
"Schubert's Dream".
11. Elizabeth Norman McKay, Franz Schubert: A Biography, pp. 291–318; Peggy Woodford, Schubert, pp. 136–148.
12. McKay, pp. 291–318; Peter Gilroy Bevan, "Adversity: Schubert's Illnesses and Their Background", pp. 257–9;
Woodford, pp. 136–148.
13. Woodford, Schubert, pp. 144–5.
14. M. J. E. Brown, "Drafting the Masterpiece", p. 27
15. Deutsch, Franz Schubert's Letters and Other Writings, pp. 141–2.
16. McKay, p. 307.
17. Kramer, "Posthumous Schubert"; Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 78; M. J. E. Brown, "Towards an Edition of
the Pianoforte Sonatas", p. 215. The exact publication year (1838 or 1839) varies among the sources mentioned.
18. See Schubert's previously mentioned letter to Probst, in Deutsch, Schubert's Letters, pp. 141–2.
19. Irit Yardeni, Major/Minor Relationships in Schubert's Late Piano Sonatas (1828).
20. Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 276.
21. Fisk, "Schubert Recollects Himself".
22. James Webster, "Schubert's Sonata Forms and Brahms's First Maturity", part I, p. 24.
23. Charles Rosen, "Schubert and the Example of Mozart", p. 19.
24. Rosen, "Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form", p. 91; Rosen, "Schubert and the Example of Mozart", p. 19.
27. Krebs, Harald (Autumn 2003). "Review of Charles Fisk's Returning Cycles: Contexts for the Interpretation of
Schubert's Impromptus and Last Sonatas". Music Theory Spectrum. 25 (2): 388–400. doi:10.1525/mts.2003.25.2.388
(https://doi.org/10.1525%2Fmts.2003.25.2.388).
28. "Schubert's Cry from the Beyond – The Trill of Doom" (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/the-trill-of-doo
m) by Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 November 2015 (subscription required)
29. Fisk, "What Schubert's Last Sonata Might Hold".
30. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 62–63.
31. The sketches are held in the City Library of Vienna; the final versions are in a private collection (M. J. E. Brown,
"Towards an Edition of the Pianoforte Sonatas", p. 215).
32. Stephen E. Carlton, Schubert's Working Methods, pp. 230–1, 258; Robert Winter, "Paper Studies and the Future of
Schubert Research", pp. 252–3; M. J. E. Brown, "Drafting the Masterpiece", pp. 21–28.
33. Carlton, Schubert's Working Methods, pp. 230–31, 262–3.
34. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 129.
35. Carlton, p. 265; Kramer, "Posthumous Schubert".
36. Roy Howat, "Architecture as Drama in Late Schubert", p. 181; Roy Howat, "What Do We Perform", pp. 15–16;
Carlton, p. 243.
37. Carlton, pp. 244, 250.
38. Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen, Untersuchungen zur Entwicklung der Sontenform in der Instrumentalmusik Franz
Schuberts, cited in Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 300n; James Webster, "Schubert's Sonata Forms", part I, p. 24.
39. Carlton, p. 246.
40. Hinrichsen, cited in Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 300n; Webster, "Schubert's Sonata Forms", part I, pp. 22–24.
41. Carlton, pp. 248–9, 255–6; Maurice J. E. Brown, "Drafting the Masterpiece", p. 27.
42. Carlton, p. 230
43. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 99–123, 139–141.
44. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 99–127; Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 1; Martin Chusid, "Cyclicism in Schubert's
Piano Sonata in A major"; Charles Rosen, Sonata Forms, p. 394.
45. William Kinderman, "Wandering Archetypes in Schubert's Instrumental Music", pp. 219–222; Chusid, "Cyclicism";
Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 2, 204–236.
46. Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 204; Rosen, Sonata Forms, p. 394.
47. The contrasting strata are: in the C minor Sonata – A-flat major–D-flat major; in the A major Sonata – C major–F
major, complemented in the slow movement with an additional tonal stratum – F-sharp minor–C-sharp minor; in the B-
flat major sonata – G-flat major–D-flat major/F-sharp minor–C-sharp minor (Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 186, 197,
268).
51. Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 225; Brian Newbould, Schubert: The Music and the Man, p. 333.
52. Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 3
53. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 62–63, 80.
56. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 78–9; Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", p. 135.
57. Hans Koltzsch, Franz Schubert in seinen Klaviersonaten, cited in Joseph Kerman, "A Romantic Detail in Schubert's
"Schwanengesang"", p. 46; Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", pp. 131–4; Fisk, Returning Cycles, p.
222.
58. Einstein, Schubert: A Musical Portrait, pp. 287–8; Cone, "Schubert's Beethoven", p. 786-7.
59. William Kinderman, "Wandering Archetypes", pp. 216–8; Einstein, ‘'Schubert, p. 286.
60. Elizabeth N. McKay, Franz Schubert: A Biography, pp. 314–6.
61. Brendel, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas, 1822–1828", p. 66.
62. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 13–17, 237, 247; Rosen, "Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form", pp. 97–98.
63. Rosen, ‘'Sonata Forms, pp. 360–4; Rosen, "Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form", pp. 90–92; Rosen, "Schubert
and the Example of Mozart", pp. 19–20; Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 216–217.
64. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 13–17, 237, 247; Rosen, "Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form", pp. 97–98; Burnham,
"Schubert and the Sound of Memory".
65. Kinderman, "Schubert's Tragic Perspective"; Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 41–44; Fisk, "Schubert Recollects Himself".
66. Fisk, Returning Cycles, pp. 203, 235–6, 267, 273–4.
67. See Maynard Solomon, "Franz Schubert's 'My Dream'".
69. Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", p. 134.
71. Alfred Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 72; John Reed, Schubert, p. 91.
72. See, for example, Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 203.
73. Edward T. Cone, "Schubert's Beethoven", p. 780; Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 203.
74. Alfred Einstein, Schubert – A Musical Portrait, p. 288; Cone, "Schubert's Beethoven", pp. 782–7; Charles Rosen, The
Classical Style, pp. 456–8.
75. Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 180; Fisk, "Schubert Recollects Himself".
76. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 119–120.
77. Marston, "Schubert's Homecoming".
78. Cone, "Schubert's Beethoven", pp. 780–2; Einstein, Schubert: A Musical Portrait, p. 287; Ludwig Misch, Beethoven
Studies, pp. 19–31.
79. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", 1991, pp. 137–138.
81. Rosen, The Classical Style, pp. 456–8; Cone, "Schubert's Beethoven".
82. Rosen, The Classical Style, p. 458.
83. András Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", p. 191. For examples of the negative attitude towards Schubert's sonatas,
see Arnold Whittall, "The Sonata Crisis: Schubert in 1828"; Ludwig Misch, Beethoven Studies, pp. 19–31.
84. Robert Schumann, "Schubert's Grand Duo and Three Last Sonatas"; the translation cited here appears in Brendel,
"Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 78.
85. Webster, "Schubert's Sonata Forms", part II, p. 57.
86. James Webster, "Schubert's Sonata Forms", part II, pp. 52, 61, 65–68.
87. Donald F. Tovey, "Tonality"; Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", p. 97; Schiff, "Schubert's Piano
Sonatas", p. 191.
88. Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", p. 98.
89. Hanna, A Statistical Analysis, pp. 94–5.
90. Brendel, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas, 1822–1828", p. 66; David Montgomery, Franz Schubert's Music in Performance,
pp. 8–10.
91. Hanna, A Statistical Analysis, pp. 110–113.
92. Hanna, pp. 108–9.
93. Hanna, pp. 81–2; Einstein, Schubert, p. 286.
94. Rosen, Sonata Forms, p. 394; Fisk, Returning Cycles, p. 204.
95. Hanna, A Statistical Analysis, pp. 102–3; Brendel, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas, 1822–1828", p. 65.
96. Rosen, The Romantic Generation, p. 21; Robert S. Hatten, "Schubert The Progressive".
97. Rosen, Sonata Forms, pp. 360–4; Rosen,"Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form", pp. 90–92; Rosen, "Schubert and
the Example of Mozart", p. 19.
98. James Webster, "Schubert's Sonata Forms", part I; Rosen, "Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form"; Rosen, The
Classical Style, pp. 456–8.
99. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 96; Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", p. 130.
100. See the references by P. Badura-Skoda, Brendel, Cone, Frisch and Brendel, Hatten, Howat, Montgomery, Schiff,
Newman, and Shawe-Taylor et al.
101. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 80–84; Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", p. 197; Walter Frisch and Alfred
Brendel, "'Schubert's Last Sonatas': An Exchange"; Edward T. Cone, Musical Form and Musical Performance, pp.
52–54.
102. Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", p. 197.
103. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 80–84; Frisch and Brendel, "'Schubert's Last Sonatas': An Exchange".
104. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", pp. 79–80; Clive Brown, "Schubert's Tempo Conventions"; Eva Badura-Skoda,
"The Piano Works of Schubert", pp. 143; Howat, "Architecture as Drama in Late Schubert", pp. 187–8; Howat, "What
Do We Perform?", p. 16; Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", pp. 195–6. For a different opinion, see Newbould,
Schubert, p. 334.
105. Brendel, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", p. 76.
106. "Maurizio Pollini – review" (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/28/maurizio-pollini-review). pThe Guardian.

28 February 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
107. Tommasini, Anthony (12 April 2012). "Mitsuko Uchida Plays Schubert at Carnegie Hall" (https://www.nytimes.com/201
2/04/13/arts/music/mitsuko-uchida-plays-schubert-at-carnegie-hall.html?_r=1). The New York Times. Retrieved
11 May 2012.
108. Woolfe, Zachary (22 October 2012). "Paul Lewis Plays Schubert at White Light Festival" (https://www.nytimes.com/20
12/10/23/arts/music/paul-lewis-plays-schubert-at-white-light-festival.html). The New York Times. Retrieved 6 March
2013.
109. See Brendel, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas, 1822–1828", pp. 71–73; Schiff, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas", pp. 195–6;
Howat, "What Do We Perform?", p. 16; Howat, "Reading between the Lines"; Montgomery, Franz Schubert's Music in
Performance.
References and further reading

Badura-Skoda, Eva, "The Piano Works of Schubert", in Nineteenth-Century Piano Music, ed. R. Larry Todd (Schirmer,
1990), 97–126.
Badura-Skoda, Paul, "Schubert as Written and as Performed", The Musical Times 104, No. 1450 (1963), 873–874.
Brendel, Alfred, "Schubert's Last Sonatas", in Music Sounded Out: Essays, Lectures, Interviews, Afterthoughts, au.
Alfred Brendel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991), 72–141.
Brendel, Alfred, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas, 1822–1828", in Musical Thoughts and Afterthoughts, au. Alfred Brendel
(Noonday, 1991).
Brown, Clive, "Schubert's Tempo Conventions", in Schubert Studies, ed. Brian Newbould (Ashgate, 1998).
Brown, Maurice J. E., "Drafting the Masterpiece", in Essays on Schubert, ed. Maurice J. E. Brown (St. Martin's Press,
1966).
Brown, Maurice J. E., "Towards an Edition of the Pianoforte Sonatas", in Essays on Schubert, ed. Maurice J. E.
Brown (St. Martin's Press, 1966), 197–216.
Burnham, Scott, "Schubert and the Sound of Memory", The Musical Quarterly 84, No. 4 (2000), 655–663.
Carlton, Stephen Edward, Schubert's Working Methods: An Autograph Study with Particular Reference to the Piano
Sonatas (PhD diss., University of Pittsburgh, 1981).
Chusid, Martin, "Cyclicism in Schubert's Piano Sonata in A major (D. 959) ", Piano Quarterly 104 (1978), 38–40.
Cohn, Richard L., "As wonderful as Star Clusters: Instruments for Gazing at Tonality in Schubert", 19th Century Music
22, No. 3 (1999), 213–232.
Cone, Edward T., Musical Form and Musical Performance (New York: Norton), 52–54.
Cone, Edward T., "Schubert's Beethoven", The Musical Quarterly 56 (1970), 779–793.
Cone, Edward T., "Schubert's Unfinished Business", 19th-Century Music 7, No. 3 (1984), 222–232.
Deutsch, Otto Erich, Franz Schubert's Letters and Other Writings (New York: Vienna House, 1974).
Dürr, Walther, "Klaviermusik", in Franz Schubert, ed. Walther Dürr and Arnold Feil, (Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam, 1991)
(German).
Einstein, Alfred, Schubert: A Musical Portrait (New York: Oxford, 1951).
Fisk, Charles, Returning Cycles: Contexts for the Interpretation of Schubert's Impromptus and Last Sonatas (Norton,
2001).
Fisk, Charles, "Schubert Recollects Himself: the Piano Sonata in C minor, D. 958", The Musical Quarterly 84, No. 4
(2000), 635–654.
Fisk, Charles, "What Schubert's Last Sonata Might Hold", in Music and Meaning, ed. Jenefer Robinson (1997), 179–
200.
Frisch, Walter, and Alfred Brendel, "'Schubert's Last Sonatas': An Exchange" (http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archiv
es/1989/mar/16/schuberts-last-sonatas-an-exchange/), The New York Review of Books 36, No. 4 (1989). Retrieved
Dec-05-2008.
Godel, Arthur, Schuberts Letzte Drei Klaviersonaten: Entehungsgeschichte, Entwurf und Reinschrift, Werkanalyse
(Baden-Baden: Valentin Koerner, 1985) (German).
Gulke, Peter, Franz Schubert und seine Zeit (Laaber, 1991) (German).
Hanna, Albert Lyle, A Statistical Analysis of Some Style Elements in the Solo Piano Sonatas of Franz Schubert (PhD
diss., Indiana University, 1965).
Hatten, Robert S., "Schubert The Progressive: The Role of Resonance and Gesture in the Piano Sonata in A, D.
959", Integral 7 (1993), 38–81.
Hilmar, Ernst, Verzeichnis der Schubert-Handschriften in der Musiksammlung der WienerStadt- und Landesbibliothek
(Kassel, 1978), 98–100 (German).
Hinrichsen, Hans-Joachim, Untersuchungen zur Entwicklung der Sontenform in der Instrumentalmusik Franz
Schuberts (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1994) (German).
Howat, Roy, "Architecture as Drama in Late Schubert", in Schubert Studies, ed. Brian Newbould (Ashgate, 1998),
166–190.
Howat, Roy, "Reading between the Lines of Tempo and Rhythm in the B-flat Sonata, D960", in Schubert the
Progressive: History, Performance Practice, Analysis, ed. Brian Newbould (Ashgate), 117–137.
Howat, Roy, "What Do We Perform?", in The Practice of Performance, ed. John Rink (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1995).
Kerman, Joseph, "A Romantic Detail in Schubert's "Schwanengesang"", The Musical Quarterly 48, No. 1 (1962), 36–
49.
Kinderman, William, "Schubert's Piano Music: Probing the Human Condition", in The Cambridge Companion to
Schubert, ed. Cristopher H. Gibbs (Cambridge University Press, 1997), 155–173.
Kinderman, William, "Schubert's Tragic Perspective", in Schubert: Critical and Analytical Studies, ed. Walter Frisch
(University of Nebraska Press, 1986), 65–83.
Kinderman, William, "Wandering Archetypes in Schubert's Instrumental Music", 19th-Century Music 21, No. 2 (1997),
208–222.
Költzsch, Hans, Franz Schubert in seinen Klaviersonaten (1927; rpt. Hildesheim, 1976) (German).
Kramer, Richard, "Posthumous Schubert", 19th-Century Music 14, No. 2 (1990), 197–216.
Krause, Andreas, Die Klaviersonaten Franz Schuberts: Form, Gattung, Aesthetik (Basel, London, New York:
Bärenreiter, 1992) (German).
Marston, Nicholas, "Schubert's Homecoming", Journal of the Royal Musical Association 125, No. 2 (2000), 248–270.
McKay, Elizabeth Norman, Franz Schubert: A Biography (New York: Clarendon Press, 1997).
Mies, Paul, "Die Entwurfe Franz Schuberts zu den letzten drei Klaviersonaten von 1828", Beitrage zur
Musikwissenschaft 2 (1960), 52–68 (German).
Misch, Ludwig, Beethoven Studies (Norman, 1953).
Montgomery, David, Franz Schubert's Music in Performance: Compositional Ideals, Notational Intent, Historical
Realities, Pedagogical Foundations (Pendragon, 2003).
Montgomery, David, "Modern Schubert Interpretation in the Light of the Pedagogical Sources of his Day", Early Music
25, No. 1 (1997), 100–118.
Montgomery, David, et al., "Exchanging Schubert for schillings", Early Music 26, No. 3 (1998), 533–535.
Newbould, Brian, Schubert: The Music and the Man (University of California Press, 1999).
Newman, William S., "Freedom of Tempo in Schubert's Instrumental Music", The Musical Quarterly 61, No. 4 (1975),
528–545.
Pesic, Peter, "Schubert's dream", 19th-Century Music 23, No. 2 (1999), 136–144.
Reed, John, Schubert (London: Faber and Faber, 1978).
Rosen, Charles, The Classical Style (New York, 1971), 456–458.
Rosen, Charles, The Romantic Generation (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1995).
Rosen, Charles, "Schubert and the Example of Mozart", in Schubert the Progressive: History, Performance Practice,
Analysis, ed. Brian Newbould (Ashgate), 1–20.
Rosen, Charles, "Schubert's Inflections of Classical Form", in The Cambridge Companion to Schubert, ed. Cristopher
H. Gibbs (Cambridge University Press, 1998), 72–98.
Rosen, Charles, Sonata Forms, revised edition (Norton, 1988).
Schiff, András, "Schubert's Piano Sonatas: Thoughts about Interpretation and Performance", in Schubert Studies, ed.
Brian Newbould (Ashgate, 1998), 191–208.
Schubert, Franz, Drei grosse Sonaten fur das Pianoforte, D958, D959 und D960 (Frühe Fassungen). Faksimile nach
den Autographen in der Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek, Nachwort von Ernst Hilmar (Tutzing: Hans Schneider,
1987) (German).
Schumann, Robert, "Schubert's Grand Duo and Three Last Sonatas", in Schumann on Music: A Selection from the
Writings, ed. Henry Pleasants (Dover), 141–144.
Shawe-Taylor, Desmond, et al., "Schubert as Written and as Performed", The Musical Times 104, No. 1447 (1963),
626–628.
Solomon, Maynard, "Franz Schubert's 'My Dream'", American Imago 38 (1981), 137–54.
Tovey, Donald F., "Tonality", Music & Letters 9, No. 4 (1928), 341–363.
Waldbauer, Ivan F., "Recurrent Harmonic Patterns in the First Movement of Schubert's Sonata in A major, D. 959",
19th Century Music 12, No. 1 (1988), 64–73.
Webster, James, "Schubert's Sonata Form and Brahms's First Maturity", part I, 19th Century Music 2, No. 1 (1978),
18–35.
Webster, James, "Schubert's Sonata Form and Brahms's First Maturity", part II, 19th Century Music 3 (1979), 52–71.
Whittall, Arnold, "The Sonata Crisis: Schubert in 1828", The Music Review 30 (1969), 124–129.
Winter, Robert, "Paper Studies and the Future of Schubert Research", in Schubert Studies: Problems of Style and
Chronology, ed. Eva Badura-Skoda and Peter Branscombe (Cambridge University Press, 1982).
Wolff, Konrad, "Observations on the Scherzo of Schubert's B-flat major Sonata, op. posth.", Piano Quarterly 92
(1975–6), 28–29.
Woodford, Peggy, Schubert (Omnibus Press, 1984).
Yardeni, Irit, Major/Minor Relationships in Schubert's Late Piano Sonatas (1828) (PhD diss., Bar-Ilan University, 1996)
(Hebrew).
External links
Piano Sonata D.958, Piano Sonata D.959, Piano Sonata D.960: Scores at the International Music Score Library
Project (IMSLP)
Performances of sonatas in C minor, D. 958 (http://traffic.libsyn.com/gardnermuseum/schubert_D958.mp3) by
Seymour Lipkin and A major, D. 959 (http://traffic.libsyn.com/gardnermuseum/schubert_sonataamajord959_albright.m
p3) by Charlie Albright from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format
Piano sonatas (2 hands) by Franz Schubert

AGA, Series 10 (15 sonatas)
No. 13 (D. 958) – No. 14 (D. 959) – No. 15 (D. 960)
Preceded by 21 Sonatas numbering system
Sonata in G major D. 894 No. 19 (D. 958) – No. 20 (D. 959) – No. 21 (D. 960)
23 Sonatas numbering system
No. 21 (D. 958) – No. 22 (D. 959) – No. 23 (D. 960)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schubert%27s_last_sonatas&oldid=879365489"
This page was last edited on 20 January 2019, at 19:57 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Schubert&#39;s Last Sonatas - Wikipedia

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Copyright

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Schubert&#39;s Last Sonatas - Wikipedia

Caricato da

Copyright:

1/28/2019 Schubert's last sonatas - Wikipedia

II. Andante sostenuto

Sonata in C minor, D. 958

III. Menuetto: Allegro – Trio

Sonata in A major, D. 959

The sonata begins with a forte, heavily textured chordal fanfare

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace – Trio: Un poco più lento

IV. Rondo: Allegretto – Presto

Sonata in B♭ major, D. 960

In contrast to the previous sonatas, here the development section

the second theme enters in B minor, instead of F♯ minor. The rest

coda shifts to the tonic major but is still haunted by glimpses of

III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza – Trio

IV. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto

The major emendations in the final versions can be summarized as follows:

Unifying elements and cyclicism

The most manifestly cyclical work of the three

Allusion to other works by Schubert

The finale of the A major Sonata, uses as its main theme,

An important, unique work for solo piano written by

Extramusical connotations and suggestions of a narrative

material, which appeared earlier in the piece, in tonally detached

Extramusical connotations of this kind have sometimes been

2. The structure of the finale of the Sonata in A major is

in the C minor Sonata, certain passages in the first two

Reception, criticism and influence

The issue of repeat signs has been debated particularly in the

Available editions and recordings

3. Eva Badura-Skoda, "The Piano Works of Schubert", pp. 97–8, 130.

106. "Maurizio Pollini – review" (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/feb/28/maurizio-pollini-review). pThe Guardian.

References and further reading

Piano sonatas (2 hands) by Franz Schubert

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schubert%27s_last_sonatas&oldid=879365489"

This page was last edited on 20 January 2019, at 19:57 (UTC).

Potrebbero piacerti anche

Schubert's Last Sonatas - Wikipedia

Schubert's Last Sonatas - Wikipedia