An analytical study of Bela Bartok’s sonata for piano (1926)
Creators: name: Konoval, Michael Brandon
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2009

description: The Sonata for Piano (1926) by B61a Bart6k (1881-1945) is a work of considerable significance to both performers and analysts of Bartdk's music. Aside from the uniqueness of its genre amongst Bart6k's mature compositions, the Sonata remains one of the most important works for solo piano of the early twentieth century. Furthermore, the Sonata has been described by the composer himself as reflective of a particularly formative stage of his creative development Although the Sonata clearly merits close analytical attention, some measure of which it has already received, many important aspects of the compositional design of the Sonata remain unexplored. This study therefore presents in-depth analysis of a variety of structural features in each of the work's three movements. Analysis of the first movement begins with an examination of the features which both suggest and challenge an interpretation of the movement as a parody of sonata form. The careful integration of motivic structures and thematic features are explored in some detail, from which further associations with the structure of harmonic resources are drawn. A close examination of transpositional relationships is then presented, allowing a more detailed appreciation of the parody of tonal sonata form to emerge. Analysis of the first movement concludes with attention to aspects of rhythmic structure that are integral to compositional design. The second movement does not readily invite association with either thematic or harmonic features of a conventional tonal form. Analysis of the movement therefore begins with pragmatic observation of motivic, thematic and harmonic features that manifest an idiosyncratic compositional design. Motivic relationships are examined in detail, for they play an essential role in the structural integration of the movement Other important aspects of pitch structure are addressed by examining structures associated with the interval-class 5 cycle and set types associated with other important features of the movement. Significant characteristics of pulsation and meter are also discussed, followed by a consideration of deep-level structural integration to conclude analysis of the second movement. As with the first movement, thematic relationships offer an inviting initial line of analysis for the third movement and suggest association with a conventional tonal form, the rondo. Analysis begins by exploring the relationship of the principal theme to apparent episodes, although these are largely found to be variants of the principal theme. The structure of the principal theme itself is closely examined, for it presents features that are used to integrate numerous aspects of the movement Pitch structure is analyzed both within local contexts and in terms of thematic associations that span the entire movement. Diverse types of rhythmic activity characterize the movement, of which a representative selection is examined in detail. In conclusion, the integration of the movement as a whole is addressed both in terms of the dissolution of the final refrain of the principal theme and in terms of structural associations that transcend the sectional features of the movement.