Piano sonatas (Beethoven)

Lore & Background

Beethoven's early sonatas were highly influenced by those of Haydn and Mozart. Nine of his early sonatas are four movements long, which was rather uncommon in his time. After writing his first 15 sonatas, he told Wenzel Krumpholz, 'From now on, I'm going to take a new path.' His middle-period sonatas show daring modifications to common sonata form and deeper expression, and most Romantic period sonatas were highly influenced by them.

Reader's Guide

Beethoven's piano sonatas came to be seen as the first cycle of major piano pieces suited to both private and public performance, forming 'a bridge between the worlds of the salon and the concert hall.' The first person to play them all in a single concert cycle was Hans von Bülow. The first complete recording was by Artur Schnabel for His Master's Voice. The late sonatas are some of Beethoven's most difficult works and some of today's most difficult repertoire, often incorporating fugal technique and radical departure from conventional sonata form. The 'Hammerklavier' was deemed unplayable until almost 20 years later, when Liszt played it in a concert. Many pianists have since performed or recorded the complete cycle, including Artur Schnabel, Claudio Arrau, Wilhelm Kempff, Daniel Barenboim, and others.

Did You Know?

• Beethoven also wrote three sonatas at age 13 and one unfinished sonata (WoO. 51).
• Hans von Bülow called the 32 sonatas 'The New Testament' of piano literature.
• The 'Hammerklavier' sonata was considered unplayable until Liszt performed it nearly 20 years later.