Books, videos, and music - all free from your public library!

TELEVISION

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

Series: Beethoven's Piano Sonatas

4.7

(37)

Episodes

Rating

TVPG

Year

2021

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas provide a window into his personal musical development and highlight the piano as an evolving instrument. Professor Robert Greenberg combines analysis of extensive musical excerpts with historical anecdotes, metaphors, and humor to show what goes on inside a musical composition and how Beethoven often broke all former rules to achieve a new, powerful effect.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. Beethoven and the Piano

48m

Professor Greenberg begins with a brief biography of Beethoven and the early history of the piano, followed by a discussion of the recordings of Beethoven's piano sonatas used throughout the series, performed by the distinguished pianist Claude Frank.

2. Homage to Mozart

45m

This episode explores the Classical style that Beethoven inherited from Haydn and Mozart, highlighting some of its more notable features. Then we look at Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 1 in F Minor, op. 2, no. 1, from 1795, as both an homage to Mozart and an example of Beethoven's pianistic audacity.

3. The Grand Sonata, Part 1

46m

Beethoven's first four piano sonatas are four-movement works that are orchestral in scope, reflecting Beethoven's concept of the piano as a major instrument. We look at the second of his opus 2 set, Sonata no. 2 in A, as an example of these "grand sonatas."

4. The Grand Sonata, Part 2

46m

Continuing your study of Beethoven's grand sonatas, examine Sonata no. 3 in C, no. 3, op. 2, and Sonata no. 4 in E flat, op. 7. In both these works, we see Beethoven's early artistic declaration that he was not interested in slavishly following the Classical tradition.

5. Meaning and Metaphor

45m

In his three opus 10 sonatas, Beethoven continues his formula of composing a triad of starkly different works, ranging from darkly passionate to witty to grand. Look at the first of these pieces: Piano Sonata no. 5 in C Minor.

6. The Striking and Subversive, Op. 10 Continued

45m

Piano Sonata no. 6 in F, op. 10, no. 2 remained a special favorite of Beethoven's for many years after its composition. Examine the elements that make it seem so playful, before turning to the grander work that concludes the opus 10 set: Piano Sonata no. 7 in D.

7. The Pathétique and the Sublime

45m

Focus on one of Beethoven's most popular piano sonatas: no. 8 in C Minor, op. 13 (Pathetique). Professor Greenberg shows how time and popularity can trivialize even the most revolutionary creation, rendering us immune to what was once considered new and shocking.

8. The Opus 14 Sonatas

47m

Beethoven's music can be supple, light-hearted, quick-witted, and genuinely humorous, just as it can be heroic, magnificent, and spiritually profound. Beethoven's lighter side is delightfully on display in his two opus 14 piano sonatas: no. 9 in E and no. 10 in G.

9. Motives, Bach and a Farewell to the 18th Century

45m

Focus almost entirely on the first movement of Piano Sonata no. 11 in B flat, op. 22, to understand Beethoven's developing compositional priorities and the influence of Bach on his music. Written in 1800, this work is in many ways Beethoven's farewell to the 18th-century Viennese Classical style.

10. A Genre Redefined

46m

From this point on, each of Beethoven's piano sonatas is markedly different from what came before it. No. 12 in A flat, op. 26 (Funeral March) shows a remarkable degree of contrast between its movements and has, as its third movement, an anguished funeral march.

Extended Details

SeriesBeethoven's Piano Sonatas

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

The Great CoursesDirector

The Great CoursesProducer

Robert GreenbergActor