Musical Offerings, Spring 2019

40 Dellaperute ⦁ Emanuel Bach Ex. 2 : Emanuel Bach, Sonata in G Minor, Wq. 65/17, mvt. 1, opening. 30 A second characteristic that is commonly taught to be invented by Beethoven is the way the movements of his sonatas flow seamlessly from one to the next. Biss continues in the same lecture, “But the real innovation in Op. 27 No. 1 is that there are no breaks between the movements. . . . This is really unheard of.” 31 Interestingly, this very device was utilized over a half century earlier by Emanuel Bach, including in the sonata just mentioned. 32 As with the blending of fantasy and sonata, removing the breaks between movements demonstrates a tinkering with traditional forms, a common tendency of composers in both empfindsamer Stil and Romanticism. A third element of Romanticism in Beethoven’s sonatas is his interrupting of phrases, often with subito pianos . This can be seen in the opening of his beloved “Pathetique” Sonata (Ex. 3). In another lecture, 30 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Keyboard Sonata in G minor , H. 47 , Wq. 65 No. 17 , ed. by Émile Bosquet (Paris: Maurice Senart, 1921). 31 Biss, Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas . 32 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Keyboard Sonata in G minor , H. 47 , Wq. 65 No. 17 , ed. by Émile Bosquet (Paris: Maurice Senart, 1921).