Piano Sonata No. 1 (Beethoven)

Piano Sonata No. 1
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Cover of 1862 edition of Beethoven's first three piano sonatas (Breitkopf & Härtel)
Key	F minor
Opus	2/1
Style	Classical period
Form	Piano sonata
Composed	1795 (1795)
Dedication	Joseph Haydn
Published	1796, Vienna
Publisher	Artaria
Duration	18 minutes
Movements	4
Audio samples
I. Allegro (3:20) file help
II. Adagio (6:01) file help
III. Menuetto and Trio (Allegretto) (3:26) file help
IV. Prestissimo (4:44) Recorded c. 1935, performed by Artur Schnabel file help

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2 No. 1, was written in 1795 and dedicated to Joseph Haydn. It was published simultaneously with his second and third piano sonatas in 1796.

Donald Francis Tovey wrote, "Sir Hubert Parry has aptly compared the opening of [this sonata] with that of the finale of Mozart's G minor symphony to show how much closer Beethoven's texture is. The slow movement ... well illustrates the rare cases in which Beethoven imitates Mozart to the detriment of his own proper richness of tone and thought, while the finale in its central episode brings a misapplied and somewhat diffuse structure in Mozart's style into a direct conflict with themes as Beethovenish in their terseness as in their sombre passion".^[1]