There is no proof that Beethoven wrote this Sonatina; however it was located amongst his papers after he died. Perhaps he wrote if for one of his pupils or one of his pupils composed it.
From Alamy.com
Character/story of the piece – considering the elegance and restraint this piece exudes, a story to accompany it should have a similar character. The exposition and recapitulation have a stately and processional quality so the player could imagine a group of people walking in the same direction and coming to a stop in bar 8. In the development, there are people approaching from different directions to join the group and then the group of people moves forward as one again. In the Coda, the group have reached their destination.
Form – this is an excellent introduction for the player to experience sonata form, as it is concise and succinct. The exposition covers bars 1 – 8, followed by the development until bar 16. Bars 17 – 24 are the recapitulation and the piece concludes with quite a long coda, 10 bars in total. In commences in the key of G major and one would expect that by the end of the exposition it would have modulated to another key, possibly the dominant. This though does not happens, as it remains in G major at the end of bar 8. Throughout the exposition, the music seems to be based around the dominant of G major. The start of the recapitulation is in G major and this is the key it remains in until the end. Again, the coda is based around the dominant of G major. Also, there is only one subject in the exposition and recapitulation.
Main part of the music – this could be in bar 31 at forte level, but obviously a forte that is appropriate for the Classical period. However, some players may prefer to have the main part of the music occur in the penultimate bar.
Phrasing – there are eight phrases in total in this piece although they are not of equal length. Right from the start the first phrase is shortened, which results in the second phrase starting on the second beat of bar 4. This creates a degree of tension in the music. The following two phrases overlap to a certain degree, so the fourth phrase starts on the second beat of bar 13. The following two phrases are exactly the same as the first two phrases. The fifth phrase is four bars long, however the last phrase is lengthened, resulting in a phrase containing six bars.
From Alamy.com
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the tempo indication provided is moderato and a speed of crotchet = 112 or 116 is appropriate. The grace and elegance of the music must be portrayed and if played too fast, this elegance will be lost. However, there is a danger that if played too slowly the music may drag and feel laboured; the music must have energy and drive to it. The time signature is Common time although there should be no rigid accentuation but rather a gentle lilting rhythm dictated by the rise and fall of the melodic line. There are no particular rhythmic patterns that could cause any concerns. Some players though may experience concerns with playing the quaver patterns evenly.
Touch/Articulation– changing the type of touch employed when playing this piece will provide the music with contrast and interest. The exposition and recapitulation should be played as legato as possible but of course, with the exception of applying the slurs in the RH. The LH should be played as legato as possible. Here the player could employ a cantabile touch in the RH. The development does not have as stately a quality in comparison with the exposition. In this part, the music takes on a more energetic and to a certain degree, relentless role. The touch must be changed to highlight this fact so here the player should use more intense, energetic and precise fingers. Whenever the player is leaping either up or down according to the melodic line, they should be careful about the ‘landing’. The elbow, arm and shoulder should support the fingers used, so that these notes are not overly accented in any way at all. In the coda, the player should use a cantabile touch with more weight from the shoulder than the exposition and recapitulation. Some of the slurs in the music are editorial. Nevertheless, many are shown in the original such as the two-note slurs in bar 2 for example. Beethoven used slurs as if they were bowing indications for string instruments. When a string instrument player changes bow direction, especially after only a few notes, it is usually for the effect that if produces. When changing bow direction, a slight emphasis is given to the first note in the new direction. This is certainly the case in the use of the two-note slurs in bars such as 2 and 7.
Balance between the hands – although the LH provides the drive and momentum for this piece, the balance needs to be to the RH. On a few occasions, when the LH is playing on its own it should provide the direction of the dynamics for the RH. Some players may find it difficult to obtain a satisfactory balance to the RH when playing this piece, as the LH Alberti bass patterns could ‘swamp’ the RH.
Dynamics – a wide range of dynamics can be used when playing this piece however the player must always remember that these need to be played with restraint considering the music was written in the Classical Period.
Rubato – small touches of rubato applied in this piece are appropriate however subtlety and restraint will be the key when applying it.
Pedal – considering that this piece is at about Grade 2 level, there may be some players at this level who have not had experience in using the sustaining pedal or cannot reach the pedal comfortably. If the sustaining pedal is used, small ‘dabs’ of pedal in particular places will be helpful. For example, the minims could be sustained in bar 1 and some pedal could be applied at phrase ends such as at the beginning of bar 8. Nevertheless, any pedal applied should be barely discernable. Beethoven was a great advocate for the use of the sustaining pedal.
Considerations
There are some quite long melodic patterns in the RH, which the player must ensure that the listener is aware of.
How to incorporate the acciaccatura into the music gracefully. This should be played on the beat.
The LH needs to be sufficiently far enough forward on the keys as it has some large intervals to play and moves at times from white notes to black notes and vice versa.
The LH Alberti bass patterns could be practiced as chords before playing the notes separately.
When playing the recapitulation, the player should use different dynamics to what was played in the exposition so that the listener’s attention is sustained.
At the end, the player should wait for the LH G to emerge from the overall sound, as this is the indication as to when to remove their hands (and pedal if used).