very mark of his creation and the form of his thought – an inherent form, a natural one.
(Edwin Fischer ‘Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas’)
Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas constitute a great treasure that embodies a part of
the human eternity. Numerous pianists and musicologists have researched or studied
them, trying to impart to their students or readers the prodigality of these true musical
riches.
Beethoven holds a key rôle in the transformation and evolution of the sonata form. Even
if he maintains the characteristics initially set by his predecessors, Haydn and Mozart,
Beethoven imposes on the sonatas his strong personality, creating a new, impressive form
of art in which his own life, with its joys and sorrows, is projected.
With Beethoven the musical theme acquires remarkable proportions, of such strength that
it imposes itself over the listener’s attention and memory. As the French composer
Vincent d’Indy once said. ‘With Beethoven the musical theme turns into a concept that
spreads throughout the whole work making it easily recognisable, even if harmonic,
modal or tonal aspects change.’
The fundamental principle of organisation of the Beethoven piano sonata is the tonality.
Beethoven perceived tonality as the basis of any composition since it leads to a true
understanding of the musical form.
There are no apparent patterns to the structure of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. Out of the
thirty-two, twelve have four movements, thirteen have three movements and seven have
two movements. Sonatas opus 26, 27, 54, 109 and 110 deviate from the normal character
and order of the individual movements.
A general characteristic of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, and of his compositions in general,
is the care he takes to create an easily perceptible connection between the movements and
the constituent parts of each movement.
Piano pieces
Bagatelles opus 33, 119, 126
Für Elise WoO 59
32 Variations in C minor WoO 80
‘Eroica’ Variations in E flat major opus 35
Andante Favori opus WoO57
Diabelli Variations opus 120
Rondo a Capriccio ‘Rage over a lost Penny’ opus 129 (1795)
Piano concertos
- C major opus 15
- B flat major opus 19