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Piano Sonata No.28 Opus 101 in A Major We now enter Beethoven’s last style period, perhaps his greatest. We remember how he came to Vienna in 1791 or so as a great pianist/improviser and a promising composer. He soon mastered writing symphonies, chamber music, piano and string sonatas, and other incidental pieces. We also remember ...

An die ferne Geliebte, (to the distant beloved) Opus 98 Der Mann von Wort Opus 99 Merkenstein Opus 100 We leave the three great masterpieces of last week’s discussion and now look at some far less known and underappreciated works. They are the songs of Opus 98,99, and 100. Opus 98 is the song cycle ...

String Quartet No.11 in F minor, Op.95    Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major, Op. 96    “Archduke” Piano Trio, Op.97 Three great works of chamber music usher out Beethoven’s middle style period and look forward to his late powerful yet austere period to come. These are the tumultuous Opus 95 String Quartet ...

Symphony No. 7 ​With his 7th Symphony in A Major Opus 92, as with last week’s E minor Sonata for Piano Opus 90, Beethoven continues to move into his late style period. For many, the 7th is their favorite Beethoven symphony. It would be mine too if it weren’t for the 9th and its powerful ...

Piano Sonata No.27 in E minor, Op.90 We are now entering Beethoven’s final style period. As you know by now his music is generally divided into three of them, appropriately named early, middle, and late. There are no bright red lines between them however. With his sonata In E minor Op. 90 we begin to ...

Egmont Overture, Op. 84 Ludwig van Beethoven and Johan Wolfgang von Goethe were two of the dominant intellectual forces of the early 1800s in Europe. They were well acquainted with each other with much mutual admiration. However, they were friends with reservations. Goethe thought that Beethoven was somewhat of a sans culotte, a ruffian, ill-mannered ...

With last week’s blog we’ve reached the year 1810. Beethoven is 40 years old and at the height of his artistry. He has achieved great fame and by now is acknowledged as the greatest composer alive. He loves nature and his God and is hopeful for marriage. However, he is very deaf, frustrated in love, ...

Beethoven’s great sonata for piano in Eb Major Opus 81a “les adieux” was written on the departure from Vienna of the Archduke Rudolph, one of his dearest friends. The publisher, Breitkopf and Haertel came out with a French edition, thus the nickname. Beethoven had titled it in German “Lebewohl” a much more intimate expression than ...

In 1808, Beethoven needed money so he decided to put on a benefit concert for himself. Included on this grand concert were the premieres of his wonderful piano concerto, #4 in G Major, and his fifth and sixth symphonies, along with selections from his Mass in C Major. He decided to write a piece that ...

Beethoven’s String Quartet No.10 Opus 74 in E-flat Major has always been one of my favorites. By now you all know how important this key is to Beethoven. Piano trios, sonatas, the “Emperor” concerto, the “Eroica” symphony! Masterpieces all. The Opus 74 measures up. It begins with a fairly short slow introduction gentle in character. After ...