About Mozart’s “Piano Sonata in A Major” K. The first movement of 331 (Interview)
Du Taihang (hereinafter referred to as Du): Hello, Teacher Ge. Thank you very much for your continued interest in my teaching and playing. It just so happened that "Piano Art" asked me to write an article about Mozart's music, so I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss it with you. Do you agree?
Ge Deyue (hereinafter referred to as Ge): Great, I I'd also really like to hear your opinions on Mozart's music.
Du: You must be very familiar with Mozart's "Sonata in A Major" (K.331). The third movement is the "Turkish March", which we have listened to and played when we were very young. Although the "Turkish March" is more famous, I have a deeper impression and liking of its first movement. At that time, in my personal opinion, the first movement was more representative of the mainstream style of Mozart's music. It was gentle, elegant, and a little naughty, with a youthful vigor and a little melancholy that was inexperienced in the world. At the same time, it was very inspiring and creative. Now, the impression that Mozart's music gives me may be a little bit more bitter than what is reflected in the first movement. The "Fantasia in D minor" played by Wu Xu last semester is rare among Mozart's works and expresses the pain and depression deep in his heart. I don’t think Mozart is the kind of composer who wants to expose his emotional world, especially his inner pain, to the public. Beethoven expressed this a lot. Mozart seems to be more willing to show a bright and relaxed life, “Life is A light comedy." In Mozart's time, writing the first movement of the sonata as a variation was undoubtedly a very bold innovation. Mozart's variation on the first movement was very inspired. It was not like many works at that time that were fast food with fixed methods and techniques. Many works at that time were Some composers write twenty or thirty pieces a day, like handing in homework, that is to say, the first movement of the sonata is Allegro, the second movement is Adagio, the third movement is a minuet with a middle section, the fourth movement is Allegro, and Composed in standard sonata form. Mozart may have written countless such things at the time but they have not been handed down, but he must have particularly liked this variation, so he placed it in the first movement to remind everyone of its uniqueness. It was by no means a misplacement as some people think. . The first and third movements are the highlights of this sonata. The melody of the third movement is very special. It was considered Turkish music by the Austrians at that time, so it was very popular. Today I would like to talk about my analysis of the first movement for your reference. Negoz once said: "If the idea that can be explained clearly in a few seconds of demonstration is completely expressed in words, it may take a huge amount of space and may not be fully explained." I may not be able to explain it clearly here. All ideas are explained thoroughly:
Example 1 (measures 1 to 2)
Theme: When I play the first two measures, I focus on the second half of each measure, and of course the first half It also sounds good, but the rhythm pattern continues in the second half. The very important rhythm pattern is a quarter note plus an eighth note rhythm pattern. The mood is marked with an elegant little Andante, which should have a kind of Madonna-like tenderness, but the voice must not be like an impressionist, and there must be "dots" on the fingertips when pressing the keys; I want the endings of the first two sentences of the theme. Break the speed a little bit. A little more human touch. The key of A major itself is a warm tone, and the mood here is one of gratitude. Measures 1 to 8 have a choral effect. From measure 9 onwards, the accompaniment texture of the left hand changes, becoming more like a pastoral. Be sure to pay attention to all the connections written by Mozart. The score written by Mozart is very clean, unlike Beethoven who has many traces of modifications. However, Mozart did not have any modifications to write in such detail, which shows that what he wanted was expressed very clearly. . The right hand has always connected two tones, which is completely different from the connection of three tones, and the tone is different, so there must be a "dot" on the third note. In addition, special attention should be paid to the second part of the second paragraph of the theme. A wonderful foreshadowing is laid in the third and fourth sections, where it is marked sf, which is a bit naughty. This is the foreshadowing of the naughty part of the entire movement that follows, although it is only two bars long. The ending of the theme is full, with chords added in the right hand and octaves in the left hand, like the effect of an increase in the number of chorus members or the addition of more instruments to the band. To sum up, the theme is a combination of a singing style with a pastoral flavor and a little bit of naughtiness. What Mozart wants to express here is neither brightness nor clarity, but measured brightness. I especially like the word grazioso he marked.
Ge: I think this theme is like a psalm, full of love.
Example 2 (sections 19 to 21)
Du: Yes. Variation 1: The most interesting thing is the way he writes the connection in the first three measures. Two notes and one connection and three notes and one connection appear alternately. This kind of labeling is by no means meaningless. It must be in the group of two notes and connection. It is very important to use the sustained tone playing method on the first note. In this way, when the long connection appears in the 4th section, it feels very relaxing. The tastes and feelings of top art masters in various categories are often the same. Here I always feel that the layout of Chinese calligraphy’s cursive script uses ink techniques, with alternating shades of long, short, and thin. The small connecting lines are very tasteful, but if you continue to use them, they will become petty. The long lines in the fourth section are very tasteful and fresh. Then there is a typical band score, but here it is a Mozart-style small band, not a big band like Beethoven, so it is a forte. This forte is not particularly loud. The loudness is not his original intention. What he wants is the band effect. When I teach, I always say that we must discover the meaning behind these marks, because the marks that composers can use are too limited compared to their ideas. Mozart's forte often requires a fuller effect. Once I was chatting with Mr. Fu Cong about Mozart. He said that Mozart is both Sun Wukong and Jia Baoyu. The latter is because Mozart’s music is not very masculine and has a very gentle and sensitive side. To say that he is like Sun Wukong means that the composer has many inspirations and rich imagination, and cannot stick to one mood or form. In measures 23 and 24, the band effect is in full swing, and in measure 25, the right hand suddenly becomes a single instrument (conversion from chords to single notes). When playing Mozart's music, you must pay attention to these exquisite details, otherwise it will be as boring as boiled water. In the 27th measure, small connections begin again, especially in the 28th measure, the continuous small connections make the music very interesting. You need to listen to the intervals of the left and right hands well. In the 29th measure, the naughty foreshadowing mentioned above appears, three times sf, p highlighted his naughty character even more, repeating his requests willfully like a child. This time, there is no long-breathing solo phrase after the small connection. It is deliberately a joke to everyone. Last time, everyone felt that the long sentence after the small fragment was very comfortable. Now they are all waiting for the long sentence. He insists on giving it to you. He waits until the second half of measure 34 to appear, postpones it, and then adds two measures of band unison. The high part of the chord here cannot be played too prominently. If the three notes are closer together, the band effect will appear.
Variation 2: The naughty elements are fully developed, such as the skipping sound of the right hand and the small ornamentation on the second eighth note that appears from the 41st measure of the left hand, which is particularly funny. At the beginning, the left hand is very regular, but it is deliberately written as a small connection of three notes in a group instead of one connection for a bar. This is particularly energetic and full of aura. The vibrato of his right hand was particularly lively. He felt it was not fun enough and added a 32nd note similar to a portamento effect. This was the most lively method available at the time. In measure 40, the right hand just became quieter, and the left hand became restless again, very vivid. Although the second section is skipping, I added a pedal, which is my personal processing, in order to have a different mood from the first section and make it more singing. The two skipped thirty-second notes in measure 47 are very spiritual and vivid. The 9 in the second half of section 48 is to return to elegance (grazioso). Sun Wukong cannot jump out of Tathagata Buddha's palm. No matter how naughty or noisy he is, it is still within the scope of elegance. He cannot become vulgar, otherwise he himself will not be able to stand it. . The effect of the left-hand minor note at the end of the eighth note sounded very funny at the time, as if a child had to pretend to be an adult.
Variation 3: Suddenly written in a minor key, it changes from naughty to a very gentle melancholy, not real pain. The long lines are not sparse at all and are in sharp contrast to the first and second variations. Like the young heroine in Mozart's opera, she is a little worried and a little hesitant, but it is definitely not something earth-shattering. Like the theme, variation three also has more importance in the last half of each measure. You have to play expressively, but you can't do rubato. When I was little, I found the octave passage starting from bar 59 particularly difficult and couldn't connect. Nowadays, many children in the attached middle school can play the octave very quickly, but the technology here The difficulty is how to play the octave continuously and expressively. It is easy to play staccato in the octave. In China, we should pay attention to the finger octave. Here, we cannot achieve the desired effect by playing the octave with the wrist. The left-hand beat in measure 62 can only be performed with fingers, without any arm strength. It is a plucking effect.
The beginning of the second section is a bit dramatic. The drama in the category of elegance is to turn the melody up an octave. This is the most appropriate drama in elegance. Section 66 is the real focus of this paragraph. The protagonist finally asks the question he wants to ask, so the key must be deep. From the end of Variation 3 to the beginning of Variation 4, there may be a slight pause in the middle, but during this pause, the performer's heart should be quickly filled with the brightness and warmth of A major, and his mind should be clear about this change.
Variation 4: The left hand leap was already a very dazzling way of writing at the time. We cannot break away from the objective conditions at the time and say how could Mozart and Liszt write it so simply. This leap is made by using the left hand an octave higher. The third degree of the instrument and the third degree of the right hand together form a bright sound unique to woodwind instruments. The genius of the composer is that the desired effect can be understood through the score without the need for various explanations. From measure 81 onwards, there is a joyful solo. The protagonist in Variation 3 is quite self-pitying, but the soprano here is very happy. The rapid decline of the thirty-second note in the melody picks up again, describing the emotion vividly, and the naughty emotion appears again in the 83rd measure. (Expressed by the left hand), the falling thirty-second notes that constantly appear in these three measures are so inspired, like a child on a slide. Section 85 is a reprise.
Example 3 (measures 81 to 83)
Variation 5: Ada-gio actually appeared in the first movement?! It was too deviant at the time. There is adagio in the first movement, but what should I write in the second movement? There is no way forward. But Mozart was a bold artist, and he believed that he would be able to reverse his emotions in the last variation, so he was not afraid to write an Adagio in variation five. This is a very operatic passage, a technically difficult aria by a coloratura soprano. The so-called opera-like performance means that when it is performed, it obviously seems to have lyrics, just like Song lyrics. In fact, Song lyrics all have tunes. Some people say that to play German and Austrian music correctly is to play the first beat of each measure prominently. This principle applies to many works, but Mozart was always looking for breakthroughs. Here it is obvious that the second beat is more important when the second and third beats are connected. , like a sustained tone. The first half of bars 95, 96, and 97 is the orchestra, and the second half is the coloratura soprano’s cadenza. Starting from the 99th measure, the ups and downs of the melody were an extraordinary way to write at that time, and the singer's technical requirements were also very high. There is a big jump of ten degrees and a cadenza that goes up two octaves. It is a difficult and difficult piece of music. beautiful aria. It may also be that Mozart knew that this way of writing was too difficult for singers and could only be imagined, so he wrote it for the pianist. The sfp that appears many times in sections 101 and 102 is more like coquettishness and pleading. The thirty-second notes in the entire variation must be played in a very singing way, and must not be played like a Czerny etude. This is a very feminine aria.
Variation 6: The whole mood is one of pride, the kind of pride of a child. This is shown through the second half of bars 109 and 110. Bar 113 shows a scene of an army attacking in a fairy tale world. The arpeggio in the left hand has the effect of a snare drum, creating a huge momentum. It has already foreshadowed the same music that will be used in the third movement "Turkish March". , very effective composition techniques. In measures 117 and 118, you need to learn to sing along the lines, elegantly and smoothly. It was very lively from bar 125, but at that time the liveliness was very measured, because most of the audience were aristocrats. Mozart used sixteenth notes with both hands and added forte dynamics, which kept it both elegant and lively. The sense of proportion must be well grasped. And in measure 127, just changing the left hand from sixteenth notes to eighth notes creates a gentle effect. The transformation is so genius! There are very few exactly the same places in the entire variation, and there are endless tricks, without showing off at all. The feeling is that inspiration is everywhere! Like the jump marks in the second half of measures 143 and 144, which are so detailed, he doesn’t want you to look different. These are things we didn’t understand when we were young. Why? How can we not write long connecting lines that are both easy to play and listen to? Now I really realize it, which shows that the music in Mozart's heart is so vivid. He has such a clear plan in mind. It is really wonderful and people have to admire it! The reason why his music is so Enduring, these meticulous little marks are the most valuable part of it, and the most important thing to understand.
Example 4 (sections 143 to 144)
Ge: Mozart’s works are actually difficult to play.
Du: Yes, the interpretation must be natural, but it must not be played too plainly, and it must not be artificial.
Ge: A good performance doesn’t sound cumbersome at all. It’s really enjoyable. I have a question now: In the past, people often thought that Mozart’s works were laughter with tears in his eyes. He was unwilling to reveal his pain in his music. His music was always so beautiful and enjoyable to listen to; The work is full of struggle because of the pain. But Mozart was deeply loved by his parents and had a happy childhood, but he was not so wealthy financially. So why was he so painful and smiling with tears in his eyes?
Du: First of all, I don’t really agree with this sentence. Then again, if Mozart felt pain, it was definitely not because of financial reasons, but precisely because geniuses are often very lonely. Most of the people around him could not understand what he felt, and no one could truly understand his feelings. Geniuses think that things that are important to ordinary people may not think so, and this sometimes hurts them deeply. Most geniuses are very sensitive. They may experience the suffering of ordinary people more deeply, and their expression may be more contagious. The song "d" "Fantasia in a Minor" shows more in this aspect, but it gives us more joyful and harmonious music.
Ge: You analyzed this piece very vividly. The small slurs and decorative sounds all reflect the composer's character, and you captured it very delicately.
Du: Thank you. In fact, he wrote all the requirements on the score. We must explore the profound meaning behind these marks. There is always room for further exploration of classic works. They are very durable and you will always have new experiences every time you play them...