Piano Sonata no. 30 in E major, op. 109
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109, composed in 1820, is the third-to-last of his piano sonatas. In it, after the huge Hammerklavier Sonata, Op. 106, Beethoven returns to a smaller scale and a more intimate character. It is dedicated to Maximiliane Brentano, the daughter of Beethoven's long-standing friend Antonie Brentano, for whom Beethoven had already composed the short Piano Trio in B♭ major WoO 39 in 1812. Musically, the work is characterised by a free and original approach to the traditional sonata form. Its focus is the third movement, a set of variations that interpret its theme in a wide variety of individual ways.
Movements
- Vivace, ma non troppo
- Prestissimo
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Tema. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Variation I. Molto espressivo
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Variation II. Leggiermente
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Variation III. Allegro vivace
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Variation IV. Etwas langsamer als das Thema
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Variation V. Allegro, ma non troppo
- III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung. Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo: Variation VI. Tempo I del tema (Cantabile)