Piano sonatas (Beethoven)

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Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his 32 piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. Although originally
not intended to be a meaningful whole, as a set they comprise one of the most important
collections of works in the history of music.[1] Hans von Bülow called them "The New
Testament" of music (Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier being "The Old
Testament").[2]

Beethoven's piano sonatas came to be seen as the first cycle of major piano pieces suited to
concert hall performance.[1] Being suitable for both private and public performance, Beethoven's
sonatas form "a bridge between the worlds of the salon and the concert hall".[1]

Contents
[hide]

 1 List of sonatas
 2 Performances and recordings
 3 References
 4 Literature
 5 External links

List of sonatas[edit]
Opus 2: Three Piano Sonatas (1795)

 No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor

 No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major
 No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major

Opus 7: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major ("Grand Sonata") (1797)

Opus 10: Three Piano Sonatas (1798)

 No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor

 No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major
 No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major

Opus 13: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ("Pathétique") (1798)

Opus 14: Two Piano Sonatas (1799)

  No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major (Also arranged by the composer for String Quartet
in F major (H 34) in 1801)
 No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major

Opus 22: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major (1800)

Opus 26: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major ("Funeral March") (1801)

Opus 27: Two Piano Sonatas (1801)

 No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major 'Sonata quasi una fantasia'
 No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor 'Sonata quasi una fantasia' ("Moonlight")

Opus 28: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major ("Pastoral") (1801)

Opus 31: Three Piano Sonatas (1802)

 No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major

 No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor ("Tempest")
 No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major ("The Hunt")

Opus 49: Two Piano Sonatas (1805)

 No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor

 No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major

Opus 53: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ("Waldstein") (1803)

 WoO 57: Andante Favori — Original middle movement of the "Waldstein" sonata (1804)

Opus 54: Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major (1804)

Opus 57: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ("Appassionata") (1805)

Opus 78: Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major ("A Thérèse") (1809)

Opus 79: Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major (1809)

Opus 81a: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major ("Les adieux/Das Lebewohl") (1810)

Opus 90: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor (1814)

Main article: Late piano sonatas (Beethoven)

Opus 101: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major (1816)

Opus 106: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major ("Hammerklavier") (1819)

Opus 109: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major (1820)

Opus 110: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major (1821)

Opus 111: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor (1822)

Performances and recordings[edit]

In a single concert cyclus, the whole 32 sonatas were first performed by Hans von Bülow.[3] A
number of other pianists have emulated this feat, including Artur Schnabel (the first since Bülow
to play the complete cycle in concert from memory), Roger Woodward[4] and Michael Houstoun,
who has performed the full sonata cycle twice; first at the age of 40, and then 20 years later in
2013.[5]

The first pianist to make a complete recording was Artur Schnabel, who recorded them for EMI
between 1932 and 1935.[6] Other pianists to make complete recordings include Claudio Arrau,
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wilhelm Backhaus, Daniel Barenboim, Malcolm Binns (on period pianos),
Alfred Brendel, Annie Fischer, Richard Goode, Maria Grinberg, Friedrich Gulda, Jenő Jandó,
Wilhelm Kempff, Anton Kuerti, Paul Lewis, András Schiff, Russell Sherman, and Gerard
Willems (the only pianist to do so using a Stuart & Sons piano). Emil Gilels also began to record
the set but died before he could complete it.

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Rosen (2002), accompanying note
2. Jump up ^ "Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier - Das Wohltemperierte Clavier - release
information". Retrieved 9 September 2011.
3. Jump up ^ Carnegie Room Concerts
4. Jump up ^ Celebrate 88. Retrieved 16 July 2014
5. Jump up ^ Hannigan, Margot (21 August 2013). "Beethoven, Houston a treat for audience". The
Nelson Mail. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
6. Jump up ^ Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas in Two Volumes, ed. by Artur Schnabel, Alfred
Masterwork Edition, Publisher's Preface

Literature[edit]
 Rosen, Charles (2002). Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion. Yale University
Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09070-3.
 Tovey, Donald (1999). A Companion to Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. Associated Board of
the Royal Schools of Music. ISBN 978-1-86096-086-4.
 Taub, Robert (2009). Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas. Amadeus Press. ISBN 978-
1-57467-178-0.
 Behrend, William (1988). Ludwig Van Beethoven's Pianoforte Sonatas. Ams Pr Inc.
ISBN 978-0-404-12861-6.
  Matthews, Denis (1967). Beethoven piano sonatas. British Broadcasting Corporation.
 Drake, Kenneth (2000). The Beethoven sonatas and the creative experience. Indiana
University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21382-2.
 Harding, Henry Alfred (2010). Analysis of Form in Beethoven's Sonatas. Nabu Press.
ISBN 978-1-176-31116-9.

External links[edit]
 Beethoven lecture-recitals at Wigmore Hall, London by András Schiff

[hide]

 v
 t
 e

Piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven

 Three Piano Sonatas, WoO 47 (Beethoven)
Unnumbered

 No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1

 No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2
 No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3
 No. 4 in E♭ major, Op. 7 (Grand Sonata)
Nos. 1–10  No. 5 in C minor, Op. 10, No. 1
 No. 6 in F major, Op. 10, No. 2
(Opp. 2–14)  No. 7 in D major, Op. 10, No. 3
 No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 (Pathétique)
 No. 9 in E major, Op. 14, No. 1
 No. 10 in G major, Op. 14, No. 2

 No. 11 in B♭ major, Op. 22

 No. 12 in A♭ major, Op. 26 (Funeral March)
 No. 13 in E♭ major, Op. 27, No. 1
Nos. 11–20
 No. 14 in C♯ minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight)
(Opp. 22–49)
 No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 (Pastoral)
 No. 16 in G major, Op. 31, No. 1
 No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (The Tempest)
 No. 18 in E♭ major, Op. 31, No. 3 (The Hunt)
  No. 19 in G minor and No. 20 in G major, Op. 49

 No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 (Waldstein)

 No. 22 in F major, Op. 54
 No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 (Appassionata)
 No. 24 in F♯ major, Op. 78 (A Thérèse)
 No. 25 in G major, Op. 79
 No. 26 in E♭ major, Op. 81a (Les adieux)
Nos. 21–32
 No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90
(Opp. 53–111)  No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
 No. 29 in B♭ major, Op. 106 (Hammerklavier)
 No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
 No. 31 in A♭ major, Op. 110
 No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

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