master and friend, Joachim Raff, but was also harrassed by the
drudgery and struggle of his own existence. He poured out his
passionate feelings into the sonata, which is largely a
reflection of the hopeless outlook of his own care-laden life.

1. The introductory _Largo maestoso_ opens with a figure of
striking aspect, like a clenched, upraised fist. Immediately
following this comes a quieter, more serious strain, but only to
be succeeded by loud chords again, now punctuated by rushing
ascents in scale and arpeggio figures, the whole culminating in a
tremendous descent of double octaves bringing almost the whole
range of the pianoforte keyboard into action. After a pause, the
_Allegro risoluto_ enters _ppp_. Its bearing is strong and proud
and has much that is akin to the nervous, resolute martial energy
of Elgar. The second subject, _Dolce con tenerezza_, is
exquisitely tender and contemplative, but it follows the first
awkwardly, and the two as MacDowell left them are like detached
scraps having no relation to one another. As we proceed the music
becomes mysterious and restless until a more solid chord passage
appears. The whole is soon interrupted by the arresting figure of
the introduction, now appearing softly, with foreboding
seriousness. With the resumption of the _Allegro risoluto_ the
striving commences again and is even more restless than before.
From now onwards the music becomes increasingly significant,
graduating in tone power from a shadowy _ppp_ to solid and virile
loud chords. The first and second subjects formally reappear and
the end comes with a short coda, the feature of which is its
powerful upward expansion, culminating in chords of great
strength, the striking opening figure being again heard.