Three Piano Sonatas, WoO 47 (Beethoven)

Three Piano Sonatas
Three Piano Sonatas
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Catalogue	WoO 47
Style	Classical period
Composed	1782–1783
Dedication	Maximilian Friedrich
Published	1783
Movements	Three each

The Three Piano Sonatas, WoO 47, were composed by Ludwig van Beethoven probably in 1783, when he was twelve years old.^[1] The sonatas show a certain level of precocity and serve as a precursor to the masterworks he later produced. They are dedicated to the Prince-elector (German: Kurfürst) Maximilian Friedrich^[2] and therefore also known as the Kurfürstensonaten.

Overview

Like Mozart's, Beethoven's musical talent was recognized at a young age,^[3] and these three piano sonatas give an early glimpse of the composer's abilities, as well as his boldness. Beethoven was writing in a form usually attempted by older, more mature composers,^[4] as the sonata was a cornerstone of Classical piano literature. Since they were written at such an early age (and Beethoven himself did not assign them opus numbers), the works have historically been omitted from the canon of Beethoven's piano sonatas. However, Barry Cooper included the trio in his critical edition of the sonatas created for ABRSM, arguing that "A complete edition has to be complete, and if you ignore early works, you don't show the longer trajectory of the composer's development."^[5] The inclusion of these three works raises Beethoven's total number of piano sonatas from 32 to 35.^[a]^[6]

The sonatas

No. 1 in E♭ major

Allegro cantabile
Andante
Rondo vivace

${ \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \relative c'' { \clef treble \key ees \major \tempo "Allegro cantabile" 4 = 130 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \partial 4 bes,8. bes16 | <<g4\p ees'4>> <<g,4.\f ees'4.>> bes8-. ees8-. f8-. | <<ees4\p g4>> <<ees4.\f g4.>> <<bes,8-. ees8>> <<ees8-. g8>> <<f8-. aes8>> | <<g4\p bes4>> <<g4.\f bes4.>> <<c8-. ees8>> <<bes-. d8>> <<aes-. c8>> | \slurDotted <<aes8 c8(>> <<g8 bes8)>> \slurSolid <<g4. bes4.>> ees8 ees8 ees8 | ees8\prall( d8) d4 bes8 \rest \grace bes'16 aes8\p \grace g16 f8 \grace ees16 d8 | d8(\f ees8) ees4 bes8\rest \grace c'16 bes8\p \grace aes16 g8 \grace f16 ees8 | ees8\startTrillSpan(\f d8)\stopTrillSpan d4. \grace bes'16 aes8\p \grace g16 f8 \grace ees16 d8 | ees8-.\ff g16( f16) ees8-. d8-. c8-. ees16( d16) c8-. bes8-. | aes8-. c16( bes16) aes8-. g8-. f8-. aes16( g16) f8-. ees8-. | \grace d16 bes'8 d,16( ees16) f16( ees16 d16 c16) bes2 } \new Staff \relative c { \clef bass \key ees \major <<\new Voice{\voiceOne \partial 4 d4 \rest | ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 ees8 | } \new Voice{\voiceTwo \partial 4 d4 \rest | ees,1 | ees1 | ees1 | ees1 }>> \clef treble bes''16 aes'16 f16 aes16 bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 | bes,16 g'16 ees16 g16 bes,16 g'16 ees16 g16 bes,16 g'16 ees16 g16 bes,16 g'16 ees16 g16 | bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 bes,16 aes'16 f16 aes16 | ees8-. g16( f16) ees8-. d8-. c8-. ees16( d16) c8-. bes8-. | \clef bass aes8-. c16( bes16) aes8-. g8-. f8-. aes16( g16) f8-. ees8-. | \grace d16 bes'8 d,16( ees16) f16( ees16 d16 c16) bes2 }>> }$

Beginning of No. 1 in E♭ major

No. 2 in F minor

Larghetto maestoso – Allegro assai
Andante
Presto

${ \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \relative c'' { \clef treble \key aes \major \tempo "Largetto Maestoso" 4 = 60 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \time 2/2 | <f,\f aes c f>2\arpeggio f8.\prall f16 f4 | f8\p( aes) aes-. aes-. aes\prall( g) g( f) | <<c'2\f e2 g2 c2>> c,8.\prall c16 c4 | g8(\p bes8) bes8-. bes-. bes( aes) aes( g) | <<f2\ff f'2>> r8 <<f,8-.\p f'8>> <<f,8-. f'8>> <<f,8-. f'8>> | <<f,8( f'8>> <<ges,8) ges'8>> <<ges,4\f ges'4>> r8 <<ges,8-.\p ges'8>> <<ges,8-. ges'8>> <<ges,8-. ges'8>> | <<ges,8( ges'8>> <<a,8) a'8>> <<a,4\f a'4>> r8 <<a,8-.\p a'8>> <<a,8-. a'8>> <<a,8-. a'8>> | <<bes,8\pp bes'8>> <<f8 f'8>> <<des,8 des'8>> <<bes,8 bes'8>> <<f,8 f'8>> \hideNotes r4. | r1 \unHideNotes } \new Staff \relative c { \clef bass \key aes \major | <<f,2 f'2>> <<f8. aes8.>> <<f16 aes16>> <<f4 aes4>> | <<\new Voice{\voiceTwo f1 } \new Voice{\voiceOne aes8( c8) c8-. c8-. c8( bes8) bes8( aes8) }>> | <<c,2 e2 g2 c2>> c,8. c16 c4 | \clef treble <<\new Voice{\voiceTwo c'1 } \new Voice{\voiceOne e8( g8) g8-. g8-. g8( f8) f8( e8) }>> | \clef bass aes,,,16 f'16 e16 f16 aes16 f16 e16 f16 aes,16 f'16 e16 f16 aes16 f16 e16 f16 | bes,16 bes'16 a16 bes des bes a bes bes, bes' a bes des bes a bes | c, c' b c ees c b c c, c' b c ees c b c | <<\new Voice{\voiceTwo <<des1 des,1>> | c2\fermata c4 c4\rest } \new Voice{\voiceOne \hideNotes r2 r8 \unHideNotes aes''8^[_( g8 <<f8] b8)>> | <<f2 b2\fermata>> <<c4 g4 e4>> aes4\rest }>> | }>> }$

Beginning of No. 2 in F minor

No. 3 in D major

Allegro
Menuetto – Sostenuto
Scherzando: Allegretto, ma non troppo

${ \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \relative c'' { \clef treble \key d \major \tempo Allegro 4 = 120 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \time 4/4 \partial 4 a16\p( fis) g( e) d4-. <<b'4( d>> <<cis a>> <<g) b>> <<a fis-.>> <<fis\f( a>> <<g e>> <<d) fis>> e8 e\prall( g e) b'( g) e-. d-. d16( cis) e-. d-. cis( d) b-. cis-. a4 a'16( fis) g-. e-. d4-. <<d'(\p b>> <<cis a>> <<b) g>> <<a fis-.>> <<fis(\f d'>> <<cis g>> <<a) c>> <<b\prall g>> <<b8( g'8>> <<e) g,>> <<g( e'>> <<d) fis,>> <<fis( d'>> <<cis) e,>> \grace cis'16 d4 d, r8 d'-. e-. fis-. g16\f( a) g-. fis-. e4 r8 e,(\p fis g) a16( b) a-. g-. fis4 r8 d'-.\f e-. fis-. g16\f( a) g-. fis-. e4 r8 e,-.\p fis-. g-. a16(\f g) fis-. e-. d8-. fis16( a) d8-. d-. d-. d-. d16( cis) b-. ais-. b8 d16 fis b8-. b-. b-. b-. b16( a) g-. fis-. g( a) b-. a-. g8( fis) e-. d-. cis16( a') gis-. a-. e( a) d,-. a'-. cis,( a') gis-. a-. cis,( a') b,-. a'-. a,4\prall cis8. e16 a,4 r4 } \new Staff \relative c { \clef bass \key d \major \partial 4 r4 d,4 r4 r2 r4 d'4( e fis) <<\new Voice{\voiceTwo d4\rest g2 gis4 } \new Voice{\voiceOne \hideNotes r4 \unHideNotes b2.}>> a2 a,4 r4 d4 r4 r2 d4-. d( e fis) g g a a, d16 a'16 fis a d a fis a d, a' fis a d a fis a e a g a cis a g a e a g a cis a g a d, a' fis a d a fis a d, a' fis a d a fis a e a g a cis a g a e a g a cis a g a <<d,2. d,>> <<cis4 cis'>> <<b2. b,>> <<a4 a'>> <<g2. g,>> <<gis4 gis'>> cis16( a') gis-. a-. e( a) d,-. a'-. cis,( a') gis-. a-. cis,( a') b,-. a'-. a,4 cis8. e16 a,4 r4 }>> }$

Beginning of No. 3 in D major

References

Notes

^ With the incipit of a possible 36th identified by Thayer. A fragmentary work in D found in the Kafka Miscellany has been identified as a possible 37th.

Citations

^ Cooper 2017, p. 15.
^ Thayer 1921, pp. 71–74.
^ Thayer 1921, p. 59.
^ Cooper, Barry (2008). Beethoven (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 10.
^ White, Michael (2008-01-20). "Settling Old Scores by Beethoven". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
^ Cooper 2017, p. 13.

Sources

Cooper, Barry (2017). The Creation of Beethoven's 35 Piano Sonatas. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4724-1432-8.
Thayer, A. W. (1921). Krehbiel, Henry Edward (ed.). The Life of Ludwig Van Beethoven, Vol 1. The Beethoven Association. OCLC 422583.

External links

Three Piano Sonatas, WoO 47: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

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[6] With the incipit of a possible 36th identified by Thayer. A fragmentary work in D found in the Kafka Miscellany has been identified as a possible 37th.

[FOOTNOTECooper201715-1] Cooper 2017, p. 15.

[FOOTNOTEThayer192171–74-2] Thayer 1921, pp. 71–74.

[FOOTNOTEThayer192159-3] Thayer 1921, p. 59.

[4] Cooper, Barry (2008). Beethoven (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 10.

[5] White, Michael (2008-01-20). "Settling Old Scores by Beethoven". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-03-12.

[FOOTNOTECooper201713-7] Cooper 2017, p. 13.

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