Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major

Shortly after it first appeared in print in 1801, one of Beethoven’s early publishers attached the nickname “Pastoral” to his Piano Sonata No. 15. Given the rustic nature of the main thematic material in its outer movements, this title seems particularly apposite: the first movement “Allegro” opens with a gently lyrical melody in the piano’s right hand, accompanied by a drone bass of repeated notes in the left; and the largely easy-going finale begins with a dancing motif again suspended over a drone bass imitating the sound of a bagpipe. But there is far more to this work than rustic geniality. Much of the second movement “Andante” is inward-looking, its deeply serious mood hardly dispelled by a more upbeat and perky middle section. In contrast, the ensuing “Scherzo,” opening with a sequence of four descending notes, is volatile and explosive. Some of its energy returns at the close of the finale where Beethoven suddenly unleashes a torrent of fast notes, bringing the Sonata to an unexpectedly brilliant and virtuosic conclusion.