Schubert sonata A major

[sharonlovespiano]

Hi,

I have to make an analysis for my conservatory... Schubert sonata in A major D959.
Did anyone make an analysis of it?

Sharon

[iumonito]

Ah, such a great work! 

What about starting with a score, find the begining and end of each movement, note their key and meter, find the structural transition points, familiarize yourself with the mood of the piece and note as part of the structure the places where the mood changes, and try to find words to describe it (always a losing proposition, music so much more apt than words to convey emotion). 

Pretty soon your understanding of the form of the piece will yield to its emotional content.  Note the texture of the different sections, and whether there are any recurring unifying elements, then see if the textural changes correspond with the emotional structure of the piece. 

Make brief reference to the pianos in Schubert's time, the characteristics in the writing that connect the piece with Schubert's chamber music writing, song writing, and symphonic writing.  Point out the similarities and differences between the works Schubert and Beethoven were writing at the time this work was composed, contextualize that discussion by pointing out what Beethoven and Schubert had written in the previous ten years, the relative brevity of Beethoven's structure when compared to Schubert's, the absence of a Czerny to methodize the technique required to tackle Schubert's piano writing.

Tie the thing all together with how soon after Schubert wrote did he died, the history of the publication of the works, and their neglect for ages until Schnabel resurrected this and its two titanic companions, 958 and 960.

Then you are all set and you did it all yourself! If you want something to read, Konrad Wolf and Robert Schumann have written eloquently about this music.  You can also go for the notes in recordings.

Good luck.

[lostinidlewonder]

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