TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

ANALYTIC TECHNIQUES OF 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES MUSIC

ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST MOVEMENT OF THE

SONATA OP.25 NO.4 BY PAUL HINDEMITH

By:

Jean Gmez Fonseca

Professor:

Dr. Victor Marquez Barrios

May 11th, 2017

 Introduction

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), German composer, violist, violinist, teacher and

conductor, wrote all his viola music for his own use during his years as a soloist.

His early works are in a late romantic idiom, and he later produced expressionist

works before developing a leaner, contrapuntally complex style in the 1920s. He

describes his style in his book The Craft of Musical Composition (vol. 1, Hindemith

1937). This new style is tonal but non-diatonic; it is centered around a tonic, and

modulates from one tonal center to another like most tonal music, but uses all 12

notes freely rather than relying on a scale picked as a subset of these notes. An

example can be heard in the series of works he wrote called Kammermusik

(Chamber Music) from 1922 to 1927. (Oron, 2008)

The Sonata Op 25 No 4 for viola and piano, composed in 1922, is technically still an

early work, yet every bar, at least of the first two movements, is Hindemith. Unlike

the F major Sonatas virtual continuum of development from one movement to the

next, therefore, the new sonatas movements are highly contrasted and defined:

this is an altogether tauter construction, in the leaner, rhythmically highly directed

idiom that had rapidly evolved in the intervening years. The piano plays an

unusually prominent role, opening the first movement with an extended solo of its

own before the viola joins it for a driven Allegro with a gentler, but hardly much

more peaceful, second subject.

The evaporation of this energy into the sudden understatement of the coda is all the

more unexpectedas is the eloquence of the slow movement, a kind of

impassioned monologue for the viola against tolling piano chords: sometimes bell-

like, sometimes like a chorale. The finale bursts in with brusquely percussive

gestures in both instruments, developing into a determined and exhilarating moto

perpetuo. This is imbued apparently (and for Hindemith unusually) with extended

references to Eastern European music. One feels his contact at contemporary music

festivals with the brilliant chamber works of Kodly and Bartk had temporarily

rubbed off on him. Perhaps he realized this, for the movement is virtually unique in

his output; it may be why he allowed thisin every other respect magnificent

sonata, alone of the Op 25 group, to languish unpublished during his lifetime after

he gave the first performance in January 1923. (MacDonald, 2009)

 Analysis of the 1st movement

General aspects:

Tempo indication: Sehr lebhaft. Markiert un kraftvoll (Very lively. Marked and

powerful)

Metric: no indicate but the subdivision of the measures is in 6/4

Key: no indicate but the beginning suggests a central tonal C

Form of the piece: Intro-ABAB

Common distribution of phrases: 4 measures.

Specific analysis:

m.1 to m.8: Theme A in two sections a-b, where a has a C pedal and in the

fourth measure finish with a motive of three descendant notes, that is

repeated around the piece. The b section is a repetition of the same

statement (m.5-6 same that m.7-8) with the use of a group of 4.

m.9 to m.16: repetition of theme A section a is the same but b is the same

idea with different tonal center and moving a whole tone up when is

repeated.
 m. 17 to m. 20: bridge with use of three descendant notes and a new motive

compose of alternation of 4ths and 3rds (P1).

m.21 to 24: Theme A

m.25 to 28: Theme a without the first measure but repeating the last

measure with the adding G

m.29 to m.35: mix between theme A and P1 and in the left hand the motive

of three descendant notes change to be a group of five in the whole measure,

this new motive (P2) is repeated from m.29 to m.45. Here its the first time

that the composer changes the phases of 4 measures, we have a group of 4

and then 3 measures.

m.36 to m.45: the piano continues with the motive P2 and the viola starts

with a very similar theme to the theme A, suggesting a kind of A but how is

repeated and treated in different ways I will call it theme B.

In this theme B, in m.39 the composer puts for the first time this group of 4

eight notes, we will call this motive M1, through the piece we will have the

use and more developing of this motive.

m.46 to m.53: the piano takes the theme B with a bass in fourths and the

viola as accompaniment has a melody created with perfect fourths.

m.54 to m.57: bridge to m.58. In the viola we have a pattern compose of a

fourth and the piano finish with P1

m.58 to m.67: viola with theme B and a developing using M1, adding an

extension of two measures that works as a bridge, on the other hand, the

piano with theme A in the right hand and P2 in the left hand

m.68 to m.75: the piano suggest a D with split 3 rd and added 7th in the first 4

measures and using a common tone of D the next 4 measures are in B with
 split 3rd, technique known as simultaneous cross relation. On the other hand,

the viola plays a new theme C in E Dorian mode. Therefore, the composer

uses polytonality technique.

m.76 to m.79: the viola moves the theme C to B Dorian mode (a fifth up

from m. 68) and the piano uses the rhythm of theme A but in a combination

of moving triads, both hands lining different triads: m.75 R.H. in G and L.H. in

Bb, m.76 R.H. in C and L.H. in A, m.77 R.H. in D o and L.H. in Bm continuing as

a mirror-like in the next measures. Continuing in this way the polytonality

section.

m.80 to m.85: the piano uses a similar motion to P2, composed with perfect

fourths and perfect fifths (P4). The viola suggests a D major key and the

piano in the L.H. lines Em. This section is built in a 6 measures phrase.

m.86 to m.93: the piano takes the theme C and combines it with the motion

of fourths, the left hand seems a walking base with a combination of fourth

and in the m.91 with the dotted half notes plays a whole tone scale (WT-0)

m.94 to m.99: the viola uses the theme C but not complete just the first two

measures of the theme. The piano employs a horizontal movement of perfect

fourths in ostinato for 6 measures.

m.100 to m.106: the viola uses a similar motif of horizontal fourths and the

piano plays the head of theme C with an ostinato L.H.

m.107 to m. 110: a developing of M1 working as a bridge to the next

section.

m.111 to m.128: the viola plays the theme A with pedal note C and adding

extra notes but its the same melody that we can see from m.1 to m.18. The

piano plays a variation of the theme A in a regular rhythm and in the left
 hand plays a perfect fourth with fifth that we can compare these three notes

with the horizontal movement of the left hand in m.80.

m.129: functions as a bridge with the use of the rhythmic material of the

measures before and shifting tonality using a descendant chromatic scale in

the L.H.

m.130 to m.139: The viola plays theme B in but in a half step below.

Between the piano part and the viola we can see polytonality again. The

individual part of the piano create some dissonance in the first beat but in

beats 2, 4 and 6 is always a vertical perfect fourth, it happens in from m.130

to m.133 but from m.134 to m.139 is full of vertical perfect fourths and also

ascending in chromatic scale.

m.140 to m.143: the viola plays a descending chromatic scales, using the

same motive, as responds to the ascending one of the piano in the previews

measures and the piano plays in the right hand the theme B in G and in the

left hand the same bass that played in m.46 but now in octaves.

m.144 to m.149: the viola arrives to the climax with the last statement of the

theme A combined with theme B and a small development of M1, the piano

in a more percussive way and enforcing more the passage with use of

tritones, using all this section also as a bridge to play the theme C one last

time.

m.150 to m. 157: we have again the polytonality section as theme C while

the viola continues in E Dorian mode, the piano changes: first, the composer

moves the down beat of the piano to the 3rd beat creating a displaced down

beat between both instruments, the harmony until m.152 is a D with split 3 rd
 and added 7th then from m.153 to m. 157 a very dissonance chord using the

augmented 8th from Bb to B and then a major 7th from E to D#.

m.158 to m.162: same melody of theme C in B Dorian mode in the viola but

the piano start a section of polymeter. The viola continues in groups of 6

quartet notes and the piano in groups of 4 quartet notes.

m.163 to m.181: a different aggrupation in the piano as another polymeter,

now the piano is in ostinato, contrary motion and in groups of 7 quarter notes

(with the same use of fourths and thirds). Harmonically the piano is outlining

triads in the R.H: Bb to B and in the L.H: G to Ab with a chromatic ascendant

movement. In m.168 the viola starts an extension of the theme C to create

the Coda. The piano in m.170 changes the aggrupation again to 4 quartet

notes, changing again in m.177 where the groups are of 5 quartet notes. The

last 5 measures where for the last chords in the piano the note that changes

is the descending three notes in the L.H: B Bb A, that we have since the

beginning of the piece. Also the piano finishes in Dm and the viola in a

pizzicato chord of D major with the same use of D with split 3 rd or

simultaneous cross relation.

Bibliography

MacDonald, M. (2009). Viola Sonata, Op 25 No 4. Retrieved May 09, 2017, from http://www.hyperion-
records.co.uk/dw.asp?dc=W12439_67721

Oron, A. (2008). Paul Hindemith. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from http://www.bach-
cantatas.com/Lib/Hindemith-Paul.htm