Beethoven, Sonata No 6, opus 10 No 2

Beethoven dedicated the three piano sonatas of Opus 10 (from 1798) to Countess Anna Margaret von Browne, wife of a general of the Russian imperial army who became a count, standing out as Beethoven's patron in Vienna. The Browne family had already had the honor of receiving a dedication from the young master. They returned the distinction on that occasion by presenting him with a horse.

After digesting the surprise, Beethoven rode it a couple of times and then completely forgot about the gift, a circumstance his servant took advantage of to rent the equine for his own benefit as many times as he wanted.

The anecdote tells of the cultural and musical environment that Beethoven found in Vienna, where he had arrived in 1792 when he was twenty-two years old. The city was already the musical capital of Europe, built on a flourishing economy and the aristocracy's patronage. It was a very competitive environment, indeed. Pianists/composers (indistinct roles) had to compete for the financial favors of the noble benefactors, whose names were thus forever inscribed on the works of the great masters.

By the end of the 1790s, Beethoven was already recognized as the most important piano virtuoso in Vienna, a position he had to defend, for the competition was nothing less than merciless. The pianistic virtues displayed in improvisations in any aristocratic salon were quickly imitated by other colleagues. Likewise, the works had to be published promptly to ensure their provenance and to make known to a cultured audience the new stylistic and technical achievements that the composer had attained.

In short, much effort had to be made, even if such efforts were sometimes rewarded with a gift that did not measure up to the greatness of the artist being honored.

Sonata No 6, opus 10 No 2

It is in three movements but none of them qualify as a "slow movement", although this will not be unusual in future Beethoven. It is the shortest (approximately 14 minutes) of the three sonatas that make up the opus (No 5 and No 7, the others) and has also been regarded as the least important of the group. Even so, it contains the simple beauty (not without humor, according to scholars) of the earlier works that already augur the mastery of the mature composer.

Movements:

00:00  Allegro

05:28  Allegretto

10:11  Presto

The performance is by Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa, in a recording studio.