WoO 51 – Sonata in C major for Piano, dedicated to Eleonore Breuning, 1791-October 1792, published in Frankfurt, Dunst, 1830. GA. No. 159 (Series 16/36) – Bruers 162 – Kinsky Halm (WoO) 51 – L. IV, page 337- Nottebohm page 148 – Petters 35 – Sch. pages 217/29 – Thayer 41

It is generally believed that this Sonata was written – or at least fully extended in sketch – in 1791-1792. The date of 1796, which some nevertheless attribute to it, seems to us to refer only to the time of its dispatch to the addressee: a promise made long before and only then kept. In a letter from Beethoven to Eleanor, which recent critics date to early June 1794, he wrote: “The tie you made arrived unexpectedly… He reminded me of past events, and his generosity made me feel uncomfortable. I was surprised to learn that she still regarded me as significant. If you had observed my reaction upon receiving your gift yesterday, you would understand that I am not exaggerating when I say your gesture evoked strong emotions and a sense of melancholy. My commitments are numerous; otherwise, I would have provided you with a copy of the Sonata I promised some time ago. The manuscript remains in a preliminary state, and even Paraquin—who is quite proficient—would find it challenging to produce an accurate copy. The manuscript, originally owned by Franz Gerhard Wegeler (who married Eleonore Breuning in 1802), was transferred by him in 1830 to Dunst, a publisher, court theatre singer in Bonn, and skilled copyist.

The Adagio was unfinished, and Ferdinand Ries wrote the last eleven current bars of it on the faithful scheme of the corresponding ones of the first part. When it was sent to Eleonore in 1796, the second phase was complete; a third likely came later and was dispersed over the next thirty-four years before publication. In 1907, following a series of transfers, the manuscript was returned to the ownership of the Wegeler descendants; however, the first page remained missing. Whether Beethoven had a close relationship with his peer and pupil Eleonore Breuning, who was part of the prominent Bonn family that treated him more as a family member than a teacher, and to what extent these feelings were mutual, remains one of the unresolved questions in his biography. The letter cited above, along with another dated November 2, 1793, references a disagreement or misunderstanding between the two parties but provides limited additional detail. Similarly, the musical homage—sent several years later and only partially available to us—offers no further clarification.