Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German
composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most
admired composers in the history of Western music; his
works rank among the most performed of the classical
music repertoire and span the transition from the
Classical period to the Romantic era in classical
music. His career has conventionally been divided into
early, middle, and late periods. His early period,
during which he forged his craft, is typically
considered to have lasted until 1...(+)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German
composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most
admired composers in the history of Western music; his
works rank among the most performed of the classical
music repertoire and span the transition from the
Classical period to the Romantic era in classical
music. His career has conventionally been divided into
early, middle, and late periods. His early period,
during which he forged his craft, is typically
considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to
around 1812, his middle period showed an individual
development from the styles of Joseph Haydn and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized
as heroic. During this time, he began to grow
increasingly deaf. In his late period, from 1812 to
1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and
expression.
Beethoven was born in Bonn. His musical talent was
obvious at an early age. He was initially harshly and
intensively taught by his father, Johann van Beethoven.
Beethoven was later taught by the composer and
conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe, under whose tutelage
he published his first work, a set of keyboard
variations, in 1783. He found relief from a
dysfunctional home life with the family of Helene von
Breuning, whose children he loved, befriended, and
taught piano. At age 21, he moved to Vienna, which
subsequently became his base, and studied composition
with Haydn. Beethoven then gained a reputation as a
virtuoso pianist, and was soon patronised by Karl
Alois, Prince Lichnowsky for compositions, which
resulted in his three Opus 1 piano trios (the earliest
works to which he accorded an opus number) in 1795.
The Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49, No. 1, and
Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major, Op. 49, No. 2, are
short sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, published in
1805 (although the works were actually composed a
decade earlier in early to mid 1797). Both works are
approximately eight minutes in length, and are split
into two movements. These sonatas are referred to as
the Leichte Sonaten to be given to his friends and
students.
The Piano Sonata No. 20 was possibly written around the
time Beethoven composed the Third and Fourth sonatas,
but because it was published in Vienna in 1805, nearly
a decade after it was actually written, it was assigned
then-current opus and sonata numbers, which classified
it alongside works from the composer's middle period.
Very similar circumstances caused Beethoven's Piano
Concerto No. 2 to appear as his second, even though it
predated the first.
Beethoven often suppressed works in his early years,
either revising them later for publication or
determining that they were not fit. In fact, he
withheld many early works from publication for life. In
the case of these two sonatas, it was Kaspar van
Beethoven, the composer's brother, who decided they
were worthy of publication. Against the composer's
will, he presented them to a publishing house, thus
allowing posterity to hear works that might otherwise
have been lost or destroyed.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonatas_Nos._19_an
d_20_(Beethoven)).
Although originally written for Solo Piano, I created
this Arrangement of the Sonata in G Minor (Op. 49 No.
1) for String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
