Sonata No. 2 in A major for Violin and Piano, Op. 12

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

I. Allegro vivace

II. Andante, più tosto allegretto

III. Allegro piacevole                                                                                  

Sonata No. 3 in E-flat major for Violin and Piano, Op. 12

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

I. Allegro con spirito

II. Adagio con molta espressione

III. Rondo: Allegro molto                                                                           

Sonata No. 9 in A major for Violin and Piano, Op. 47, "Kreutzer"

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto - Adagio - Tempo primo

II. Andante con variazioni

III. Finale: Presto

In 1792, Ludwig van Beethoven arrived in Vienna as a 21-year-old pianist determined to make his mark. Within just a few years, he was known equally as a brilliant performer, an artist with volatile moods, and a composer whose music pushed the bounds of the Classical idiom as defined by Mozart and Haydn. Written around 1797-98, Beethoven’s first published collection of violin sonatas (op. 12) is an excellent illustration of the way he navigated the transition between 18^th-century Viennese Classicism’s elegant balance and 19^th-century Romanticism’s passionate individualism. In a diplomatic and humble gesture, Beethoven dedicated the collection to his teacher, Antonio Salieri. The works themselves tell a slightly different story, however. Eighteenth-century violin sonatas typically involved a well-defined partnership: the piano led, while the violin contributed colorful commentary. Beethoven deliberately upset this balance, writing parts of equal weight and dramatic interplay. (One reviewer complained that the sonatas were “difficult beyond all reason,” a sure sign that Beethoven was already redefining expectations.) By the time the so-called Kreutzer Sonata (op. 47) emerged in 1803, Beethoven had reimagined the genre entirely, transforming it from polite salon conversation to a stage for passionate human emotion. 

Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 12 No. 2

Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2 in A Major exemplifies the youthful charm and humor of his earlier compositions. In the joyful opening, marked Allegro vivace, the violin and piano spar in quick, witty exchanges and jesting syncopation. A graceful, slightly wistful Andante, più tosto allegretto follows, with variations on a lyrical theme that reveal Beethoven’s melodic and harmonic innovations. The jocular concluding Allegro piacevole ends the sonata on an upbeat, yet somewhat restrained note. Despite its Classical veneer, the sonata’s unpredictable modulations, dramatic dynamics, and bold accents make it distinctly Beethoven.

Sonata No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 12 No. 3

The grandest in the Op. 12 collection, the Sonata No. 3 clearly departs from the age of Mozart and Haydn, pointing towards the expansiveness of Beethoven’s middle period. Sharply contrasting moods, muscular rhythms, and sparkling virtuosity characterize the opening Allegro con spirito. Ethereal beauty permeates the central Adagio con molta espressione, as long-limbed melody floats operatically over luminous piano harmonies. A playful Rondo: Allegro molto, with quicksilver scales and rhythmic surprises, completes the sonata with grace and brilliance.  

Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 (Kreutzer)

Although it was composed less than a decade later in 1803, the Kreutzer Sonata seems to come from a different universe. Now in his early 30s, Beethoven was grappling with encroaching deafness as he cultivated the heroic style that would soon transform symphonic music. Beethoven wrote the Kreutzer Sonata for English violinist George Bridgetower, who premiered it in May 1803 with the composer at the piano. After the two quarreled, however, Beethoven rededicated the sonata to the French virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer. Ironically, the sonata’s namesake never performed the work, calling it “outrageously unintelligible.” Tolstoy later immortalized the sonata’s high drama in his novella, The Kreutzer Sonata (1889), transforming Beethoven’s composition into a symbol of obsession and moral struggle.

The solemn chords that begin the expansive Adagio sostenuto—Presto announce a work that is very different from Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3. As Kreutzer suggested, the violin writing—full of double stops, rapid leaps, and fierce tremolos—challenged all who performed the work. The slow Andante con variazioni, a theme and variations, ranges from graceful simplicity to searching introspection. The finale, a whirling Presto in tarantella rhythm, drives forward with almost demonic energy.