Piano Sonata No.8 'Pathetique' Beethoven

Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor Op.13 'Pathetique' 1st movement

Features of the Classical style

.The replacement of the harpsichord by the piano as the most common keyboard instrument of the day

. The decline in use of the continuo, as new middle range instruments (clarinets, horns) were used to fill out harmonies

.Symphony rose to prominece as the main type of concert music played by large orchestra

The 'Pathetique'

It means passionate and emotional, the sonata is in the overall key of C minor. Beethoven used a dynamic range from pp to ff, with sudden contrasts, use of crecendo…