Opus 2
3 Sonatas in F minor, A major, and C major for piano (1794–spring 1795).
Opus 2 – 3 Sonatas in F minor, A major, and C major for piano, Op. 2, dedicated to Haydn, 1794 – spring 1795, published in Vienna by Artaria, March 1796. GA. nos. 124-126 (series 16/1-3) – B. 2 – KH. 2 – L. I, p. 21 – N. 2 – P. 62 – T. 40.
Intended to inaugurate the glorious series of thirty-two piano sonatas, the three Sonatas of Op. 2 are the first compositions for piano that Beethoven numbered, though not the first he wrote or the first he published. Between 1783 and 1792, Beethoven composed three other Sonatas (WoO47), one of which was lost, that were published by the Spira-based publisher Bossler in October 1783. The front page of the edition claimed they were written “at the age of 11” (though Beethoven was actually almost 13). Two others (WoO50 and WoO51) were published posthumously.
The genesis of these Sonatas Op. 2, however, goes back a long way, and we can assign them a gestation period of at least ten years. The earliest sketches certainly date back to the Bonn period (there are some Sketches, including one of the first part of the Allegro of Sonata No. 1, which was documented by Nottebohm and Prod’homme, found on a sheet that also contains the Lied Klage, preserved in the archive of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna and dating from February/March 1790). They were then resumed in 1793 and again in 1794, and it is very likely that they were completed during the beginning of September.
According to Ries, the three Sonatas were first performed at a private concert at the palace of Prince Lichnowsky and were already known to Vienna’s amateurs in 1795. They were then published in March 1796 (following the three Trios for violin, cello, and piano Op. 1) by Artaria as Op. 2, dedicated to Haydn (likely to make amends for Beethoven’s refusal to dedicate the three Trios of Op. 1 to the elderly master). With this dedication, Beethoven wanted to pay homage—not only officially—to the old and glorious master, who had been his teacher from his first arrival in Vienna (November 1792) until the end of 1793. However, Haydn wanted Beethoven to mention in the dedication that he had been his pupil, a custom of the time. Beethoven, however, refused, stating that “he had learned nothing from him.”
In a dismissive manner, Haydn returned the Sonatas, asserting that Beethoven needed further lessons and declaring that “the talent was not lacking, but further instruction was still needed.” The front page of the Sonatas, in line with the conventions of the time, left it up to the performer to choose between harpsichord and piano. However, since there is no noticeable difference in instrumental writing between the Op. 2 Sonatas and the piano part of the Op. 1 Trios (in which no alternative between piano and harpsichord is offered), Beethoven simply conformed to the editorial practice.
Turning to the analysis of these Sonatas, one must first note a significant formal aspect: they are structured in four movements (in contrast to those typically composed in three movements by Haydn, Clementi, and Mozart). This means that, for the first time, Beethoven’s piano sonatas take on a broader and more varied structure than the standard classification of the 18th century (even though Beethoven would later return to the three-movement or even two-movement sonata form). Naturally, this also involves a greater depth in thematic and harmonic development.
Another element to consider in these Sonatas is the expansion and strengthening of the sonata form, particularly in terms of its dynamic and rhythmic structure, as well as the dialectical interplay of modulations, aimed at creating a denser and more substantial musical discourse. This reflects a pianism with psychological overtones, where the two opposing principles—transmuted by Beethoven from Immanuel Kant—on which sonata form is based are stability and instability, which in turn correspond to brightness and melancholic introspection. This approach is less tied to a salon-like taste; rather, it begins to lay the groundwork for what would become one of Beethoven’s most important compositional traits: an enormous amount of musical material packed into only a few minutes of music—something never seen.
According to Carli Ballola, these Sonatas thus represent the “manifesto” of the style that the composer would use for many years to come: the so-called “first style” of Beethoven, as categorized by the well-known (though still undeniably valid) musicologist Lenz.
While Beethoven’s early works bear traces of Haydn and Mozart, this influence can be found in the relatively superficial melodic and rhythmic traits that both composers shared.
The Sonata in C major is marked by a type of pianistic virtuosity very much akin to the robust and flashy technique of Muzio Clementi, and quite distant from the writing of the Viennese classics. As Carli Ballola puts it: “From the massive piano writing that essentially refers to the ‘modern’ Clementi (who, as we know, was not at all admired by Mozart), the plethoric abundance of ideas, the rigorous developments, and the taste for eccentric and whimsical invention are at the opposite pole from the essentiality and ‘normality’ of Mozart’s style.”
[By Biamonti Giovanni – Catalogo cronologico e tematico delle opere di Beethoven comprese quelle inedite e gli abbozzi non utilizzati, Torino, ILTE 1968]
Official title: Opus 2 Drei Sonaten (f-moll, A-dur, C-dur) für Klavier Widmung: Joseph Haydn NGAVII/2 AGA 124-126 = Serie 16/1-3
Origin and Publication: The Sonatas were likely started in 1794/95, drawing on musical material from earlier years. The original edition was published by Artaria in Vienna in March 1796. An early sketch of the first movement of the first Sonata dates to 1793. Beethoven likely rediscovered these notes when he consulted the sketch sheet in 1794/95 while searching for material for the scherzo of the third Sonata. A second surviving draft for the first movement of the first Sonata dates from 1795. The first and third Sonatas were obviously written during the same period. In addition to the connection with the 1793 sheet, this is further evidenced by the inclusion of musical material for the piano quartet WoO 36, No. 3. Beethoven probably composed the second Sonata during the winter of 1794/95. In addition to sketches for the first movement, there are annotations for a variation movement in A major, which may have originally been intended as the final movement of the Sonata. As previously mentioned, the first movement of the third Sonata draws on musical material from the first movement of the piano quartet WoO 36, No. 3, composed in 1785. Sketches from the winter of 1794/95 show that Beethoven initially planned a much larger work than what was ultimately printed. For the third movement, he also used earlier ideas, including some trivial notes from 1793. In the Jahrbuch der Tonkunst von Wien und Prag from 1796, Johann Ferdinand von Schönfeld, who likely wrote it in the second half of 1795, states: “One has already heard several beautiful Sonatas from him, among which his recent ones particularly stand out” (Schönfeld/Annals p. 8).
This should refer to Op. 2; it seems that the manuscripts of the Sonatas were already circulating in Vienna before their publication. Based on a detailed examination of most of the surviving copies of the original edition published in March 1796, Patricia Stroh identified no fewer than seven versions, or seven phases of different publications, all starting from the primary engraving plate.
Dedication: Joseph Haydn, born on March 31, 1732, in Rohrau and died on May 31, 1809, in Vienna. Beethoven first met Haydn personally when he stopped in Bonn during his first trip to England (or possibly on his outward journey: Haydn arrived in Bonn on December 25, 1790, and was introduced to the court orchestra of the Elector the following day, or on his return journey: Haydn traveled through Bonn again in July 1792, and was served breakfast by the electoral orchestra). In November 1792, Beethoven moved to Vienna with a scholarship to be tutored by Haydn until “Papa” Haydn left for England again in January 1794. In 1795, Haydn invited his former pupil to perform his piano concerto (Op. 15 or 19) at his concert in the small Redoutensaal on December 18, 1795 (and again at Haydn’s concert on January 8, 1796). The first performance in 1795 or 1796 was by Beethoven himself in Vienna at Prince Lichnowsky’s, in the presence of the dedicatee, Joseph Haydn (Wegeler/Ries p. 29). It is likely that in 1796, Elisabeth von Kissow performed the Sonatas with Lichnowsky and Rasumowsky. During his stay in Prague in 1798, Beethoven performed movements from Op. 2 No. 2 (Tomaschek/Autobiography p. 374).
The sketches will be examined in a dedicated article created specifically for the Centro Ricerche Musicali www.lvbeethoven.org
The 1st Sonata in F minor
I) Allegro II) Adagio III) Minuetto-Allegretto IV) Prestissimo
Even in the first of the three Sonatas, the one in F minor, the sonata form appears expanded, and the typical three-movement structure cherished by Haydn and Mozart is replaced by four well-differentiated movements: the two outer movements are futuristic and fiery, while at the centre, two pages with a more archaic flavour appear, such as the Adagio (which is a transcription from the Piano Quartet written in 1785) and a Minuet with Trio, which forms an elegant and pure farewell to a typically eighteenth-century form.
The First Movement:
Although the movement has a clear personal imprint, various elements of derivation can be recognised. The first theme (which is reminiscent of that in the sketch for the Symphony in C minor and the Allegro from the Piano Quartet in E-flat major) shows traces of Mozart (e.g., the Sonata in C minor K. 457, or the Finale of the Symphony in G minor), C.P.E. Bach (e.g., the first movement of the Sonata in F minor, Third Series “for connoisseurs and amateurs”), and Durante (the Sonata for harpsichord cited by Torrefranca, where an ascending broken arpeggio is met by a descending one, much like the second theme here). Reinecke, along with other commentators, believes that the first theme of Op. 2 No. 1 was inspired by the first theme of the Finale of Mozart’s Symphony K. 550, while Edwin Fischer suggests a relationship with another Mozart symphony, K. 183 (since, in a sketch published by Nottebohm, Beethoven’s theme lacks the anacrusis).
The architectural structure of the piece differs from the typical one found in Mozart, where the exposition and recapitulation are considerably shorter. In this Sonata, the three sections are nearly of equal length (48, 52, 52 bars).
According to Ian Bent, the reduction (in Schönberg’s writings, this term refers to the shortening of a theme or Grundgestalt) of the figure from bars 1-2 to half the original length (bar 5) creates a rhythmic motion, which effectively propels the music towards the suspended cadence at bar 8. A similar reduction of bars 3-4 occurs at bar 6.
The Second Movement:
In the Adagio of this Sonata, which appears as the most traditionally tranquil page of the entire work, Beethoven reused, transformed, and developed a theme originally composed in 1785 for the Piano Quartet No. 3 for piano, violin, viola, and cello. In this early piece, the young artist succeeded in making the ornamented Adagio come alive in a personal way, a characteristic often found in Haydn and C.P.E. Bach. According to Rosenberg, this Adagio could have been inspired by Haydn’s Adagio from String Quartet Op. 64 No. 5. The main core of the youth composition remains unchanged (allowing listeners to hear the level of genius already present in the 15-year-old composer), and Beethoven simply expanded it with new episodes, which reveal a slight stylistic fracture. For instance, the episode in D minor is stylistically a bit different, pianistically ingenious, for the clever use of the right hand crossing over the left.
The Third Movement:
With the Minuetto, we begin to move away from the typical sounds of the late eighteenth century and step into the characteristics of the nineteenth century. The Minuetto begins in the same register used for the opening of the Adagio, with the same dynamic (piano) and a similar arrangement of parts. But the use of staccato and the absence of the dolce indication (which was present in the Adagio) completely alters the pianistic sonority.
The movement then leads into a brilliant Scherzo, unusually contrapuntal, with a flavourful, rich character.
The contrast between the Minuetto and Trio bears some slight resemblance to the corresponding section of the Fifth Symphony.
The Fourth Movement:
The finale is joyful and pleasant, with a cordial, youthful confidence not lacking in measured virtuosic accents. Here, Beethoven demonstrates his knowledge of Clementi’s finest sonatas and of the most advanced works written for the piano at the time, as noted by Prod’homme. It is likely that the finale was inspired by the Sonata Op. 6 No. 1 by Clementi. The most surprising (and most Beethovenian) feature of the finale is the beginning of the development: a long melody that has no connection to the thematic material of the exposition (Rosenberg, however, showed that this melody derives from material in the first movement). It is a first example of the subtle thematic links Beethoven often establishes between the movements of a Sonata.
The Prestissimo, according to Della Croce, constitutes a: “…masterpiece page, perhaps the first for piano where Beethoven reveals his personality, though still subtly, freeing himself from the influence of past masters.”
The 2nd Sonata in A major
I) Allegro vivace II) Largo appassionato III) Scherzo – Allegretto IV) Rondo: Grazioso
The Sonata No. 2, considered the best of the three in Op. 2, is overall the most deeply rooted in the musical conception of the late eighteenth century. According to Schering, this sonata would have been inspired by the poems of Ossian, particularly by the Lament of Calmar.
The First Movement:
From the very first movement (Allegro vivace), the Sonata in A major reveals a sustained and energetic character, with the second theme unfolding across a wide range of modulations that convey a fervent lyrical tension, in line with Beethoven’s preferred compositional approach. The Allegro vivace, compared to that of the first Sonata, exhibits a greater richness of ideas and developments. The sinuous melodic figure of the second theme forms a distinct contrast with the bold eruption of the opening theme, which nonetheless defines the character of the movement. Charles Rosen, commenting on the second theme, writes: “It has a revolutionary scope: much music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries stems from the exuberant innovative force of this ascending bass and its violent conclusion in a fortissimo dissonance.”
The Second Movement:
The Largo appassionato is a page imbued with noble and thoughtful spirituality, with sonorities so deeply carved and evocative in their timbral arrangement that they almost resemble an orchestral Adagio. The almost religious gravity and the dense instrumental texture do not rob the Largo appassionato of its lyrical impulse. This is the high point of the Sonata: an aria-like song that emerges from a basso accompaniment, considered by all accounts as the first of Beethoven’s great Adagios, which for Hector Berlioz were one of his predominant specialties.
Della Croce notes: “The second movement is incredibly important, a slow movement that is a masterpiece and already contains the aspirations of Romanticism.”
Beethoven inherited this undoubted capability from Handel (whom he regarded as the greatest composer of the past), especially from his oratorios, the genre in which Handel most strongly expressed this tendency, inheriting it in turn from the great Italian tradition, particularly from Giacomo Carissimi.
Antonio Bruers, in his Beethoven catalogue, writes: “The sublimity of Beethoven’s Adagios remains. When considered as a whole, they surpass, in transcendental inspiration and human sentiment, the Adagios of any other composer”; and Richard Sprecht goes even further: “In hearing them, we are introduced to worlds that are the true homeland of the spirit. No one before him revealed them; only a few after him could gaze upon them.”
Finally, Rosen states: “The immense coda is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this movement.”
The Third Movement:
The third movement, unlike the first Sonata, is no longer called a Minuetto but rather a Scherzo. It is a brilliant Scherzo with flavourful moods, which concludes in a joyful and pleasant manner, with a cordial youthful swagger not lacking in measured virtuosity.
In it, the Variation form is employed, and finds its finest moment, once again, in Rosen’s words: “In an interpolation of exquisite workmanship, the expressive cadence in G♯ is expanded.”
The lively instrumental exchange in major is contrasted, like a brief digression from the main theme, by the simple melody of the legato phrase in minor of the Trio.
The Fourth Movement:
Finally, the Rondo Finale: It is a typical Rondo, as graceful as the corresponding movement of the first Sonata was agitated. The most virtuosic of the movements, it belongs to the typically Mozartian genre but also contains a contrasting element in the episode in minor, with its marked rhythm and chromatic figures enveloping it.
Rosen remarks: “The greatest stroke of inspiration is perhaps the transformation, at bar 100, of the initial two-bar arpeggio into a long ascending scale of four bars that spans the entire keyboard of Beethoven’s time.”
The 3rd Sonata in C major
I) Allegro con brio – II) Adagio – III) Scherzo – Allegro – IV) Allegro assai
Op. 2 No. 3 is an ambitious and imposing concert Sonata, characterized by a strong formal freedom and expressive variety, most likely conceived as a showpiece for the young Rhenish virtuoso’s accademie (recitals, as we would say today). In the balance of quality and stylistic unity of its four movements, it encapsulates the traits of the pianistic language developed by the composer during his Viennese apprenticeship: the language of the early Beethoven. And the piano becomes his almost exclusive testing ground.
Apart from the ostentatiously brilliant piano writing, which is far from the style of the Viennese classics, the Sonata relies, especially in its outer movements, on the entire formula established by Muzio Clementi in his sonata repertoire (especially Op. 32 No. 3 and Op. 34 No. 1, both in C major and almost contemporary with Beethoven’s Op. 2). The revealing element of the work’s “public” destination are the two cadenzas in the first and fourth movements—a feature typical of the concerto, but rare in chamber sonatas. The unmistakable Clementi style is also present in the outer movements, with broken octave and sixth passages and parallel third and sixth scales.
Wilhelm von Lenz and Antonio Bruers strangely considered this the weakest of the three Op. 2 sonatas, while modern musicology, in complete opposition, regards it as the most mature and complex of the three.
The First Movement:
The defining motif of this first movement’s theme, unmistakably Clementian, is still based on those parallel thirds, which, according to Mozart, were a “specialty” of the Anglo-Roman master: an euphoric extroversion of the concert pianist who joyfully masters the difficulties of the keyboard with virtuosity that enchants and captivates audiences.
The opening theme of the Allegro is used by Schenker to illustrate the technique of “Übergreifen” (crossing over).
Bent writes in his Treatise on Musical Analysis: “Übergreifen. A term used in Schenkerian analysis to indicate the overlapping of two or more descending linear successions that interlock with one another, giving the impression of a single ascending linear progression pivoted on the initial notes of each segment.”
At the beginning of the Sonata for Piano in C Major Op. 2 No. 3 (…), the two notes (bars 2–3) are used in succession, postponing the higher note (F3 bar 3) to the lower one (D3 bar 2). In this form—admittedly quite elementary—the “crossing over” allows the upper voice to maintain its position relative to the lower voice, thanks to what is essentially a “changed note” figure (…). The F3 and D3 are not perceived simultaneously, but can be interpreted, respectively, as the higher note and the middle note of a dominant seventh.”
After a brief introduction, with the opening outline and subsequent ascent in fortissimo across the notes of the C major chord, a rapid and demanding virtuosity rises, leading into two concertante passages typical of a piano concerto; the initial thematic material, based on the notes of the C major chord, foreshadows the dynamism of Sonata Op. 53 (in the same key).
This opening Allegro con brio features an imposing exposition that uses three themes (instead of the usual two), with the second theme drawing from the third Piano Quartet in C major. It concludes with a kind of cantilena, in two imitated voices of a languid bonhomie. A modulating development derived from a secondary cell, and a small contrapuntal section leads to the recapitulation, culminating in a virtuosic cadenza—an element, as mentioned earlier, quite rare in a Sonata.
The Second Movement:
The absolute introspection of the Adagio, the densest page of the entire Sonata, is in the distant key of E major and has a tripartite structure. The first section, intimate and serene, almost choral in nature, is contrasted by a wide central episode in E minor, a melody that stretches into the extreme high registers of the keyboard, with a dark, pleading, and agitated character. This episode opposes the first section twice before clearing the way for a conclusion imbued with its inherent sweetness.
This Adagio is one of the most dramatic and melancholic creations among all of Beethoven’s works, which, according to Antonio Bruers, vaguely recalls the “Largo e mesto” of Sonata Op. 10 No. 3 and the Adagio of the Hammerklavier Sonata Op. 106. Its importance is so great that Della Croce asserts it reaches “one of the peaks of Beethoven’s early style, worthy even of being compared to works from his late maturity; the composer confirms his place as one of the great masters of the Adagio.”
The Third Movement:
The Scherzo, fragmented in its themes, full of rhythm and highly humorous, is one of the first examples of the genre in Beethoven. A small rhythmic cell (characterized by the anacrustic thrust of its first three notes), initially developed in fugato style, forms the foundation of the movement.
In the Trio, a rudimentary, modulating melody emerges from the arpeggiated figures.
The coda takes the initial Scherzo idea and transforms it into a characteristic color element, placing a darker note in the otherwise bright framework of the movement.
The Fourth Movement:
The luminous Finale, with its timbral splendor and rhythmic drive (in several places with a folk-like character), is like the triumphant epiphany of Beethoven’s C major, which for the first time appears in all its optimistic persuasive force.
The brilliant atmosphere of the first movement returns in this radiant Allegro assai, with an infectious 6/8 rhythm imbued with bright optimism, in the best tradition of Beethoven’s finales.
Ferdinand Böckmann Largo aus der Sonate Op 2 nr 2 Für violocell mit Streich-Quintett
Seiner Majestat
dem Konige ALBERT von Sachsen
in tiefster Ehfurcht gewidmet
LARGO
(aus der Sonate Op 2 nr 2 von Ludwig van Beethoven für violocell mit Streich-Quintett)
bearbeit von Ferdinand Böckmann.
Dresden, L. Hoffarth. (ca 1865)
Opus 2 – 3 Sonate in F minor, A major and C major fo Piano
1808 Transcription for quartet of the three piano sonatas Op. 2
First edition for this ensemble.
Trois / Quatuors Concertants / Pour deux Violons Alto et Basse / Composés par / Van Beethoven / 4e Livre de Quatuors / Prix 9 / A Paris, Omont
