Beethoven's Piano Sonatas among the new entries to the 2018 National Recording Registry

Last updated 11/16/2020.

Piano Sonatas (32) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer)

Composed: 1795-1822 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: classical

Early Sonatas: 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) Middle Sonatas: 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 (composed 1795–6, published 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) Late Sonatas: Opus 101: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major (1816) Opus 106: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major ("Hammerklavier") (1818) 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) Average Duration: 10-11 hours

Rating: 4.625 out of 5.00 (average of 4 ratings) Awards:

About the Sonatas: Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, written over more than a quarter century, were not originally intended as “a meaningful whole,” WK but “as a set they compose one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. Hans von Bülow called them ‘The New Testament’ of music (Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier being ‘The Old Testament’).” WK “Beethoven's piano sonatas came to be seen as the first cycle of major piano pieces suited to concert hall performance. Being suitable for both private and public performance, Beethoven’s sonatas form a bridge between the worlds of the salon and the concert hall.” WK The sonatas have been grouped as the early sonatas (1-11), middle sonatas (12-27) and late sonatas (28-32). The early sonatas “were highly influenced by those of Haydn and Mozart.” WK His middle sonatas “are very different from his earlier ones;” WK “his experimentation in modifications to the common sonata form of Haydn and Mozart became more daring, as did the depth of expression.” WK The late sonatas comprise “some of today's most difficult repertoire. Yet again, his music found a new path, often incorporating fugal technique and displaying radical departure from conventional sonata form. The Hammerklavier was deemed to be Beethoven's most difficult sonata yet. In fact, it was considered unplayable until almost 15 years later, when Liszt played it in a concert.” WK “In a single concert cycle, the whole 32 sonatas were first performed by Hans von Bülow. 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),” WK who was also the first pianist to make a complete recording of the sonatas. He recorded them between 1932 and 1935 for EMI. WK His recordings were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2018.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Ludwig van Beethoven WK Wikipedia

December 17, 1865: Schubert's Unfinished Symphony premiered

Last updated August 29, 2018.

Symphony No. 8 in B minor (“Unfinished”), D. 759 Franz Schubert (composer) Composed: 1822 First Performed: December 17, 1865 Sales: -- Peak: --

Quotable: --

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Genre: classical > symphony

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Parts/Movements:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante con moto

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Average Duration: 24:20

Review: “Early in 1822, Schubert was at the zenith of his career and he began writing a monumental Symphony in B minor. By the end of that year, he had scored the first two movements and sketched a third. He contracted syphilis late in that year and for a time was completely incapacitated, which was when he stopped work on the symphony and set it aside. By spring, he had recovered some of his strength. He was accepted for honorary membership in the Styrian Music Society at Graz in Austria. As part of his acceptance, he sent the two completed movements of the B minor Symphony to its director, Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who promptly stuffed them into a drawer and forgot them. It languished there until 1860, when Hüttenbrenner’s younger brother Joseph came upon it and recognizing it as a lost treasure and began badgering Viennese conductor Johann Herbeck to perform the piece. The work was finally performed December 17, 1865.” MM “The symphony itself is both large and understated. From the first, ominous opening bars, it is evident this is not the youthful Schubert who earlier crafted six lightweight symphonies. Confident and audacious, Schubert begins the 14 minute first movement by laying down a cornerstone in the basses, upon which is layered a gentle, wafting melody which gradually accumulates mass and power to a quick conclusion. This all turns out to be an introduction, and one of the composer's most brilliant melodies ensues. This, too, quickly becomes larger and more dramatic and an effective bridge leads back to the beginning. An intense, soaring center section, almost triumphant in its great chords, leads to a final reprise of the opening and the great movement ends solemnly.” MM “The 11 minute Andante con moto movement begins with a marvelous melody, presented straightforwardly with no ornamentation, and this leads seamlessly to another marvelous woodwind melody. Great, broad shouldered strides carry the music to a new key where the themes are repeated. Tranquillity returns with the first themes and after a summation of what has passed, the movement – and the work – marches quietly to its end.” MM Review Source(s): MM Michael Morrison, All Music Guide

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