Schneider, F :: Sonate G-Dur [Sonata in G Major] op. 33

The four-movement Flute Sonata in G major Op. 33, published in 1814, provides a good example of Schneider's style of composition. He was one of the first composers to transpose the four-movement scheme of the symphony and string quartet to the flute sonata (the flute sonatas by Hummel or Kuhlau, written at about the same time, are still in three movements).

The first movement of the Sonata is governed by the tension between the heroic thrust of the first theme, the somewhat more leisurely 'Biedermeier' second theme and the dense, almost obsessive motivic elaboration. The middle movements are concise, clear and radiant, the closing rondo expansive and slightly diffuse. In a sense, the noticeable formal rigidity and the afore-mentioned collapse of the heroic initial gesture mirror the oppressive atmosphere among the German bourgeoisie in the period of reaction after 1815.