Schubert Sonata refers to the piano sonatas composed by Franz Schubert (1797–1828), a substantial body of work for solo piano that also includes sonatas for piano duet and for piano with other instruments (violin, arpeggione). The term most commonly denotes the 21 numbered piano sonatas for solo piano, among which the three last sonatas (D. 958, D. 959, D. 960) are the most celebrated.
Overview
Franz Schubert composed piano sonatas throughout his career, from his teenage years until the final months of his life. Unlike Beethoven, whose piano sonatas were widely performed and published during his lifetime, Schubert's sonatas were largely neglected in the 19th century, dismissed as structurally inferior to Beethoven's. By the late 20th century, critical opinion had reversed, and they are now regarded as among the most profound works in the piano repertoire.
Complete Piano Sonatas (Solo)
The following 11 sonatas are universally considered complete:
| Deutsch No. | Key | Year | Opus |
|---|---|---|---|
| D. 537 | A minor | 1817 | Op. posth. 164 |
| D. 568 | E♭ major | 1817 (2nd version 1825–26) | Op. posth. 122 |
| D. 575 | B major | 1817 | Op. posth. 147 |
| D. 664 | A major ("Little A major") | 1819 or 1825 | Op. posth. 120 |
| D. 784 | A minor ("Grande Sonate") | 1823 | Op. posth. 143 |
| D. 845 | A minor | 1825 | Op. 42 |
| D. 850 | D major ("Gasteiner") | 1825 | Op. 53 |
| D. 894 | G major ("Fantasie") | 1826 | Op. 78 |
| D. 958 | C minor | 1828 | — |
| D. 959 | A major | 1828 | — |
| D. 960 | B♭ major | 1828 | — |
The Last Three Sonatas (D. 958–960)
Schubert's final three piano sonatas were composed between spring and autumn of 1828, the last year of his life. They were not published until 1838–39, about a decade after his death. Originally intended to be dedicated to Johann Nepomuk Hummel, they were instead dedicated to Robert Schumann by the publisher Anton Diabelli.
Key Characteristics
- Cyclicism: The three sonatas are interconnected by shared motivic, harmonic, and structural elements, and are often performed and discussed as a trilogy.
- Tonal design: Each sonata presents a tonal conflict at its outset that is gradually resolved over the course of the work.
- Length: The movements are notably expansive, employing long, lyrical themes and extended development sections.
- Harmonic language: Schubert uses distant key relationships, chromaticism, and sudden modulatory shifts that were innovative for the period.
Sonata in C minor, D. 958
- Four movements: I. Allegro, II. Adagio, III. Menuetto: Allegro – Trio, IV. Allegro
- Duration: approximately 30 minutes
- The opening quotes the theme of Beethoven's 32 Variations in C minor
- The finale is in tarantella style with a relentless galloping rhythm
Sonata in A major, D. 959
- Four movements: I. Allegro, II. Andantino, III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace – Trio, IV. Rondo: Allegretto – Presto
- The slow movement (Andantino) features a highly chromatic, fantasia-like middle section
- The sonata ends with a cancrizans (retrograde) of its opening measures
Sonata in B♭ major, D. 960
- Four movements: I. Molto moderato, II. Andante sostenuto, III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace con delicatezza – Trio, IV. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto
- The most famous of the three; the first movement opens with a distinctive trill on G♭
- The slow movement is in C♯ minor, described as "the most tonally remote inner movement in Schubert's mature instrumental works in sonata form"
- Contains an explicit quotation of Schubert's own song "Der Wanderer" (D. 489) in the first movement's development section
Incomplete Sonatas and Fragments
Several sonatas are incomplete or exist only as fragments, including D. 157 (E major), D. 279 (C major), D. 459 (E major), D. 557 (A♭ major), D. 566 (E minor), D. 571 (F♯ minor), D. 613 (C major), D. 625 (F minor), D. 655 (C♯ minor), D. 769A (E minor), and D. 840 (C major, "Reliquie").
Sonatas for Other Instrumentations
Schubert also composed:
- Piano four hands: Sonata in B♭ major (D. 617), Sonata in C major "Grand Duo" (D. 812), and others
- Violin and piano: Three Sonatinas (Op. 137, D. 384, 385, 408) and Fantasy in C major (D. 934)
- Arpeggione and piano: Sonata in A minor (D. 821), now commonly performed on cello or viola
Historical Reception
Schumann, the dedicatee of the last sonatas, was initially disappointed, criticizing their "greater simplicity of invention." Brahms, by contrast, studied them in depth. The sonatas were largely neglected through the 19th century. Renewed interest began around the centennial of Schubert's death (1928), driven by the writings of Donald Francis Tovey and performances by Artur Schnabel and Eduard Erdmann. By the late 20th century, they had become core repertoire.
Notable Recordings
Pianists who have recorded the complete last three sonatas include Alfred Brendel, Maurizio Pollini, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff, Paul Lewis, Claudio Arrau, Wilhelm Kempff, Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, and Leif Ove Andsnes, among many others.
