All About Ludwig van Beethoven


Best 5 Beethoven Books on Amazon

1.Beethoven: The Universal Composer by Edmund Morris

2.Beethoven by Maynard Solomon

3.Beethoven: The Music and the Life by Lewis Lockwood


5.Beethoven as I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler

Classical Sheet Music Downloads at Virtual Sheet Music

Beethoven's Sonatas for Violin and Piano



  1. Sonata in C major no. 1 op. 12
  2. Sonata in A major no. 2 op. 12
  3. Sonata in E flat major no. 3 op. 12
  4. Sonata in A minor no. 4, op. 23
  5. Sonata in F major no. 5, op. 24
  6. Sonata in A major no. 6, op. 30
  7. Sonata in C minor no. 7, op. 30
  8. Sonata in G major no. 8, op. 30
  9. Sonata in A major no. 9, op. 47 “Kreutzer”
  10. Sonata in G major or. 10, op. 96

The first sonatas for piano and violin, op. 12, no. 1-3 (Sonata in D major, Sonata in A major and Sonata in E flat major) composed in 1799 are dedicated to Antonio Salieri, the capelmaistro of the Viennese court and Beethoven’s professor after Albrechtsberger. These sonatas are considered superior to the sonatas op. 5.

The Sonatas op. 23 and 24 (Sonata in A minor and Sonata in F major) are composed in 1801 and they bring clarity to the concerto style.

A very special place is held by the Sonata in F major op. 24 also known as "The Spring Sonata" through which Beethoven frees himself from the restraints of the norms imposed by previous work.

The Sonatas op. 30 (Sonata in A major, Sonata in C minor and Sonata in G major) composed in 1802 represent an important step in the evolution of the sonata form, each sonata constituting an antithesis for the former and a synthesis of the acquired experience.

The Sonata in A major op. 47, also known as the "Kreutzer Sonata", because it was dedicated to the well-known violinist Rudolph Kreutzer, represents a genuine center of attraction especially due to the concerto character of both instruments, thing that made certain commentators to assert that it is a double concerto. Here we notice Beethoven’s tendency towards monumental architectonic constructions, most evident due to the sonata structure in the extreme parts of the work. It’s worth mentioning that Sonata op. 47 was composed the same year as Symphony III, The Heroic (1803).


Read more about Beethoven's music

  • Beethoven Symphonies - Each of the nine Beethoven symphonies analyzed.
  • String Quartets - Brief analysis of Beethoven's seventeen string quartets.