The Three Piano Sonatas, WoO 47, were composed by Ludwig van Beethoven probably between 1782 and 1783, when he was between twelve and thirteen 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.

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 second theme of the first movement closely resembles part of the first, so that in the recapitulation the first theme can be omitted entirely without its absence being noticed. One of the main characteristics of Beethoven's thought is evident in this sonata: the development of a multitude of contrasting motifs and characters from a basic cell. The liveliness of the Rondo reveals Beethoven's evident pleasure in his own virtuosity.

Beginning of No. 1 in E♭ major

The musical ideas are individualized in this sonata, where the strongest emotions are expressed. In the conception of the time, the key of F minor is perceived as severe and passionate, and Beethoven would return to this character later, especially in the Sonatas Op. 2 No. 1 and Op. 57. The first movement, deeply Beethovenian, begins with a slow introduction that makes abundant use of contrasting registers. The appearance of the main theme through repetitions and the change of tempo to allegro already prefigure the Pathétique Sonata. The Presto, with its unison passages and its agitated lines, puts a passionate end to this remarkable work, written by a child.

Beginning of No. 2 in F minor

In the first movement the second theme is introduced as expected, in the dominant, but in the recapitulation it reappears after only four bars, and in the key of G major rather than D major, creating interesting ambiguities about its true status. The Menuetto has six variations, the fourth of which is technically difficult to play in minuet tempo. The composer again uses G major as a substitute for D major in part of the finale, thus establishing a large-scale tonal relationship of the kind normally associated with the mature Beethoven. The humorous sentiment suggested in the Scherzando was to become a regular feature of Beethoven's work.

Beginning of No. 3 in D major

• List of compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven

Notes

Citations

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.

• Song, Moo Kyoung (2002). The Evolution of Sonata-Form Design in Ludwig van Beethoven's Early Piano Sonatas, WoO 47 to Opus 22 (PDF) (Ph. D. thesis). University of Texas at Austin.

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

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