Topical Content in Mozart's Keyboard Sonatas

Author(s): Leonard G. Ratner

Source: Early Music, Vol. 19, No. 4, Performing Mozart's Music I (Nov., 1991), pp. 615-619
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3127924
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LeonardG. Ratner
Topical content in Mozart's
I shall consider here the role of topical content in the
rhetoricof Classicmusic, using Mozart'skeyboardsona-
tasby wayof illustration.The term 'topic'here signifiesa
subjectto be incorporatedin a discourse.A topic can be
a style,a type, a figure,a processor a plan of action.Top-
ics can be intra-musical-elements of the language of
music-or extra-musical taken from other media of
expression.The connectionbetweenthese two aspectsof
topical content has a long history.
Music, in its relationship to the temporal arts-
poetry,dramaand choreography-has been something
of a chameleon,if not an actualparasite.Throughoutits
historyWesternmusic has repeatedlybeen taken up by
the language and theatricalarts as a means of inten-
sification,to elevateand sustainthe effectof the word or
gesture. But as music joins with word or gesture it
graduallyincorporatesits own syntax,its idiomaticelab-
orationsto the point thatthe word or gestureis absorbed
into the playof musicalrhetoric,especiallyin extensions
and elaborations.The actualpresenceof the 'host' (that
is, the word or gesture)disappears,but its configuration
remains in the contour and the form of the music-a
processcomparableto the shapethat is given to the fin-
ished jewel in the lost wax process.
This back-and-forthprocess, in which music is bor-
rowed and then takes over,finallyto be simplifiedonce
again when it becomes too elaborate,has taken place a
numberof times-in plainsong,in medievalpolyphony,
in the Renaissancemotet and madrigal,and in Italian
opera of the 18th and 19th centuries. These processes
bespeak apt connections between music and other
media of expression,both in syntacticways and in the
sense of what is being communicated. The influences
work in both directions-from the image, gesture or
idea to musical syntax and vice versa. That is, musical
syntax can enhance the word or gesture;on the other
hand, the suggestion or the implication of the image,
word or gesturecan give colour and enrichedcontent to
musical syntax.
The syntacticalmake-up of Classicmusic lends itself
aptly to the interplayof musical processes and topical
references.In the Classicstyle,the precisetrim of caden-
tial formulas, rhythmic groupings, clear articulations,
transparenttextures and orderly key schemes allow a
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keyboard sonatas
composerto etch sharplywith figuresthat areneatlyand
closely spaced, to spin out a rhetoric that is essentially
comic and witty in its underlyingtone. This attitude is
embodied particularlyin the rapid shifts of topic, of
affective stance, that are so often heard in late 18th-
century music. Wilhelm Fischer characterizedClassic
music as incorporatingcontraston the smallestscale.'A
biting comment on an aria of Paisiello in 1778is ad-
dressedto the prevailingItalianpenchantfor mixing
topics.Thewriter,Goudar,says:
I haveanalysedan ariaof thefamousPaisiello.I founda great
and fieryimaginationin the firstphrase;in the second,this
coolednoticeably;in thethirdhe introduceda disorderly,
jan-
glingnoise;in thefourthhe madean unpleasant modulation;
andthe fifthwasentirelyfromanotherworld;the restwasin
the usual Italianfashion,and upon a very fine text by
Metastasio.2
A widerangeof referential materialswasavailableto
Classiccomposers.Thesematerialsformedpartof a
musicallanguageunderstood bycomposers, performers
andlisteners,andconstituted a vastthesaurusof'words'
and 'phrases'fromwhichanyonecoulddraw.In this
thesaurus wefindeverylevelof dignity,fromthehighest
to theloweststyles;everylocale,fromthe churchto the
countryside; everydegreeof specificity,fromdescriptive
pictorialisms (suchas Turkishmusic,battlemusicand
pastoralmusettes),to characteristic dances, general.
affectivestances,andevensmallfiguresthathadgestural
profile.
Thesespectraof associationsrepresentedthe 18th-
centurytrendtowardcodification,towardthe ordering
of materialsandprocesses,puttingtheminto clearand
accessiblearrangements for readyuse and immediate
understanding. Amongthe codeslistedin criticaland
theoreticalwritingswe findrhetoricalsystems,affective
stances,locales of performance,degreesof dignity,
characteristic styles,genres,keyandchordrelationships,
poeticmetres,and,verysignificantly, the identification
and explanationof ornamentalfiguresthatthemselves
hadgesturalandmotivicrelevance.
Thetheatrewasthe chiefvenuefor the matchingof
word and gesturewith tone. For dramatictruthsuch
matchingwasobligatory. Musicwithoutwordsmodel-
led itselfto a greatextentuponmusicof the theatre-
EARLY MUSIC NOVEMBER 1991 615
arias, dances and ensembles-even recitatives.Edward scintillating,busy mannerof the Italianopera overture.
Dent wrote of this trend: Also in an orchestralvein, the first movement of the
WhattheGermans wereaimingatin theirharpsichord sonatasSonatain C minor, K457,suggestsa symphonyin a seri-
(thesamecouldapplyto fortepiano music)wasthereproduc- ous vein as it alternatesbold tutti figures with legato
tion for domesticconsumptionof those wonderfulItalian song-like figuresin patheticstyle;perhapsthis opening
ariaswhicheveryItaliansoulcouldhearasoftenashelikedbut phrase group became a model for a similar opening
whichrarelycamethe wayof the musiclovernorthof the statement in the JupiterSymphonywritten four years
Alps.3 later.A few measureslater in this movement the fore-
Dent's reference to keyboard performance can be tepiano hints at a solo concerto layout as it answersthe
appliedto the rolethatthe fortepianoplayedin the life of opening tutti figure with a tirata in the brilliant style.
the later18thcentury.The fortepiano,a domesticinstru- The opening measures of the sonata in E flat major,
ment, was a completeensemblein its own right.It often K282, evokethe styleand textureof a wind serenade.Dis-
servedas a surrogatefor the largeensemblesof the the- tributed throughout the sonatas are gigues, German
atre,churchand chamber.It broughtthe greateroutside waltzes,contredanses,sarabandes,an occasionalpolon-
world of music into the home, but did so with a differ- aise or bourree,passagesin the singingstyle,the brilliant
ence. Whateverthe tone qualityof a specificfortepiano style, the stile legatoand the fantasiastyle-all of these
may have been, it did not match the richness,the full- well known stancesor styles in Mozart'stime.
ness, the sustaining powers of voices or orchestral Further,we can include specific figures-appoggiat-
instruments. Thus, it had to compensate with lively uras, tiratas, arpeggios, suspensions, turns, repeated
actionfor whatit lackedin full body or sound.When the notes etc.-in the theatricalclimate generatedby the
fortepiano takes up stances that are modelled on the- constantpresenceof topicalcontent.These shortfigures
atricalattitudes,it tends to touch upon them brieflyand take on topical characteras postures, as gestures that
succinctly,creating(particularlyin the music of Mozart) carryaffectivevalue.Theyenterthe discourseas subjects
a kaleidopscopiccontinuity.The effect is analogousto that surroundthe more sharplydelineatedtopics.
cartoon sketching as contrasted with full-colour, In ex. 1, the exposition of the first movement of
filled-in art. Mozart'sSonatain D major,K284,there many shifts of
This flexibility implies a degree of control over the topic, more than 20. No topic is given more than a few
declamationby the keyboardperformerwhich surpasses bars;each is sharplyetched,set in high reliefby juxtapo-
that of performersin ensembles.The fortepianoplayer sitions and by contrastsin textureand melody.The top-
truly rules the action, is answerableonly to himself or ics themselves are drawn from various parts of the
herselfin mattersof interpretation-tempo, dynamics, thesaurus-scoring, melodic styles and figures,charac-
ornamentationand nuances.Thus, the fortepianowas a teristicbass progressions,and ornamentation.
quintessentiallocale for the play of topic.4 The relevance of the topical component in Classic
In many movements of his keyboardsonatasMozart musicalrhetorichas severalaspects.Forthe composer,it
delineates a specific topic in the first few bars. Apart is partof the stock-in-trade,materialto be identifiedand
from the minuets that are designatedin the titles-the selected.Forthe listenerand the scholar,topical content
second movement of the Sonata in E flat major,K282, presents a kind of informal iconography-figures that
and the second movement of the Sonata in A major, havedirector symbolicmeaning.Forthe performer,the
K331-we can recognize minuet style in the first move- recognition and projection of topical content is of the
ment of the Sonata in F major, K280, and the second greatestimportance.An awarenessof referentialimpli-
movement of the Sonatain C major,K545.Othertopics cations can have a profound influence upon decisions
(to name a few) include the gavotteof the third move- for performance.Figuresand motives would be sharply
ment of the Sonatain D major,K284, the sicilianoof the profiledand subtly nuanced.They would be set against
firstmovementof the Sonatain A major,K331, the hunt- each other in relief by the performer's control of
ing fanfarethat begins the Sonatain D major,K576and dynamics, tempo, articulationand emphasis to mark
Turkishmarchesin the Sonatasin A minor and A major, criticalnotes and figuresfor specialattention.The result
K310 and K331, respectively.
is an articulateperformance.
Somewhatless specific,but still stronglysuggestiveof Attentionto topical content can also throw a striking
their topical content are the first movements of the light upon Mozart'scompositional ways. For example,
Sonatas in D major, K284 and K311, which take up the in ex. i the manychangesof stancearemanagedwith the

616 EARLY MUSIC NOVEMBER 1991

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Ex. 1 Mozart, Sonata in D, K284,i, exposition
Allegro singing style
orchestralunison as a concertotutti

brilliantstyle murkybass

singing style

trommel-bass

orchestral tutti; concitato

V A

.•Aj -_

march

singing style; orna-

mentl sile egao billint tyl

tr t
.,, • • f •,.--P
mentalstile legato brilliantstyle

chaconne-type bass

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 tutti-solo
rubato

L I 1I1

tutti-solo rubato

recitative oblig6 brilliant style

fanfare singing style

fanfare singing style

unison
orchestral coupsd'archet singingstyle
------

-z -•i, -- "..•-- --TI- '----- _-:L•

fanfare
orchestral unison

618 EARLY MUSIC NOVEMBER 1991

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greatest deftness and skill. Mozart weaves threads of
connection that link contrastedsections and figuresby
single notes, by overlapsin cadentialaction, by shifts of
stance within cadential formulas. He veers again and
again at surprisingtangents, but always turns upon a
point of leverage between the juxtaposed topics. The
support for such local contrasts is maintained by the
long-rangeharmonicand period trajectoriesthat he and
his contemporariesused as frameworksfor local action.
Topicalreferences,precise as they may be, are essen-
tiallyconnotative;they aresuggestivewithin the context
of an ongoing discourse. Once recognized, they add a
final touch of imageryto the coherence and design of
tonal patterns.In this process, Mozart,with his incred-
ible skills and his ability to incorporateand synthesize
elements from the various styles of 18th-centurymusic,
was the greatestmaster.This aspect of his style calls for
fullertreatmentthat it has hithertoreceivedin perform-
ance practicestudies and in performanceitself.
LeonardG. Ratneris professoremeritusof StanfordUni-
versity.He is the author of Classic Music: Expression,
Form, and Style (1980) and Romantic Music: Sound and
Syntax (forthcoming).
Discussion
WILLIAM KINDERMAN I would not in any way contradict
your main and important point about the evocative
nature of Mozart'smusicallanguage,and our sense that
in these sonataswe are confronting a microcosm of his
art.But I want to expressa concernaboutthe matterof a
topic being confinedto a few barsand about the impres-
sion that might be conveyed that we are listening to a
whole stream of motifs without taking note of the fact
that Mozartof coursebinds all these up into largerunits
that havea unity of tone and an involvedstructuralinte-
gration. If you look at the section up to bar 21 in this
movement there is a steady and subtle hand bringing
together all the units you describeinto a largerwhole.
LEONARD RATNER I don't see any problem in
integrating
what I have to say with what you have to say:you are
simply taking the topics and assimilatingthem into an
analyticalframework.But thesebasic materialshavenot
in my experiencebeen fully understood and expressed
by performers,and it's performanceI'm interested in
ratherthan analysis.
MALCOLM BILSON I've alwaysthought alongthe lines you
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suggest, and you have made the mattereminentlyclear.
But one thing disturbs me: whereasmost of your topic
definitionsarequite specific,therearemanyyou referto
as simply'singingstyle',in spiteof the factthatthey seem
to me quite disparatein character.
LEONARD RATNER I'm using 'singing style' in the sense
used by the theorists of the time; and I should say that
this sonata is among the most compact in terms of the
topics it uses. In other sonatas a single topic may be
extendedfor 12or 13bars;it'snot the length that matters
but the notion of characterin the writing.
ROBERT LEVIN I think it is absolutelyessentialthat per-
formancesof music of this period should communicate
the surfacetension createdby details,whose purposeful
opposition is neverthelessintegratedinto a whole. Now
this is certainlynot limited to these characterdistinc-
tions you havelaid out, which I find enormouslyhelpful;
it applies also to the articulatorysurface of the piece.
This goes backto GeorgeBarth'spaper,and is the whole
problem with the 19th-centuryeditors putting all those
slurs into their editions. Precisely in the interests of
stressingthe organic unity of the composition, the sur-
face was dispensedwith becauseit was too inconvenient
with its articulations,too lively and contradictory.You
have to hear the greatershapes, of course, but you also
have to integratethe detailwith all its apparentbuilt-in
contradictions.
'W. Fischer, Studien zur Musikwissenschaft, iii (1915), p.25
2
H. C. Koch, Journal der Tonkunst (1795),
p.197
3E. Dent, Sammelbiindeder internationalenMusikgesellschaft, xiv
(1912-13), P509
4 C.P.E.Bachled the way in exploitingthe freedomand flexibilityof
the keyboardperformerto the extremein his SonatasundFantasiasfiir
Kennerund Liebhaber(1779-85).He takesadvantageof the solo role of
the performerto juxtapose the boldest contrasts in topical content.
Bach'skeyboard music bears witness to the hegemony of the per-
former;it displaysmore flexibilityand unpredictabilitythan the music
of any other major composer.
EARLY MUSIC NOVEMBER 1991 619