Piano sonatas (Beethoven)
Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas form a bridge between salon and concert hall.
Ludwig van Beethoven produced 32 mature piano sonatas from 1795 to 1822, along with three sonatas written at age 13 and one unfinished sonata (WoO. 51). Though he never planned them as a unified cycle, the collection ranks among music history’s most significant bodies of work. Hans von Bülow dubbed them “The New Testament” of piano literature, pairing them with Johann Sebastian Bach’s *The Well-Tempered Clavier* as “The Old Testament.”
These sonatas became the first major cycle of piano pieces suitable for both private homes and concert halls, bridging the gap between salon and public performance. Von Bülow was the first to perform all 32 in a single concert series, and Artur Schnabel made the first complete recording for His Master’s Voice.
**List of sonatas**
**Bonn sonatas** These four sonatas are typically excluded from the main set: the first three were published when Beethoven was 13, and the fourth was left incomplete by the composer.
- WoO 47: Three Piano Sonatas (composed 1782–83, published 1783) - Piano Sonata in E♭ major - Piano Sonata in F minor - Piano Sonata in D major - WoO 51: Piano Sonata in C major (composed 1790–91, published 1830)
**Early sonatas** Beethoven’s early sonatas were strongly shaped by Haydn and Mozart. Sonatas No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 15 each have four movements, an unusual structure for the time.
- Opus 2: Three Piano Sonatas (1795) - Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor - Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major - Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major - Opus 7: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E♭ major (“Grand Sonata”) (1797) - Opus 10: Three Piano Sonatas (1798) - Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor - Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major - Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major - Opus 13: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor (“Pathétique”) (1798) - Opus 14: Two Piano Sonatas (1799) - Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major (also arranged by Beethoven for string quartet in F major, Hess 34, in 1801) - Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major - Opus 22: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B♭ major (1800) - Opus 26: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A♭ major (1801) - Opus 27: Two Piano Sonatas (1801) - Piano Sonata No. 13 in E♭ major, “Sonata quasi una fantasia” - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor, “Sonata quasi una fantasia” (“Moonlight”) - Opus 28: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major (“Pastoral”) (1801)
**Middle sonatas** After completing his first 15 sonatas, Beethoven told Wenzel Krumpholz, “From now on, I’m going to take a new path.” These works differ sharply from his earlier ones, with bolder experiments in sonata form and deeper emotional expression. Most Romantic-era sonatas were heavily influenced by Beethoven. Following his 20th sonata, published in 1805, he stopped issuing sonatas in sets and instead published each as a single opus; the reason is unknown.
- Opus 31: Three Piano Sonatas (1802) - Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major - Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor (“Tempest”) - Piano Sonata No. 18 in E♭ major (“The Hunt”) - Opus 49: Two Piano Sonatas (composed 1795–96, published 1805) - Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor - Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major - Opus 53: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major (“Waldstein”) (1804) - 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♯ major (“À Thérèse”) (1809) - Opus 79: Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major (“Cuckoo”) (1809) - Opus 81a: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E♭ major (“Les Adieux/Das Lebewohl”) (1810) - Opus 90: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor (1814)
**Late sonatas** Beethoven’s late sonatas rank among his most demanding works and remain some of the toughest piano repertoire today. His music again took a new direction, often using fugal techniques and breaking sharply from traditional sonata form. The “Hammerklavier” was considered his most difficult sonata yet, thought unplayable until Liszt performed it in concert nearly 20 years later.
- Opus 101: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major (1816) - Opus 106: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B♭ major (“Hammerklavier”) (1818) - Opus 109: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major (1820) - Opus 110: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A♭ major (1821) - Opus 111: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor (1822)
**Performances and recordings** Hans von Bülow was the first to perform all 32 sonatas in a single concert cycle. Many pianists have since matched this feat, including Artur Schnabel (the first since Bülow to play the complete cycle from memory in concert), Roger Woodward, Rudolf Buchbinder, and Michael Houstoun, who performed the full cycle twice—first at age 40, then again 20 years later in 2013. Claudio Arrau performed the cycle several times.
Artur Schnabel made the first complete recording, for His Master’s Voice between 1932 and 1935. Other pianists who have recorded the full set include Claude Frank (a student of Schnabel), Wilhelm Kempff, Claudio Arrau, Annie Fischer, Paul Lewis, Daniel Barenboim, Friedrich Gulda, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Mari Kodama, Alfred Brendel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maurizio Pollini, Richard Goode, Stephen Kovacevich, András Schiff, Russell Sherman, Igor Levit, Anton Kuerti, Eduardo del Pueyo, Konstantin Scherbakov, Boris Giltburg, Fazıl Say, Jenő Jandó, Rudolf Buchbinder, John Lill, and others.
- Composer
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Number of mature sonatas
- 32
- First complete cycle performer
- Hans von Bülow
Lore & Background
Beethoven’s 32 mature piano sonatas, composed between 1795 and 1822, are regarded as one of the most significant collections in music history, often called “The New Testament” of piano literature, with Bach’s *Well-Tempered Clavier* as the “Old Testament.” Though not originally conceived as a unified cycle, they form a bridge between private salon music and public concert hall performance. The early sonatas, strongly influenced by Haydn and Mozart, include nine works with four movements, an unusual structure at the time. After completing his fifteenth sonata, Beethoven announced a new creative path, and his middle-period sonatas feature bolder modifications to classical sonata form and greater emotional depth, profoundly shaping Romantic-era sonatas. From his twentieth sonata onward, he published each as a single opus rather than in sets. The late sonatas are among the most demanding in the repertoire, often incorporating fugal techniques and radical departures from conventional form; the “Hammerklavier” was considered unplayable for nearly two decades until Franz Liszt performed it. The first complete cycle performed in concert was by Hans von Bülow, and the first complete recording was made by Artur Schnabel between 1932 and 1935.
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.
More in Classical Music Compositions 1-24
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