Towards the end of his life, Schubert turned to the piano sonata as a vehicle for both profound (often anguished) expression and striking musical innovation. Less iconoclastic than Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” sonata, op. 106, and perhaps less bold than Beethoven’s remarkable last sonata, op. 111, Schubert’s late sonatas explore worlds of melancholy and wistful fellow-feeling that intimate transcendent realms. They reveal the pioneering efforts of this most lyrical composer to forge new solutions to challenges of large-scale musical structure.

On April 25, 2019, Mitsuko Uchida will present an unusual program of three Schubert piano sonatas at Dartmouth. She will begin with the early Sonata in E-flat Major and then turn to two sublime late works, the Sonatas in a minor and A Major. This course will prepare audience members to hear these sonatas with greater understanding.
We will consider:
• the biographical contexts from which these works emerged
• the distinguishing traits of Schubert’s early style,
• the characteristics which mark the later sonatas as both valedictory and visionary.

No prior musical experience is necessary, though such experience is welcome. This course will feature a blend of close listening, seminar discussion, and lecture. The last class meets after Uchida’s recital, and thus affords us an opportunity for post-concert reflection and de-briefing.