Pathétique Sonata — 2nd movement (Adagio cantabile)

L. v. BeethovenOp. 13

Key

Ab

Time

2/4

Tempo

♩=60

AO focus

AO2

Form

Adagio cantabile — slow movement of the Pathétique sonata. ABACA rondo. The opening A theme, sung in the tenor register of the keyboard, has become Beethoven's most-recognised slow melody.

Teaching points

• Tenor-register singing line — the melody sits below middle C; cultivate a vocal phrasing approach with the LH
• Triplet accompaniment in the central B section — the right hand triplets pulse quietly under a new melody in the left
• AO1: among the most-recognisable Beethoven melodies — students will know it before you teach it