Hepokoski and Darcy (2006, 232) state the profound importance of the ESC, stating that it represents the "goal toward which the entire sonata-trajectory has been aimed." Although the ESC signals closure in a sonata-form recapitulation, its occurrence in a first movement can be undermined by later movements, deferring large-scale closure to the finale (2006, 337). This paper analyzes such deferrals in three of Beethoven's late quartets: op. 130, 131, and 132.
The first movement of op. 130 hints at the I:PAC at the end of S-theme space with a V7-I motion, but the top voice drops out for the tonic harmony, thus undermining both the ESC and the ensuing theme's status as a C theme. The final movement "compensates" for this through a relatively clear ESC at the boundary between its S and C-theme spaces. This "compensation" is less present in the final movements of op. 131 and op. 132. The first movement of op. 131 lacks closure, deferring it to the finale, whose ESC is obscured. Although the first movement of op. 132 produces an ESC, the finale ends with an ambiguous sense of closure that is non-cadential.
Signals of closure in Beethoven's late quartets may be ambiguous through the classic-form lens, but it still makes sense to analyze and understand them in terms of classic forms for the sake of comparison. The author hopes this study will provide additional examples of post-Classical forms that are viewed as creative for their own sake rather than deviations of earlier models.