Piano Sonata No. 12 (Beethoven)

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Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major, Op. 26 in 1800-1801, around the same time as he completed his First Symphony. He dedicated the sonata to Prince Karl von Lichnowsky, who had been his patron since 1792.

Consisting of four movements, the sonata takes around 20 minutes to perform.

1. Andante con variazioni
2. Scherzo, allegro molto
3. Maestoso andante, marcia funebre sulla morte d'un eroe
4. Allegro

The structure of the sonata is unconventional in that the piece opens with a relatively slow movement in the format of theme and variations. In contrast, the remaining movements of the sonata proceed according to classical principles in fast-slow-fast alternation. The third movement of this sonata incorporates a funeral march, clearly anticipating the watershed of the Eroica Symphony that Beethoven wrote the following year. We can only speculate upon the identity of the hero to whom Beethoven's funeral marches were addressed.

Piano Sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven

Op. 2, No. 1 | Op. 2, No. 2 | Op. 2, No. 3 | Op. 7 | Op. 10, No. 1 | Op. 10 No. 2 | Op. 10 No. 3 | Op. 13 (Pathétique) | Op. 14, No. 1 | Op. 14, No. 2 | Op. 22 | Op. 26 (Funeral March) | Op. 27, No. 1 (Quasi una fantasia) | Op. 27, No. 2 (Quasi una fantasia — Moonlight) | Op. 28 (Pastoral) | Op. 31, No. 1 | Op. 31, No. 2 (Tempest) | Op. 31, No. 3 (The Hunt) | Op. 49, Nos. 1 and 2 | Op. 53 (Waldstein) | Op. 54 | Op. 57 (Appassionata) | Op. 78 | Op. 79 (Cuckoo) | Op. 81a (Les adieux) | Op. 90 | Op. 101 | Op. 106 (Hammerklavier) | Op. 109 | Op. 110 | Op. 111