PractisPractis

Piano Sonata No.13, Op.27 No.1

Sonata · in E♭ major · Op. 27 No. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
E♭ major
Key
Sonata
Form
Op. 27 No. 1
Catalogue
Score
First page of Piano Sonata No.13, Op.27 No.1

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Themes & character
Sonata quasi una fantasia·Companion to the Moonlight·Played without breaks·Composed 1801

At a glance

Catalogue
Op. 27 No. 1
Key
E♭ major
Form
Sonata

Movements

I
Andante, AllegroE♭ major

A calm, almost improvised opening interrupted by a brisk central burst.

II
Allegro molto e vivaceC minor

A short, shadowy scherzo.

III
Adagio con espressioneA♭ major

A brief, songful slow section that leads straight into the finale.

IV
Allegro vivaceE♭ major

A vigorous rondo finale that briefly recalls the preceding Adagio before its close.

About the piece

Composed in 1801 and published alongside the Moonlight as the first of the two sonatas Beethoven labelled Sonata quasi una fantasia, sonata almost a fantasy. Where its famous companion has overshadowed it completely, this sonata is arguably the bolder experiment. Beethoven instructs that the movements run together without pause, dissolving the boundaries between them, and lets the finale double back to quote the slow movement before finishing. It was dedicated to Princess Josephine von Liechtenstein.

The composer

Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770–1827

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer, conductor, and pianist. Regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, he was mentored during the Classical period, and his musical style was a key driver of the transition to Romantic music, and the expansion of instrumental forms such as the symphony, the piano sonata and the string quartet. His compositions have attracted extraordinary casual and scholarly interest, and remain among the most performed in the world.

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