E-quadruple flat: Tovey’s Whimsy

This paper examines the development section of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata in light of Donald Francis Tovey's whimsical remark about the appearance of an E-quadruple flat. In addition to considering Tovey's idea, this paper examines the analysis by Heinrich Schenker, and compares the two different analysts' interpretations. This paper concludes with a renewed examination of the passage leading into the climactic diminished-seventh chord that ends the development section, offering a detailed voice-leading analysis, as well as an idea about its programmatic meaning. One of the most striking moments in the first movement of Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata occurs near the end of the development at bar 123, where a succession of dimi- nished-seventh chords over D-flat sweeps throughout the entire range of the keyboard. The passage leading up to this climactic diminished-seventh chord conveys a dramatic tension that is extraordinary, even for Beethoven. Furthermore, it contains a surprising enharmonic change. After commencing with a statement of the secondary theme in the key of G-flat major in bar 117, the music is suddenly notated enharmonically two bars later as F-sharp major. Although the key of F-sharp major has just as many sharps as the key of G-flat major has flats, the reason for Beethoven's enharmonic change becomes clear in bar 120, with the appearance of a B-minor chord. As Example 1 shows, retaining the context of G-flat major would have led to the cumbersome notation of a C-flat minor chord.