DDD
 

Chopin's Piano Sonata in B Flat Minor Opus 35 - Further analyses - Walker and others

 
CHAPTER 1

 

Example 31: Link between the main subject of the Funeral March and the first

subject of the first movement[170]

 

Link between main subject of Funeral March and first subject of first movement

 

Having already highlighted the importance of mediant relationships as a unifying source in this sonata, Walker goes even further to show that no fewer than six of the sonata's themes begin on the mediant degree itself, as shown in Example 32:

 

Example 32: Use of the mediant degree in various subjects[171]

 

Use of mediant degree in various subjects

 

Another revelation by Walker awaits: he observes that the falling seventh-rising second interval of Réti's motif Ia is present in the seemingly athematic, incomprehensible Finale. Example 33 shows that the notes D-flat, E, and F beginning in the second half of bar 1 of the Finale are exactly those of the introductory notes to the entire work.

 

[170] ibid., p. 246.

[171] ibid., p. 246.

 

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