Beethoven Sonata in F major op. 24 (Spring)

Spring is in the air! So why not write music about it!

It seems the warming weather and the melting snow always seemed to lift spirits, and composers are no exception. Composers from Vivaldi, to Copland have taken the exciting, and sometimes unpredictable change from white capped winter to green-meadowed summer, putting it to some of the most memorable music we know and listen to today. Ironically, this nickname was not given to the sonata until after Beethoven’s death. However, this name is quite appropriate, not only in the melodies and harmonies it utilizes, but because, at the time of it’s publication, Beethoven’s Violin Sonata in F was in a very pivotal period of Beethoven’s life; the ‘Spring’ of Beethoven’s career, leading up to the creation of some of the greatest music in the world.

Let’s go back, and look at the ‘winter’ of Beethoven: his development from a budding prodigy to the genius we now know him as. Born in December of 1770, his childhood was a world upended with change. The American Revolution and subsequent revolutions throughout Europe, most notably the French Revolution, saw a dramatic change in social thought. The Enlightenment Era was challenging the ideas of elitism and power by birth, encouraging individual development and improvement. Beethoven is arguably one the greatest embodiment of these ideals. Studying piano, violin and composition from a very young age, he first established himself as one of the greatest pianists, giving concerts, amazing aristocratic audiences at his abilities, and especially his improvisational skills. Moving to Vienna in 1787, He studied with Haydn, and several other great composers, making a name for himself among elite noblemen and aristocrats.

However, Spring never comes all at once, and more often then not, winter leaves like a lion more than a lamb. Beethoven’s life was plagued by many difficulties, the most notable of which was the gradual, but complete loss of his hearing at the height of his career. It was such a blow to the composer he admitted thoughts of suicide. It was at this intense, excruciating time in 1801, while living in Viena that he wrote the ‘Spring’ Sonata for one of his patrons, Count Moritz von Fries.

This violin sonata has 4 movements, beginning and ending with lively “Allegro” movements, separated by a slower, contemplative “Adagio molto espressivo” and a short, but playful Scherzo 3rd movement. For the purposes of this post, I will focus on the first movement, seeing that it is more widely know and performed than the others.

The movement begins with a beautiful first phrase filled with sequences of similar music flowing across the violin and piano. Scalar melodies and an alberti Bass (which is passed to the violin for a repetition of the first phrase) paints beautiful images of sunshine, and growth. However, true to classical style, the mood changes quickly, using a sudden sharp chord to mark the transition to new musical material. Playing in parallel unison, and octaves, the key of the piece shifts, signaling a clear use of the sonata form. This is further confirmed but a sequenced, but familiar return of musical material in the development with complex interplay between the piano and the violin.

Now to address the elephant in the room: How in the world did this piece come to get the nickname “spring” if Beethoven didn’t even come up with it? This sonata was originally printed in a series along with his 4th sonata in E flat major, a dramatic, and brooding piece from the very beginning. Although the research is not clear to the exact origin, Beethoven’s 5th violin sonata is clearly is more ‘spring-like’ then it’s previous counterpart. And when one listens to it, taking in the beautiful flowing lines, and harmonies, one can imagine what Beethoven was seeing. Though his hearing was impaired, his mind, as well as his sense of beauty only sharpened over time.