Beethoven wrote his 32 piano sonatas between the ages of 25 and 55, thus they span the composer’s so-called early, middle and late periods and paint a rich picture of his stylistic development.
When I study a Beethoven sonata, I like to consult two or three different editions but my working score is Henle Urtext – that’s where I put in my fingerings and other annotations. While I have a soft spot for the commentary and fingerings in the old Craxton-Tovey ABRSM edition, the latest ABRSM version by Barry Cooper is more scholarly, with editorial slurs and other unhelpful markings removed from their earlier publication (when such tampering mattered less). Artur Schnabel’s edition makes an excellent supplement to a standard Urtext, and it is also worth looking at Hans von Bülow’s for fingerings and footnotes (available on IMSLP). There are some recent Henle editions of individual sonatas with excellent fingerings by Murray Perahia, I heartily recommend these.
I would urge you to listen to the podcasts of András Schiff’s Wigmore Hall lecture recitals on each of the sonatas. Books I can recommend include A Companion to Beethoven’s Pianoforte Sonatas by Donald Francis Tovey; Beethoven’s Pianoforte Sonatas: A Short Companionby Charles Rosen and for a more general handbook I think Performance Practices in Classic Piano Music by Sondra P. Rosenblum should be on every pianist’s bookshelf. I have heard great things about Jonathan Biss’s online course, Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas.
I was a contributor to the latest special edition from Pianist Magazine – Great Piano Composers of the Classical Era, with my article on the Beethoven sonatas. For more details, click here.
Here are some of the best of the masterclasses available on YouTube. Please let me know if you find any more you feel should be represented.
Since publishing this post, a reader has recommended John Suchet’s Beethoven: The Man Revealed. According to the blurb:
This is not the god-like immortal portrayed in statues and paintings in heroic pose garlanded with laurel leaves. Beethoven may have been one of the greatest artists who ever lived, but he was still a man who had to live among fellow mortals, eat and drink, fall in love, pay his rent. This is the real Beethoven, and Suchet brings him effortlessly to life.
Daniel Barenboim
Leon Fleisher (audio)
Leif Ove Andsnes
Emanuel Ax
Andras Schiff
Andras Schiff on op. 109
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Thanks for that. I am currently working my way through the all of the sonatas. I have used an easiest to hardest list from the Piano World forums as my guide in this process. My regime has been to explore 6 at a time before going back and revisiting each of the sonatas. I have just completed the thiird set of six and working my way back revisiting all 18 sonatas. So that means I have revisited the first set now for a fourth time the secon for a third etc etc.
I am sure many teachers would be aghast that a beginner piano student might choose this capproach so why have I chosen to do so. I previously trained as a classical guitarist teaching privately and performing solo and in ensembles regularly after graduating. Although there is some fantastic music in the guitar repertoire I always felt intensely envious of the outstanding repertoire the more mainstream classical instrument players enjoyed. So at the right mature age of 56 I bought myself a weighted 88 note digital piano, cut off all my carefully manicured fingernails and started to learn the piano. I took lessons for one year to get a a better understanding of basic technique and learnt that I really need an acoustic piano so purchased Yamaha U3 and have never looked back.
I was always and still am a good sight reader on the guitar and learnt that it provided a means to explore a wide range of repertoire.
So my exploration of the sonatas in this manner, and a good deal of Bach too, is designed to provide me with a diverse range of writing for the instrument which is giving me with the best possible opportunity to gain good sight reading skills so as I have the means to explore beyond the 32.
I am not particularly interested in performing them but more interested in familiarizing myself with some of the greatest music ever written. Although I am cherry picking favorites to work on more closely with a view to getting out these again maybe one day
Hi Robin – hats off to you for undertaking this huge endeavour. You’re right of course, some of the greatest music written and a goldmine for any pianist. Best of luck with your project!
Thank you so much for sharing this. So rewarding and inspirational. Brilliant!!!
Thanks David – some great classes there, don’t you think?
I wanted to recommend another book that provides a personal view of beethoven’s life and what was happening in it and informing his compositions. John Suchet’s Beethoven – The man revealed
Thanks Robin – I’ll add this to the list of resources!
Thanks for putting all these resources in one location Graham. I really find your posts so inspirational. A previous one on learning the Bach fugues proved invaluable for me last year. As a sixty year old who has returned to piano after a 20 year absence and is now learning Grade 7 (AMEB), it is wonderful to find so much information, and so many performances, all available online. I highly recommend your ebooks to anyone who follows your blog – they are an excellent resource.
I found the Barenboim masterclasses some time ago and that is how I heard of Jonathan Biss. Through that connection I heard about his Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas on Coursera (coursera.org) I highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in the 32. Thanks again. Peter
Hi Peter – thanks so much for your comments, I am really happy to hear you find my blog and ebooks helpful in your piano practice. I have since added Jonathan Biss’s Coursera to the list of resources, thanks for the heads up. Best of luck with your Grade 7 AMEB! 🙂
Hey Peter
I have also completed Johnathon’s course and agree it is highly recommended. I was astounded at his ability to switch from talking (left brain) straight into extraordinary playing (right brain) throughout his lectures.
How lucky we are to live in this age and have the extraordinary resources that the Internet assists these generous people to provide?
Hi Robin, we are so lucky now. The internet provides us with a wealth of information that we can use to explore our passions, in my case, classical music. And sites such as Practising the Piano are such a bonus. My piano teacher also put me on to bulletproofmusician.com as a useful resource.
Thank you for this post, Beethoven is one of my dearest. For those in love with 109 another great masterclass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Ftyt_KR5Q
Thanks for the link, Marina – I will look forward to seeing it! 🙂