The first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, begins with a gentle, connected melody in chords. Its cantabile character continues through repeated-note accompaniments, wide running passages, and exchanges between the hands. Short trills and changes of register decorate the melodic line without replacing it. The opening ideas return in several settings before a quiet closing phrase.

Opening melody: The first phrases place the melody at the top of closely connected chords. A short rising figure and a trill held under a fermata lead into a more continuous accompaniment. The right hand sings in longer notes while the left repeats small intervals and chords in sixteenths. The bass changes beneath this regular pattern, and the upper line gradually rises. Soft dynamics, slurs, and gentle swells give the opening a restrained shape.

Running passages and contrast: Light thirty-second-note figures sweep through several registers in the right hand while the left supplies separated chords. The runs alternate rising and falling shapes, sometimes adding another note to the upper texture. A quieter passage replaces them with a connected line in eighth notes over broken lower intervals. Changing harmonies and small inner voices lead into a passage where left-hand trills continue beneath upper melodic notes. Fuller chords and accents then bring a stronger return of the main material.

Middle section: The left hand takes over a long sequence of moving sixteenths beneath the upper melody and sustained chords. The accompaniment shifts through different harmonies and registers while the dotted melodic rhythm remains recognizable. A long upper trill appears as the lower figures become faster. The rapid pattern then moves into the right hand, with a thematic line beneath it. The familiar singing melody returns over repeated lower intervals before another key change leads into further light runs.

Later return and close: Running figures are briefly divided between the hands, then continue above widely spaced lower chords. A legato passage restores the original harmonic area. Left-hand trills, upper melodic gestures, and a more forceful chordal response recall the earlier contrasts. Near the end, quick figures alternate with connected chords and short pauses. The last page rises through increasingly active upper patterns, then settles into a broader phrase. A final exchange between the hands leads to quiet chords and written rests.

Interesting fact: The opening is marked “con amabilità,” with the German word “sanft” beside it, emphasizing the gentle character of its first phrases.