Beethoven Stems 3
Posted: 20 May 2019, 18:09
There are other interesting cases of stem direction in the third movement of Beethoven's Sonata op. 31 no. 2.
The opening theme occurs three times with variations in stem direction.
At the beginning, all the right hand stems (but the last marked *) are up. This keeps a consistent stem direction, particularly the eighth notes, which are the structural notes, and also gets the right hand beams out of the way of the left hand beams on a page that does not allow for much room between the staves because of page turning. This theme looks crowded with down stems as engraved after Beethoven's time.
With the change of direction on the final note of the theme, Beethoven seems to be calling attention to the fact that it is exceptional and not short like the others, because when the theme recurs at the beginning of the recapitulation, this same note, again marked *, now a staccato eighth-note, is up-stemmed like the rest. Later editions have considered this quarter note to be an error and made the measure conform to the later eighth-note variation. This change is not based on the two original editions, both of which have the quarter-note and down stem. While one night prefer the quarter note here, it is possible that Beethoven changed his mind about it and corrected it the second time it occurs, an example of "progressive correction". We will never know, but this changes nothing about the stem and its possible function.
The phrase that follows at ** in the previous example is new material. (This transition has always struck me as the most forced and unconvincing stretch of music that I know of in Beethoven's music.) This time the structural eighth notes are all down-stemmed as if to distinguish this phrase from the theme. The sixteenths also start off with down stems, but then change to up stems to avoid running into the left hand.
When the theme occurs once again in the coda, it must now be down-stemmed because of the added upper drone. The rest of the theme maintains this new down-stemming of the structural eighth notes, with the sixteenths conforming as much as possible without running unto the lower staff. Note that the final staccato eighth note of the theme, is now down-stemmed like the rest!
The opening theme occurs three times with variations in stem direction.
At the beginning, all the right hand stems (but the last marked *) are up. This keeps a consistent stem direction, particularly the eighth notes, which are the structural notes, and also gets the right hand beams out of the way of the left hand beams on a page that does not allow for much room between the staves because of page turning. This theme looks crowded with down stems as engraved after Beethoven's time.
With the change of direction on the final note of the theme, Beethoven seems to be calling attention to the fact that it is exceptional and not short like the others, because when the theme recurs at the beginning of the recapitulation, this same note, again marked *, now a staccato eighth-note, is up-stemmed like the rest. Later editions have considered this quarter note to be an error and made the measure conform to the later eighth-note variation. This change is not based on the two original editions, both of which have the quarter-note and down stem. While one night prefer the quarter note here, it is possible that Beethoven changed his mind about it and corrected it the second time it occurs, an example of "progressive correction". We will never know, but this changes nothing about the stem and its possible function.
The phrase that follows at ** in the previous example is new material. (This transition has always struck me as the most forced and unconvincing stretch of music that I know of in Beethoven's music.) This time the structural eighth notes are all down-stemmed as if to distinguish this phrase from the theme. The sixteenths also start off with down stems, but then change to up stems to avoid running into the left hand.
When the theme occurs once again in the coda, it must now be down-stemmed because of the added upper drone. The rest of the theme maintains this new down-stemming of the structural eighth notes, with the sixteenths conforming as much as possible without running unto the lower staff. Note that the final staccato eighth note of the theme, is now down-stemmed like the rest!