LESSON NOTES AND RESOURCES: EXPLORING BEETHOVEN'S PIANO SONATAS

Lecture 2: The First Thirteen

Key points from the lectures, by Jonathan Biss
© 2015 Jonathan Biss

Note about terms: To find definitions of musical terms, visit a resource such as On Music Dictionary (http://dictionary.onmusic.org).
For more detailed definitions, visit your local library to check Oxford Music Online (http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com) or Grove's
Dictionary of Music and Musicians. To listen to the complete sonatas, go to http://www.IMSLP.org.
Note: Whenever a composer is not mentioned, the work is by Beethoven . –Curtis Teaching Staff

LECTURE 2: THE FIRST THIRTEEN SONATA INFORMATION

Beethoven’s Early Style Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7
The Sonata Op. 7 is very much a work of what is I. Allegro molto e con brio: E-flat major
commonly known as the early period. (sonata form)
II. Largo: C major
The idea of dividing Beethoven’s music into three periods III. Allegro: E-flat major and E-flat minor
comes from Wilhem von Lenz, who in 1855 wrote one of (menuet)
the first ever biographies of Beethoven. IV. Rondo: E-flat major (rondo)

Beethoven’s first published pieces were meant to be, Average Duration: 30 minutes
among other things, calling cards. Composition Year(s): 1796-97

Beethoven initially travelled to Vienna in hopes of

studying with Mozart, but ultimately ended up studying
with Haydn.

The most salient feature of the late works is their refusal

to be restricted by any sort of convention, to fall back on
rhetoric.

Beethoven’s treatment of sonata form was ALWAYS in

flux. The first thirteen Beethoven sonatas—all written
between 1795 and 1800—form a unit.

The “early” period finds Beethoven already fully mature,

but still aspirational; one can hear in it the desire to
impress, with brilliance—both compositional and
instrumental—that is occasionally just slightly show-
offy.

Unlike early catalogue Mozart, Beethoven’s first

published works are definitely not prodigy pieces.

© 2015 Jonathan Biss Lecture 2: The First Thirteen Updated: 05/31/2015 Page 1 of 5
Additional References
Works of the middle period: Sonata Op. 53, “Waldstein”; Sonata Op. 57, “Appassionata”; Symphony Op. 55,
the “Eroica.”

First 13: the first 11 published sonatas, plus Op. 49, Nos. 19 and 20

NOTES

Expanding the Scope of the Sonata: Op. 7, 1st Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7
Movement I. Allegro molto e con brio: E-flat major
The Sonata Op. 7 takes longer to play than any sonata (sonata form)
other than the “Hammerklavier.”

The first movement conforms absolutely to the traditional

sonata form model.

Op. 7’s center of emotional gravity is firmly planted in the

first half of the work. It is in four movements. Neither
Haydn nor Mozart ever wrote a four-movement piano
sonata. From the very beginning, Beethoven took the
sonata to be a more major statement than did Haydn and
Mozart.

This opening movement is not thematically driven.

Beethoven’s themes are very often designed to be played
with, wrestled with. The opening theme is malleable
precisely because it is so neutral: that is a quintessential
Beethoven quality.

What is also notably symphonic in Op. 7 is the use of the

piano.

Beethoven was always stretching the limits of the

instrument, always looking to get more out of it. That
sense that the instrument is never really quite enough for
him is always there—a part of the DNA of the music—a
source of its power.

Additional References
Sonata Op. 57, “Appassionata”; 5th Symphony, Op. 67; Sonata Op. 110
The “fortepiano” had 5 octaves, increasing to 7 octaves in Beethoven’s lifetime. He owned Broadwood pianos.

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NOTES

Early Experiments in Metaphysics: Op. 7, 2nd Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7
Movement II. Largo: C major
One of Beethoven’s greatest gifts was his use of silence—
to articulate the grammar of the music, to heighten
tension, and simply to create atmosphere.

The slow movements of Op. 2, No. 3, and Op. 7 are in

keys that are distant from the sonata’s home. The key
becomes an important tool in giving the slow movements
a special gravity, a totally differentiated sound world and
affect from the rest of the pieces.

Additional References
Sonata Op. 2, No. 3; 3rd Piano Concerto, Op. 37; 3rd Symphony, the “Eroica”; Sonata Op. 106, the
“Hammerklavier”

NOTES

Respecting and Disrespecting Tradition: Op. 7, 3rd Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7
and 4th Movements III. Allegro: E-flat major and E-flat minor
The last two movements of Op. 7 seem to represent a (menuet)
return to a more traditional aesthetic. The minuet is an IV. Rondo: E-flat major (rondo)
older, more traditional form than a scherzo. And the
character of the minuet is less typically Beethovenian than
the scherzo—it is less acerbic, has less bite.

Fortissimos of any kind are extremely rare prior to

Beethoven; Mozart used it exactly once in all of his piano
music.

The end of the Op. 7 turns out to be one of its greatest

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inspirations. When Beethoven introduces such a distant
key into the rondo of Op. 7 itself, however, it really breaks
the contract he has with the 18th-century listener.

The first two movements of Op. 7 are still where the most
happens, but the last movement holds its own, and the end
is what lingers in the memory. This represents a
significant first step towards a total reinvention of the
shape of the sonata.

NOTES

Terms
Menuet: A dance form, originally French, performed in a moderate or slow triple meter. It was used as an
optional movement in Baroque suites, and frequently appeared in movements of late 18th-century multi-
movement forms such as the sonata, the string quartet, and the symphony.
Motif: A short musical idea, melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, or any combination of these three. A motif may be
of any size and is most commonly regarded as the shortest subdivision of a theme or phrase that still maintains
its identity as an idea. (Source: Grove music online)
Rondo: A formal structure, frequently used in the Classical period for the finales of multi-movement works,
where the initial thematic section repeats in alternation with different material, for example: ABACADA, etc.
It will always begin and end with the “A” section, with any number of alternating sections in between.
Cadence: Any melodic or harmonic progression which signifies the ending of a musical phrase.
Half-cadence: The cadence ends on the Dominant (as opposed to the Tonic) and as a result feels unresolved.
“Relative” keys: The term “relative” is used to indicate the connection between a major and a minor key that
share the same key signature. For example, C major’s relative key is A minor; the C major and A minor scales
consist of all the same notes, just with a different starting point.
Beethoven’s Three Periods
An imperfect but useful method, in use since the mid-19th century, of categorizing Beethoven's works and thus
observing his development.
1. ca. 1782–1802: “Early Period”
2. ca. 1802–12: “Middle,” “Heroic”
3. ca. 1813–27: “Late”

Further Research

Period instruments
 Metropolitan Museum of Art: an image of a 19th-century fortepiano by Graf and an essay on Viennese
pianos
 Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra three-part article on/about the fortepiano
© 2015 Jonathan Biss Lecture 2: The First Thirteen Updated: 05/31/2015 Page 4 of 5
  Explore the world of musical instruments: an online Europeana exhibition, including historical pianos,
fortepianos, etc., primarily from European museums

Recordings Mentioned
The complete recordings of the Beethoven piano sonatas by Artur Schnabel (EMI Great Recordings of the
Century, #63765) and by Richard Goode (Nonesuch, #79328)

Digital Mozart Edition

The complete works of Mozart, being developed for online study as the Digital Mozart Edition

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