Beethoven still had five years left to live when he wrote this sonata but in many ways it feels like a definite end. The thirty two piano sonatas has spanned nearly thirty years of his life and transformed the genre from an at home entertainment to a vehicle of intimate, personal expression. Pianist Robin Taub describes Op 111 as , “a work of unmatched drama and transcendence … the triumph of order over chaos, of optimism over anguish.”

The work is only two movements, something he did in four previous sonatas but still unusual enough for Beethoven’s publisher to assume that the final sonata-rondo has been lost in the post. A sketch was made for the last movement but, with every second counting, it was put aside in favour of the Missa Solemnis.

Beethoven had managed to solve the problem of unity between movements by resolving the conflicts of one in the other. The two-movement format also results in an interesting binary comparison representing the opposing forces of major/minor, allegro/adagio, appassionato/semplice, sonata form/variation form, turmoil/ecstatic serenity, earthly/spiritual prevalent in much of his work.

In the first movement, a trill fading to pianissimo, which eventually leads to successive suspensions, repeatedly tempers the aggressiveness of the fortissimo dotted rhythm. A tremolo in the left hand introduces a fugue theme that is never fully realised, instead being treated as a free-form sort of canon. The two main thematic motives are tossed about between registers without ever getting completely off the ground. Beethoven manages to make it sound impressive without formally doing anything. The classic Beethoven dichotomy between c minor and C major is very much present here as final fortissimo statement of the theme in the home key in c minor mysteriously leads to a C major cadence.

The final movement in Beethoven’s piano oeuvre is a mammoth variation set, nearly twenty minutes in length. In contrast to the staggeringly intense Grosse Fugue, Beethoven’s last string quartet movement, this is simplistically cheerful. In C major, the key he used most often to indicate triumph and happiness, Beethoven finally lets go of tension and instead concentrates on writing joyful, exuberant music.

It is significant that he chooses a variation set. A master improviser, Beethoven could vary any theme almost indefinitely even if he had only heard it once. He had no shortage of skill or imagination and would gleefully accept the challenge given by his friends or members of the nobility. Although it is impossible to say with any certainty, it is certainly plausible that it was in these situations that Beethoven felt the least tormented by his personal afflictions and frustrations and was able to truly be content.

Like Op 109, there are six variations in this set. The theme is so simple that it is fit for a child’s piano lesson. Making something out of nothing is one of Beethoven’s trademarks and here it serves as a reminder of his incredible skill. With what seems like no effort at all, the contentedness of the opening theme is built up into a wild euphoria by the third variation. Complex subdivisions of metre in the first two variations slowly increase the excitement until all of the sudden it seems as if Beethoven has discovered jazz. The dotted rhythms of the third variation have resulted in it being nicknamed the boogie-woogie variation.

Things calm down a little in the fourth variation with the theme remaining relatively intact accompanied by a murmuring left hand. For the fifth variation, Beethoven chooses to present the original opening theme with the variation occurring in the accompaniment. Trills indicate the beginning of the final variation, which moves the theme to the upper register. A G major pedal is heard throughout in the form of a constant trill. The mood becomes more otherworldly and reflective as the trill is moved to the upper register and the piece ends quietly and contentedly, without fanfare.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 54

On paper, Op 110 is a traditional four-movement sonata. In reality however the work is a further example of the dissolution of sonata form within the outer movements as well as any sense of the usual order of the movements themselves. The cantabile theme of the first movement is more reminiscent of a Haydn string quartet adagio than a Beethoven sonata opening. The melody is unadorned in the right hand and accompanied by repeated chords in the bass. With the expected sonata form abandoned, the next six minutes are taken up with a sort of meandering through the movement with periodic restatement of the opening theme. Secondary themes are short and mostly motivic and the development section is practically non-existent. After a decorated version of opening theme appears, the movement ends with a quiet cadence.

Although less than three minutes long, the third movement is a fully formed scherzo and trio. The extreme dynamics and uneasy accents are almost comical. Especially amusing is the ending, where a string of fortissimo chords end with a pianissimo resolution of the final cadence.

A contemplative recitative beings the final movement of Op 110, further illustrating Beethoven’s preoccupation with song during this period. The basic structure is arioso, fugue, arioso, fugue with the opening recit soon transformed into the single line melody of the first arioso. Simple, repeated chords in the bass create a transparent texture. The fugue theme is stated quietly at first and increases in volume and intensity as the other two voices make their entrances. Its sturdy, no-nonsense feel is in stark contrast to the delicate beauty of the arioso. This time, beauty wins and the fugue fades back to arioso before reaching any sort of climax. Insistent G major chords begin the second fugue, the subject of which is the first fugue theme upside down. Beethoven really goes to town here and uses diminution—cutting the note values in half and half again—to increase intensity and bring the movement to an unexpectedly joyful close.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

Although he was enormously popular and financially secure, this period was incredibly stressful for Beethoven personally. By his early forties, he had finally admitted that his marriage project had been a dismal failure. Despite yearning to be a husband and father, Beethoven renounced the idea of domestic happiness and isolated himself more and more from the outside world. The legal battle he started for guardianship of his nephew Karl was a misguided attempt at creating a family of his own and ended disastrously.

During this turmoil, Beethoven became acutely aware of his own mortality and was certain that he would not be given enough time to complete his creative endeavours. In 1818, he wrote in his diary, “before my departure for the Elysian fields I must leave behind me what the Eternal Spirit has infused into my soul and bids me complete. Why, I feel as if I had hardly composed more than a few notes.” In light of this, Beethoven had to decide between enjoying his remaining years and continuing to work on his art. It seems that in the end, the decision was not so difficult. He wrote again in his diary, “Only in my divine art do I find the support which enables me to sacrifice the best part of my life to the heavenly Muses.”

In light of the limited time he had remaining, Beethoven felt it necessary to perform a sort of “compositional triage” on his remaining ideas. He prioritised to ensure that the most important compositions were completed before his death. There is a very definite sense of finishing up in his late works with the results being four piano sonatas, the Diabelli Variations, the Ninth Symphony, Missa Solemnis and five string quartets.

Stylistically, Beethoven’s late sonatas exhibit an enormous tension between radical and retrospective that is bewitching to musicologists, theorists, performers and listeners alike. These three works show Beethoven’s love of rich harmonies, his fascination with intricate counterpoint and strict adherence to some Baroque and Classical forms, all the while ignoring others. Despite the strictures of fugue, these sonatas contain some of his most expressive music. Movements are marked Arietta, Cantabile and Gesganvoll, all markings related to singing. Indeed, sketches for Missa Solemnis were found in the same sketchbook as these sonatas.

Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
Vivace ma non troppo - Adagio espressivo
Prestissimo
Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung

In these last three sonatas Beethoven discards traditional sonata form wholesale. He alternates between improvisatory sections and strictly worked out fugue, adagio and vivace, cheeky and soul-destroyingly tragic whenever it suits him. In Op 109, he even mixes German and Italian tempo markings. At his stage in his life, Beethoven has no contemporary influences and is creating completely original music.

Although marked Vivace, the opening of the first movement is essentially an improvisatory mediation on what will turn out to be the Adagio theme. As the movement progresses, the music picks up pace but remains largely hymn-like despite the extremes in register in both hands. A seventh chord announces the beginning of the Adagio section, where the theme is heard in full after a reprise of the improvisatory opening.

The second movement gets off to a strong start with a fortissimo statement of a thematic motive. It is not fugal but contains imitative, canonical elements and usage of the circle of fifths typical of counterpoint. Beethoven alternates between the strict, learned style of counterpoint and his more idiomatic sonata style as if he is toying with the idea of fugue but unsure if he really wants to use it.

Beethoven prescribes the third movement to be songlike, with the most intimate of feelings and indeed the opening theme of this variation set is one of his most singable. Traditionally variation sets increase the decoration and number of notes as the set progresses. Here, the tempo changes with each of the six variations and their styles vary widely.

The third variation uses the baseline of the theme as its subject, while the fifth is sturdy canon, an idea completely unheard of in classical variation sets. The final variation reverts to the opening tempo and slowly becomes more and more dense as accompaniment duples give way to triples, quadruples and finally a full out trill that eventually fades in to an unadorned restatement of the opening theme.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 54

In the 11 years between Op 10 and Op 81a, much had changed both for Beethoven personally and in Europe politically. Beethoven had become a household name throughout Europe for his music, the impact of which was compounded by his near complete deafness and unpredictable behaviour. Since Op 10, he had written 6 symphonies, 5 piano concerti, 9 violin sonatas, the Violin Concerto, the Triple Concerto, 18 piano sonatas and 9 string quartets, all of which have become standard repertoire in their respective genres.

Beethoven wasn’t the only one who had arrived however. An Italian megalomaniac called Napoléon had been terrorising much of Europe since the turn of the century. When the French Revolution first started Beethoven was enamoured, as most students are, with the ideas of liberty, fraternity and equality. He was often frustrated by the customs and rules of the aristocracy that provided his support and found in Napoleon an embodiment of the triumph he wished for himself.

Beethoven’s admiration for the French general was withdrawn abruptly in 1803, when Napoleon had a spot of amnesia regarding the republican ideals of the French Revolution and declared himself First Consul for Life. This imperial gesture was too much for Beethoven and upon hearing the news he tore the dedication out of his Third Symphony manuscript.

The lives of the two revolutionaries intersected again in 1809 when Napoleon was advancing with his troops to Vienna. The majority of the Viennese aristocracy sensed trouble afoot and fled the city. Beethoven’s good friend and patron Archduke Rudolf left with his entire family, leaving Beethoven without any friends in the city. Op 81a depicts the Archduke’s departure, Beethoven’s feelings about his absence and the Archduke’s return to Vienna. It is Beethoven’s only concretely programmatic work and it is dedicated to its subject.

Beethoven was unable to escape Napoleon’s influence even after the General left Vienna. When the sonata was being printed, the publisher insisted on using French titles with Italian tempo markings rather than the German that Beethoven had insisted on. Naturally this decision disgusted him and he dismissed the French and Italian as being Napoleonic, an adjective that he would have used as a superlative eight years previously. In later sonatas, he made sure to avoid using the offending languages, titling them für Hammerklavier rather than pianoforte and using German tempo markings.

The first movement, entitled Das Lebewohl, was written in May 1809 when the Archduke left Vienna with his entourage. It is reported that he spent the duration of the siege holed up in his brother’s cellar with a pillow over his head to protect what little remained of his hearing. The published dedication reads, “On the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration.” Private notes in the sketches indicated that the movement was “from the heart.” The opening, descending motive is a distant horn call, a device used by composers before and after Beethoven to indicate a farewell. In the score, he makes his intentions perfectly clear by writing the word Le-be-wohl over these three notes.

The second and third movements were written in January of 1810 after the Archduke and the rest of the court returned to Vienna. Das Abwesenheit expresses Beethoven’s feeling loss during the Archduke’s absence. It is improvisatory in nature and one can easily imagine Beethoven at the piano working out the loneliness he felt during that time. The second theme is slightly more optimistic than the first and although this movement isn’t his most tragic, Beethoven does manage to convey a strong sense of pathos. The extended chain of false cadences immediately preceding the third movement are brilliantly tense. The harmonic unrest deliciously amplifies the euphoria of the maniac third movement opening.

Das Wiedersehen is in strict sonata form but in many ways it resembles a caprice. It is short on melody but there are plenty of fireworks, with the pace only lessening slightly during the second theme. Beethoven even marks the tempo a rather silly vivacissimamente. The coda starts out calmly and it appears as though Beethoven has finally managed to get his excitement under control. It is not too long however, before the seams burst and the piece comes to a dazzling end.

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• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

The difference in style between the three early sonatas and Appassionata is marked. In the intervening 12 years, Beethoven had written 20 piano sonatas, two cello sonatas, nine violin sonatas, three piano concerti, the first six string quartets, the Triple Concerto and the first three symphonies. None of these works, except perhaps the Third Symphony have inspired so much comment as Appassionata.

English composer Hubert Parry wrote of the sonata, “Here the human soul asked mighty questions of its God and had its reply.” Vladimir Lenin once said, “I know nothing that is greater than the Appassionata; I would like to listen to it every day. It is marvellous superhuman music. I always think with pride - perhaps it is naïve of me - what marvellous things humans can do.”

It is indeed one of Beethoven’s most violent and passionate works and it has been said that Appassionata is the sonata he loved over all the others. The piece was written during the summer of 1804 while Beethoven was holidaying in Baden outside of Vienna. By this point he was nearly deaf and had been sent to the country by his doctor to recover from treatments.

As with the Pastoral symphony, the theme for the final movement came to him as he was walking outside in the country. Upon returning home, he rushed to the piano before even removing his hat and spent an hour furiously writing the music down. The work was not published until 1807, with the nickname Appassionata given by the publisher. Somewhat unusually for Beethoven, he approved of this action and was not upset with the publisher for taking liberties.

The most unusual aspect of the first movement is the omission of the repeated exposition. This is the first time Beethoven does this and signals his rejection of tradition classical sonata form. It is as if he has too much to say to be bothered with repeating himself again. The coda is long and improvisatory, with arpeggios spanning nearly the entire length of the piano available to him at the time. This lengthy writing in the coda would be extended even further in the Fifth Symphony where the V-I cadences seem to go on forever.

The slow movement is a set of theme and variations that are mostly given over to harmonic progression rather than straight melody. Somehow Beethoven manages to make something beautiful out of a harmony exercise and the result is simply stunning. The end of the Andante is interrupted by a pair of diminished seventh chords heralding the beginning the third movement. Once again, Beethoven gets creative in the coda and introduces an entirely new theme. In the final bars, the piece comes crashing down on itself and ends with a short but defiant final cadence.

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• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 54

With stories of his tantrums and grumpy demeanour in plentiful supply, it is difficult to imagine Beethoven ever cracking a smile or telling a joke. This sonata proves without at doubt that Beethoven’s sense of humour functioned perfectly well. Both Op 54 and Op 57 ‘Appassionata’ were written while Beethoven was holidaying in Baden outside of Vienna in 1804. By this point he was nearly deaf and had been sent to the country by his doctor to recover from treatment. The two pieces could not be more dissimilar.

In Op 54, Beethoven lampoons the style galant which was the popular salon style at the time. It had reached its zenith in the Prussian court of Frederick the Great nearly twenty years earlier but elements of the style remained in salon music all over Europe. The music was generally light and song-like, highly embellished and diligently avoided the use of counterpoint or other learned music. Beethoven doesn’t indulge in straight parody like Mozart did for his Musical Joke but rather chooses to disrupt convention in his own way.

The opening theme is delicate and pleasant and at once it appears that the stage is being prepared for a set of gentle variations. Just as the first variation is about to begin, the second theme bursts suddenly onto the scene in the form of a fortissimo canon. The inclusion of several, rather theatrical, szforzandi only serve to heighten the sense of ridiculousness. Is seems as if Beethoven was even poking fun at himself a little bit as sudden and extreme changes in dynamics are typical of his style. In the development the main theme is treated to extended trills, turns and gratuitous scale passages, which immediately bring to mind works by Clementi and Kuhlau.

While Beethoven manages to make nothing out of something in the first movement, he performs the opposite trick in the second and fashions five delightful minutes of music out of an F major scale, some running thirds and a few turns around the circle of fifths. The overall texture is quite delicate and aside from a few chords and the odd octave doubling, is in two parts throughout. Two-part writing is a common counterpoint exercise and although Beethoven never uses canon in this piece, it certainly sounds as if there very well could be. The texture becomes more muscular in the coda, which takes off as soon as it begins, nearly tripping over itself in its hurry to get to the final cadence.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

Like the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the first movement of the Moonlight sonata has become a victim of its own popularity. The piece has been transcribed for all manner of instruments and there is hardly an amateur pianist who has not given it a try at least once. It was wildly popular in Beethoven’s day as well, to the point of exasperating the composer enough to write, “Surely I’ve written better things.”

Beethoven’s assertion did not stop other composers from heaping on the superlatives. Berlioz once wrote that the first movement “is one of those poems that human language does not know how to qualify.” It is heard so often that it has become almost cliché and it is difficult to listen to it with fresh ears. But as with all things cliché, the piece became that way for a reason. If it is possible to force all the advertising images and twee elevator music incarnations out of one’s head and begin fresh, it would be difficult not to be mesmerised by the beauty and power of this sonata.

There some rather ironic elements to this piece and the first is the opening movement. It is championed as the paragon of romanticism and beauty and yet it does not contain a single theme that can be sung in the shower. There is also virtually no dynamic change. Any melody is an incidental byproduct of the harmonic progression because it is the changing harmony in the left-hand triplets that creates and releases tension. JS Bach’s C major Prelude from the Well Tempered Clavier Book I is constructed in the same way.

The short second movement is essentially a connector between the opening adagio and the dramatic presto finale. American pianist and author Charles Rosen describes the last movement as “most unbridled in its representation of emotion” and goes to say that, “even two hundred years later, its ferocity is astonishing.”

The Presto represents another one of the great ironies of ‘Moonlight’ in that it is quite difficult to play. The opening movement is relatively easy for an amateur pianist of Grade 4 or 5 standard while the last movement is technically very demanding and is a challenge even for professional players. A flurry of dominant seventh arpeggios and solid, fortissimo cadential resolutions bring the piece to a close in a characteristically Beethovenian way and leave the listener about as far away from the opening adagio as possible.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

Not so good however, was Beethoven’s mental health. His deafness was becoming more and more apparent and frustration turned to into dark depression. Playing the piano was one of the few ways he had left to communicate as he wished. Piano sonatas were now much more than moneyspinners. They were a place for Beethoven to express himself freely without the encumbrance of speech.

He had already been experimenting with variations on traditional forms in his first four sonatas but in Op 27, perhaps trying to free himself from any impediment to his expression, Beethoven throws convention into the wind and marks both pieces quasi una fantasia. Both sonatas are still loosely based on sonata form but are conceived more as one whole unit rather than three separate episodes.

One of the hallmarks of fantasia is its improvisational style. Beethoven was a master improviser and often won competitions when he was younger. Themes are not heard in full and formally developed as they are in strict sonata form but rather introduced at will, taken over by something new only to reappear a little while later in a different form. Also typical are quick, unannounced changes in tempo, mood and key.

Op 27 No.1 ‘quasi una fantasia’
Andante-Allegro
Allegro molto e vivace
Adagio con espressiones-Allegro vivace

The pairing together of these two sonatas is one of those rather unfortunate moments in history and Op 27 No.1 suffers badly from being completely overshadowed by the Moonlight sonata. Granted, Op 27 No.1 is not one of the strongest of the 32, nevertheless it is not without its moments of beauty.

The adagio opening of the last movement is particularly lovely and contains wonderfully contemplative, cadenza-like passages. Eventually, the adagio gives way to a cheerful fugue. Counterpoint and other learned styles were often included in fantasia because it was a way for the composer or improviser to show off their technical skill. Fantasias were a test of the musician’s worth.

It is difficult to modern listeners to appreciate how much of a premium was put on a musician’s improvisation skills during the Baroque and Classical eras. Many classical musicians in modern times can go an entire career without ever having to improvise, something that would have been completely unheard of 200 years ago.

To Op 27 No.2 ‘Moonlight’

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

The D major sonata is regarded by most critics as the finest of the Op 10 set. Music historian Ernest Walker wrote that ‘the individuality of style is absolute and unchallenged, the structure of all the movements is mature and flawless.’ The movements are rigorously constructed and are a good mix of Beethoven’s emerging personal style and the prevailing Classical style of Haydn and Mozart. The opening Presto features sudden dynamic changes that would soon become typically Beethovenian.

While Mozart and Haydn et al, wrote music that always had a twinkle in its eye, Beethoven made his name peddling tragedy and melodrama. The second movement, according to Beethoven, “expresses a melancholic state of mind… [portraying] every subtle shade, every phase of melancholy.” No other composer manages to portray such soul-destroying heartbreak in as few notes as Beethoven. The darkness abates somewhat in the gently optimistic scherzo and is forgotten completely in the almost joyful rondo finale.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 81a ‘Les Adieux’

Beethoven made a few minor changes to the standard sonata form in this piece, the first of which occurs in the development of the first movement. Traditionally, the development is a place for the composer to play around with the first and second themes and then modulate back to the home key in time for the recapitulation. Beethoven introduces new thematic material into the development, setting the stage for a new flexible sonata form that would later include, among other things, double developments, extended and double codas, and new thematic material in the coda.

In the second movement, Beethoven again plays with convention by setting a minuet and trio in a minor key. He disguises it by labeling the score Allegretto but the ABA form is a dead give away. The ever-resourceful Beethoven pulls another trick out of the bag for the final movement and set the whole thing as a fugue. It is not a strict setting but rather fugal principles combined with Classical form. The fugue was considered by Beethoven’s contemporaries to be difficult to master and restrictive. Beethoven had such facility that he was able to use the format extensively in the development, a place generally reserved for less academic figures.

On to Op 10 No. 3

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

The Op. 10 piano sonatas were dedicated to the Countess Anna Margarete von Browne, whose husband was Beethoven’s chief patron between 1797 and 1803. Their collaboration resulted in one of the more amusing examples of Beethoven’s scatterbrainedness. After the dedication, the Brownes gave Beethoven a gift of a riding horse, which he promptly forgot about. One of his more enterprising servants hired out the horse and it wasn’t until Beethoven received a large bill for fodder that he curtailed the servant’s illicit entrepreneurial activities and got rid of the animal.

During the late 18th century, it was customary for chamber works to be published in multiples of three. Mozart’s six Haydn quartets and Haydn’s Op 76 quartets are well known examples of this practice. Beethoven worked on Op 10 from 1796-1798. As a set, they are angular and experimental, moving farther and farther away from the influences of his Classical heritage. Despite his erratic behaviour and tempestuous personality, Beethoven made changes to his compositional style rather gradually. The bookends of his oeuvre are miles apart but still very much connected, with each piece representing an indispensable part of the whole.

Sonata in C minor Op 10 No 1 1796-98
Allegro molto e con brio
Adagio molto
Finale: Prestissimo

Often referred to as the Little Pathétique, Op 10, No.1 is appreciated more for its foreshadowing of subsequent compositions than a valuable sonata in its own right. The comparison between the two sonatas (the other is Op 13) doesn’t own anything to the thematic material but rather to the key structure and tempo markings. Pathétique was written in 1798, almost immediately following Op. 10 and it does seem as if Beethoven was using this sonata as a trial run.

The first movement is a fairly standard affair in sonata form. In the second movement, Beethoven is up to his usual trick of using harmony to create melodic tension, choosing rather to innovate in his choice of form. The sonatina form, ABAB, is a sonata without a development section and was quite a popular choice during the Classical period. It is not considered a serious form and indeed many an amateur pianist will recall learning works in this format in their early days.

[redacted to correct error. third movement returning soon!]

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

Op 7 was written in 1797 and the influence of Haydn and Clementi is very apparent. Despite the debt owed to these Classical composers, Beethoven, always an innovator rather than a follower, made sure his personal style was stamped all over the sonata.

The tempo markings are more emotional than functional, a habit that would become more pronounced in his later works. Rather than just mark the first movement Allegro, he insists on making sure the performer plays quickly and with spirit. He would use the same tempo marking in the opening movement of his Fifth Symphony as well as the 21st piano sonata ‘Waldstein’.

The structure of Op 7 is extraordinarily broad. At over 30 minutes in length, only Op 106 ‘Hammerklavier’ is longer. Unlike Hammerklavier, each of the four movements in Op 7 are roughly the same length.

A notable feature of the first movement is Beethoven’s use of 6/8 meter. This meter was reserved traditionally for last movement rondos in many classical symphonies and wind concerti. He uses it to great effect particularly in the coda where he takes liberties with the bar lines and displaces the rhythm slightly. In the second movement, Beethoven uses another one of his tricks: silence. Leaving gaps of nothing is a very effective way to slow the pace and provides an even starker contrast to the running notes of the first movement.

Although not marked a minuet, the third movement is set in triple meter, is written in binary form and has a trio passage in another key; all hallmark features of a traditional minuet. Beethoven again plays with the form in the final movement. On paper it is a rondo but the lyrical opening theme is highly unusual for the form. He provides some suitably stormy contrasting sections but chooses to ignore the rousing coda typical of rondo form and instead ends the sonata with a string of shimmering pianissimos.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

At nearly 10 minutes longer, the third piano sonata is the weightiest of the three Opus 2 works and is generally recognised to be the first of Beethoven’s virtuosic sonatas.

The first movement begins rather like a gentlemanly conversation before dissolving into an animated discussion. There are several motifs and themes presented, varied upon and developed and one can really start to see the young Beethoven breaking away from the strict sonata structure of the late Classical period. In this movement he is beginning to breakdown the traditional idea of theme in favour of rhythmic and melodic motifs. This is a technique that he used very successfully in the opening movement of the Fifth Symphony and one that Wagner would exploit to the extreme 100 years later.

Although it is nearly twice as long as the Adagio of the two previous sonatas, this movement contains very little in the way of surprise. The opening theme is first heard undecorated like a Bach chorale and is varied upon along with the second theme throughout the movement.

The scherzo opens with a delightfully fugal presentation of the first theme. The second section is much more lyrical and features sustained legato arpeggiation that contrasts nicely with the more formal opening section. The style of this short movement is indicative of the stylistic direction the scherzo would take in later works of Beethoven and his contemporaries.

The final movement is a charming Allegro full of virtuosic variations and pianistic fireworks. It is easy to imagine Beethoven setting a theme and then seeing how outrageously he could vary it just because he could.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 57 ‘Appassionata’

Like the first Sonata, this opening movement is very Classical sounding and one could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a Clementi sonata. The second theme is simply a turn that it is repeated at a higher and higher pitch Development ends abruptly, almost as if Beethoven decided to scrap the ideas half way through and recapitulate. He restates the opening phrase of the first theme and just as we are sure the end of the movement is coming, he suddenly breaks back into another round of developing. Playing around with and significantly extending the development section of sonata movements is something Beethoven would become quite adept at in later compositions.

The second movement begins with a sort of walking bass in the left hand and a very simple melody in the right. It is quite an introspective movement and one can very easily imagine a young Beethoven sitting at the piano on a rainy day writing down whatever came to mind.

The inclusion of a scherzo was a relatively new development. Third movements up to this point were usually titled Menuetto, which was a highly stylised upper class dance. Scherzi are generally at a faster tempo and have more energy. At this early stage, there is not much audible difference between the two but there would be in Beethoven’s later sonatas and symphonies.

The fourth movement is marked grazioso, meaning gracefully. It’s a relatively innocuous marking but it indicates a change in the way the rondo was being used. Originally, rondo were in 6/8 time and rather raucous as they were indicative of the hunt. The insertion of grazioso means that the rondo was being distanced from those rough associations and regarded as a form on its own. This particular rondo is very Clementi-esque although bits of Beethoven’s own personality show through in the muscular chords and sudden dynamic changes.

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 81a ‘Les Adieux’

By the age of 23, Beethoven had moved to Vienna and established himself as a virtuoso pianist without rival. Like Bach and Mozart before him, Beethoven could out-improvise anyone and took great pleasure in showcasing his talent. The three early sonatas were written between 1793 and 1795 for piano pupils, just like those of Haydn, Mozart and Clementi. This doesn’t mean that they were inferior or very easy, just that they were not really intended as concert pieces.

The hearing loss that would torture Beethoven for the rest of his life was still two years away, so Beethoven was not yet using the piano sonata as a means of personal expression. Nevertheless, there are still moments of simple beauty, particularly in the Adagio of the first sonata.

The Opus 2 sonatas are dedicated to Haydn, with whom Beethoven studied briefly. Haydn held Beethoven in high regard and predicted that he would be a musical giant. The young Beethoven however, did not return the sentiment and was later reported to have remarked that Haydn was a teacher from whom he “did not learn a thing.”

Piano Sonata in F minor Op 2 No 1
Allegro
Adagio
Menuetto: Allegretto
Prestissimo

The opening movement is very Classical in style and brings to mind immediately the works by Hadyn or Clementi learned by many a student pianist. The movement has many features one would associate with a late Classical piano work. It is in sonata form; the accompaniment in the left hand is generally quavers based on the triad and the theme is developed using the circle of fifths pattern. There are no surprises here but it is still a very pleasant four and a half minutes of music.

The Adagio illustrates Beethoven’s ability to write a good slow movement. He does not write beautiful melody like Mozart does but relies instead on the harmony to lead, usimg suspensions to create and release tension. The Alberti bass line is a nod to late 18th century style. Beethoven’s choice of harmony gets more interesting in the second section where he write chromatic passages in the left hand. The transition back to the first theme is quite beautiful and the movement finishes with some tender moments in the coda.

In the final movement, there is no trace of the wildly popular Alberti bass. The rather furious opening passage very much foreshadows the tension of the Appassionata opening movement. The second theme is operatic and features the quaver accompaniment one would expect. After a very short development, we hear the opening themes in the home key and piece ends out of nowhere, as it began.

Piano Sonata in A major Op 2 No 2

Like this? Why not try:

• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 109
• Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 81a ‘Les Adieux’