Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas in the Context of his Other Works

Abstract

This study deals with Beethoven’s piano sonatas in relation to his works in other genres.  Unlike Haydn or Mozart, Beethoven composed many more piano sonatas than symphonies or string quartets; the sonatas far outnumber piano concertos, string trios, sonatas for piano and violin, and sonatas for piano and cello. Moreover, he wrote piano sonatas regularly, with few extended interruptions. During the approximately twenty-nine years between Op. 2, No. 1 (1793-95) and Op.111 (1822), there were only two three or four-year periods—1806-08 and 1811-13—in which he did not complete a piano sonata. In other genres, Beethoven neither composed nor completed works for extended periods of time.