Piano Sonata in A-flat major, D 557 (Schubert) explained
Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata in A-flat major 557 was composed in May 1817.
Movements
The work is relatively short and a performance takes somewhat between 10 and 15 minutes. The sonata is cheerful and uncomplicated, and carries remembrances of Mozart and the Baroque era.[1]
- I. Allegro moderato : A-flat major
The beginning resembles the opening of the menuetto, D. 380, Nr. 3.[2]
- II. Andante : E-flat major
III. Allegro : E-flat major
This movement has a dance-like character.The fact that the last movement is in the key of E-flat major rather than the tonic key of A-flat major is evidence in favor of Schubert possibly intending to add a fourth movement, although the extant third movement has much of the character of a finale. At the time this was written it was quite unusual to end a composition in another key than its tonic, however Schubert did do this in some of his early works, e.g. D. 553 ("Auf der Donau", beginning in E-flat major and ending in F-sharp minor).[3]
Score
The sonata was first published in 1888, in the Breitkopf & Härtel complete edition.
- ManuscriptsThe autograph of the sonata, dated May 1817, is incomplete — it stops at the 28th measure of the third movement, but there is a contemporary complete manuscript.
- First publication — Alte Gesammtausgabe (AGA)D. 557 was first published in 1888 as No. 3 of the Piano Sonatas volume (Series X) of the Kritisch durchgesehene Gesammtausgabe.
- Urtext EditionsBoth Paul Badura-Skoda (Henle) and Martino Tirimo (Wiener Urtext) published an Urtext edition in 1997.[4]
- Neue Schubert-Ausgabe (NSA)In the New Schubert Edition D. 557 is given in VII/2/1.[5]
References
- David Doughty in album notes of Brilliant Classics Nr. 99678/4 (2001)
- Deutsch 1978, pp 323-324
- Badura-Skoda 1997, p VII
- Tirimo 1997
- Litschauer 2000
Sources
External links
