Beethoven: Sonata 17 (The Tempest) Op. 31 No. 2 in D Minor

The Shakespearean Sonata?

The Sonata No. 17 in d minor, often nicknamed “The Tempest”, is probably the most famous of the three sonatas published as Op. 31. Gripping and dramatic, it sees Beethoven experimenting with innovations of form, harmony, pedal, and dissonance.

The tempestuous first movement is in sonata form and demonstrates many features unusual for the time. Highlights include a slow, tonally ambiguous introduction beginning on a mysterious, arpeggiated dominant chord in first inversion, anxious groups of quick, slurred eighth notes, a highly dramatic development section, and a recitative at the beginning of the recapitulation which replaces the expected return of most of the opening material, and where the pedal must be held down continuously, creating plaintive dissonances.

The second and third movements are more traditional. The beginning of the second movement recalls the beginning of the first by opening with an arpeggiated chord in the same register, which this time leads to a slow and peaceful, almost pastoral movement. The final movement is again in sonata form and famed for its ghostlike and anxious main theme, contrasted with dramatic outbursts, an unusually long and improvisatory development section, and a coda extensive enough to function as a second development section before bringing the piece to a surprisingly quiet close.