Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Serenade in D major Op. 8
Little is known of the origins of Serenade in D major Op. 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven. A comparison of the chronology of the neighbouring opus numbers, Piano Sonata in E flat major Op. 7 and Three String Trios Op. 9, allows one to conclude that Serenade was completed soon before its publication by Artaria in 1797. It differs from the abovementioned Op. 9 Trios in form and character. It represents a Haydnian type of multipartite and cheerful divertimento, “untouched by the sonata spirit,” in the amusing yet insightful words of one of Beethoven’s commentators.
∙ Serenade begins with an energetic march that seems to be bringing the musicians onto the stage, and that directly blends into a singing Adagio, dwindling in a high register of the violin. Then comes a conventional minuet with Trio; it ends in a coda played pizzicato.
∙ The next movement has an original plan. Adagio, where the melody is led by the violin and the viola an octave apart over cello figurations, crosses twice with a short, jocular episode. An impressive polonaise (Allegretto alla Polacca, F major) first allows the violin to show off, then the thematic work is taken over by the cello, and then both instruments banter in imitative shifts, from register to register, of an ethereal motif.
∙ Andante quasi allegretto brings the exposition of pastoral variation theme. Similarly to what happened in the polonaise, each instrument performs solo in turn, while the others limit themselves to a simple accompaniment. The solo part belongs to the violin in the first variation, to the viola in the second and to the cello in the fourth, if only occasionally in this final case. The fourth variation is also the most developed one and, although there is no mention of it in the score, it can be treated either as three separate variations or as one tripartite, with a contrasting middle fragment in 6/8 metre, its single appearance throughout the piece. A precise recapitulation of the initial march closes that colourful chain of moods, varied yet always distant from sorrow or melancholy.
Adam Walaciński
