Analysis of Muzio Clementi's Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1 Movement 3

 One of my favorite pieces of classical music that I learned to play on the piano is the third movement of Muzio Clementi's Sonatina Op. 36 No. 1. Muzio Clementi is called the "Father of Piano" by many people, including Jeremy Eskenazi of the Muzio Clementi Society. This piece is very lively, which is partly what makes it so much fun to play! I do not know this little girl's name, but she plays it beautifully:



Form

There really is no intro to this piece of music, other than the first and second movements which come before this one. The first musical section of movement three begins right away, and smoothly transitions into the second section. After the second section ends, both sections repeat themselves. Finally, the song ends with a very dramatic outro. So, the overall form could be expressed as an ABABC form. I personally love that it ends with such a striking outro. Not only does it fit extremely well with the fast tempo and lively rhythms, but it also provides a sense of finality to the ending of the song. 

Tempo and Meter

According to Piano Adventures: Lesson Book Level 5, by Faber and Faber, the term, "Vivace" means "quick and lively." This is the tempo marking for the piece. As I mentioned before, this speed is one of my favorite elements of the song. Working together with the 3/8 meter, it propels me forward as I listen to it. In other words, it pushes me to expect the next downbeat which, in turn, draws me in and propels me forward again like a wave.

Intervals

Another important aspect of this song is its mixture of intervals. It starts out with stepwise motion. Quickly, though, it switches to larger intervals and back to stepwise motion, all in the first line of the piece. These changes in interval sizes are another element that adds to the overall festive mood that I enjoy in this song.

This song is fun for me to listen to, play, and study with its interesting form, fast tempo, and wild interval changes. I hope you enjoy it too!

Sources

Eskenazi, Jeremy. "Muzio Clementi (1752–1832): Life and Work." Muzio Clementi Society. 2008. Accessed September 23, 2020. http://www.clementisociety.com/clementi-lifeandwork.html

Faber, Nancy and Randall. Piano Adventures: Lesson Book Level 5. Dovetree Productions, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1997. 


Comments

  1. Farmgirl Fibers & ArtsSeptember 25, 2020 at 11:18 AM

    Hi Hannah! I really enjoyed the Clementi sonata. The video of the little girl playing it is very warm and bright. I agree on what you said about form. There wasn't much of an intro for the piece as it seemed to just dive right in. But even still, it was very enjoyable. A picture came to my mind when the piece started; I imagined throwing open a door to a sunny morning. The music certainly grabbed me right away and all I could think of was sunshine.
    I really liked the tempo of the piece too! The down beats kept me listening and I could count in my head when each one came.
    Something else to add to your analysis, I noticed that there was quite a bit of syncopation within the piece. Coming from a light piano background, I know how difficult it is at first to play syncopated notes. The young girl in the video achieved this very well! Syncopation was honestly what impressed me the most about this piece. Thank you for your analysis Hannah!

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