A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Pastorale (sonata)
PASTORALE. 'Sonata pastorale' is the title [1]often given to Beethoven's Sonata in D, op. 29, but apparently quite without warrant. Its opening Allegro and its Finale both begin with long passages on a pedal bass, both are also in triple time, and so far have a 'pastoral' air; but Beethoven has said nothing of any such intention. The original edition is entitled 'Grande Sonate pour le Pianoforte,' and the autograph is inscribed 'Gran Sonata.' It is worth notice that this is the first of the Sonatas which is not composed expressly both for harpsichord or pianoforte; all the preceding ones have the words 'pour le Clavecin (or Clavicembalo) ou Pianoforte' on the title-page.
It was composed in 1801 and published in Aug. 1802. According to Czerny the Andante was for long a special favourite of the composer's, and often played by him. The fly-leaf of the autograph—in the possession of Herr Johann Kaffka of Vienna—contains a little piece of 17 bars long, for 2 voices and chorus, aimed at the unwieldy figure of Schuppanzigh, Beethoven's favourite first violin, and entitled 'Lob auf den Dicken'—'Glory to the fat.' It begins thus:—
![{ \time 6/8 \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \clef bass \key d \major \partial 4 \relative g { \autoBeamOff g8[ a] | b[ a] g a[ g] fis | g4 \clef treble d''8 g } \addlyrics { Schup -- pan -- zigh ist ein Lump, Lump, Lump. } }](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/5/2/52x0xj8k900nv979zqblk0yllmtxkdh/52x0xj8k.png)
[ G. ]
PASTORAL SYMPHONY in Handel's 'Messiah.' A short and unaffected little piece of music in 12-8 time, serving to introduce the scene of the 'Shepherds abiding in the field.' Handel more than any other great composer was accustomed to 'prendre son bien partout où il le trouvait,' and mostly without acknowledgment. In the present instance he has affixed the word 'Pifa' to this movement, more probably to indicate the reason for inserting it than to show that it was not his own composition, a matter which probably did not occupy his thoughts in the least. People in those days had not ready access either to older or contemporaneous works, and were not in a position to compare one thing with another; and our composer, often in a great hurry to get through his mighty task, did not trouble himself to enlighten them: his superb genius answered for all, as it gave life and immortality to anything he chose to put on paper. When it was first called a Pastoral Symphony is not very clear; Randall & Abell's edition gives the word 'Pifa' only, a fact overlooked by Dr. Rimbault in his
- ↑ Originally perhaps by Cranz, the publisher, of Hamburg.