P i a n o   S o n a t a   N o . 8   O p . 1 3 ( " P a t h e t i q u e " ) 

 b y   L u d w i g   v a n   B e e t h o v e n

 I I . A d a g i o   c a n t a b i l e 






The movement, primarily in the key of A flat major, is held in rondo form (ABACACoda). The A section is played twice, the second time an octave higher and with more movement in the left hand while harmonically identical. A moment of interest occurs at the end of this theme in bar 8: while the right hand's notes spell out a dominant seventh chord, the bass is already anticipating the tonic that the right hand does not arrive at until the second beat.  

	The second section (B) destabilizes the tonic by temporarily tonicizing f, or scale degree 6 before moving to the key of E flat (dominant of the original key) by means of a circle of fifths (vii7/vi - vi - ii65 - V - I in the key of E flat, measures 20 - 23).  Whether the 10 measures in E flat are enough to call this passage a modulation is debatable, but given the strong V7-I cadence after a circle of fifths progression I think it is appropriate. Two measures of an E flat triad with chromatic movement around the note E flat that finally descends to a D flat (and thus turning the E flat triad into a dominant seventh in the original key of  A flat) brings us back to the opening theme.
	

		The third section (C) is harmonically the most interesting section of the movement. It begins in measure 37 in the key of A flat minor; in measure 42 a move to a dominant seventh chord on B natural (in 3rd inversion) hints at a tonicization of E natural which is confirmed in measure 44. At first glance these key areas might seem unrelated to A flat, but E natural can be enharmonically spelled as F flat - which is scale degree 6 in the key of A flat minor. The first four bars of this section are repeated in E natural before abruptly moving to a fully diminished chord on D natural. A half-diminished chord on B flat (ii7 in A flat minor) followed by a dominant seventh brings us back to the final statement of the section A. 
		




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