Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Beethoven Sonata 07 Op.10 No3: D:2nd Mt:Largo e mesto/ help

Hi first of all im new here, and my doubt is at what tempo I should play this one?

Well, "largo e mesto" means slow and sad. Is that good enough? Or what did you mean?

Sad that was what i didn't understand before, thanx Beethoven didnt use pedal in this one right> or at least my copies dont have any pedals

I don't know exactly what Beethoven marked, because I don't have my good copy of the Beethoven sonatas next to me - but I think it would be a big mistake to say "no pedal allowed" in this movement. You will probably need to use the pedal quite a bit.

What edition of this Sonata are you using?

Beethoven rarely indicated use of pedal in his Sonatas, but it would be a mistake to assume that, because there are no pedal indications in your edition, you should not use the pedal. Use of the pedal is dependent upon a certain knowledge of the style of music and what is appropriate to that style and what is not. Certainly, in this Sonata I would use the damper pedal - judiciously.

Regards,

Beethoven sonata Opus 10-3 ... Largo e mesto (composed at age of 29)

The young chappie from Puerto Rica is obviously a Beethoven-fan ... judging by the avatar ... no wonder the word "mesto" (sad) drew a blank ... on the island mesto is a "large prickly oak" (thus spoketh Wikipedia!!).

But the doleful d minor key should give a clue to the lachrymose nature of the 2nd movement ... my reference book poetically talks of the Largo e mesto as "surcharged with passionate grief"... and, dedicated to Countesse Browne, there’s got to be some juicy story
hidden amongst the woodwork.

Only when you get into the sonata, brimming with lacy 32nd-notes, does one realize that the tempo is decidedly slow (Largo) ... the simplicity of the 6/8 notes to the opening measures might easily have been mistakenly taken at too quick a pace ... however, once the deep heartache of the movement carries the day, the true spread of notes needs the sustaining pedal ... the score could better have been presented in terms of quarter-notes instead of eighth-notes to match the broad Largo tempo.

I believe that im using the original copy or at least where i find it says that is the original one. And yes you can tell that im Beethoven fan but I want to make it sound you as better as my mind let me do it, thats why im asking about the pedals

Most of B's slow movements require a steady tempo, just to keep things going, or not, this movement is not an exeption, not only to that non-existing rule, but to his own standards, but it's ptobabely the deepest, most heartfelt piece he wrote up to then, a cry from, well, who knows? The most important issue is, methinks, to keep the pulse going, especially in the rests, count well, and slowly, keep a big tone for the melodic line, and breathe, I mean physically!, with the music, sing the lines, humm the accompaniments, know where the harmony changes, and most importantly of all: know how to start the next movement, that's maybe the greatest problem of this wonderful sonata! Good luck

Valentina Lisitsa has a killer interpretation of op.10 no.3 on YouTube you should check it out. She takes some liberties but pulls it off very well. her second movement is fairly close to the score if i remember right

I don't see anything that can't be managed by the fingers. Of course use the pedal for the big chunky legato chords in the recap, but I don't see any need for it in the page above. I remember playing the Op. 28 (Pastorale) slow movement with no pedal whatsoever for a jury, and it turned out just fine.

I usually think that whatever tempo someone is playing, they'd do well to try it still slower.

Even when it seems like maybe it's too slow.
Often (IMO) the problem is that it's not slow enough for it to have the power that a really really slow tempo can give it.

Although it might seem perverse, sometimes that can happen -- something seems to be too slow because it's not slow enough.

Richard Goode does a gorgeous interpretation of this movement .

Sounds like you are chanelling James Huneker.