Composer

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer (1770-1827)

1770–1827

6,206 works in the index

Born: 1770
Died: 1827
Birthplace: Bonn
Place of death: Vienna
Citizenship / historical state: Electorate of Cologne; Austrian Empire
Period (estimated from birth year): Classical

Biography

Beethoven sits on the hinge between the Classical style he inherited and the Romantic one he made possible, and the catalogue spans both: thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, nine symphonies, five piano concerti and a large body of songs and chamber music.

The piano sonatas are the most-bought and the most misjudged. The famous ones — the Moonlight, the Pathétique, the Waldstein — are advanced works, and the first movement of the Moonlight being playable early does not make the rest of it so. The genuine starting points are the two sonatas of Op. 49 and the bagatelles, including the one everyone knows as Für Elise.

He revised heavily and his manuscripts are difficult, so editions disagree about specific notes and markings more than you might expect from a composer this recent. If you are working with a teacher, use theirs.

Life and musical career

Occupations: composer
Teachers: Christian Gottlob Neefe; Joseph Haydn; Antonio Salieri; Johann Baptist Schenk; Johann Georg Albrechtsberger; Gilles van der Eeden; Muzio Clementi; Andrea Luchesi
Recorded memberships: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Instruments played: piano; violin
Genres: classical music; art music; opera; symphony; sonata
Movements: Classical period; Romantic music
Notable works: Für Elise; Symphony No. 9; Piano Sonata No. 14; Missa Solemnis; Piano Sonata No. 8; Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 6; Piano Sonata No. 21; Piano Sonata No. 23; Violin Sonata No. 9; Symphony No. 3; Fidelio
Awards: Bröckemännche Award
Official website: https://beethoven.de
Native languages: German
Languages used: German
VIAF ID: 32182557
ISNI: 0000000121268987
GND ID: 118508288
Library of Congress ID: n79107741
MusicBrainz ID: 1f9df192-a621-4f54-8850-2c5373b7eac9

Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.

In this catalogue

Common listed instruments: Piano, violin, Cello, Orchestra, Voice
Genres represented: Classical, pop, Jazz, Pop, Christmas
Works with composition dates: 358 of 6,206

These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.

Catalogue

Works page 17 of 130

Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.

Works and available sheet music details
Work	Year composed	Catalogue / opus	Key in title	Listed instruments	Genre	Editions
Violin Sonata No. 1, op. 12, no. 1	—	op. 12, no. 1	—	Piano	Classical	2
Violin Sonata No. 3, op. 12, no. 3	—	op. 12, no. 3	—	Piano	Classical	3
Violin Sonata No. 6, op. 30, no. 1	—	op. 30, no. 1	—	Piano	Classical	1
Violin Sonata No. 8, op. 30, no. 3	—	op. 30, no. 3	—	Piano	Classical	3
Breathing With Beethoven	—	—	—	Choir	Classical	6
Symphony No. 5, Second Movement Excerpt	—	—	—	Piano, Oboe, violin, Voice, Recorder, Piccolo	Classical	5
Gloria: Gratias Agimus	—	—	—	Choir, Voice Tenor	Classical	2
Freude!	—	—	—	Choir	Classical	3
Sonata No. 18	—	—	—	Piano, harpsichord	Classical	3
Sonata No. 23	—	—	—	Piano, harpsichord	Classical	3
Sonata No. 27	—	—	—	Piano, harpsichord	Classical	3
Sonata No. 31	—	—	—	Piano, harpsichord	Classical	2
(Simplified)	—	—	—	Piano	—	2
Sonatina In G Min.,Op.49,No.1	—	Op.49,No.1	—	Piano	Classical	9
Theme	—	—	—	Piano, Flute	—	3
Sonatina No.2	—	—	—	Piano, Flute	Classical	1
Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2, No. 1	—	Op. 2, No. 1	F minor	Piano	Classical	4
Sonata No. 6 in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2	—	Op. 10, No. 2	F major	Piano	Classical	3
Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3	—	Op. 10, No. 3	D major	Piano	Classical	2
Sonata No. 13 in Eb Major, Quasi fantasia, Op. 27, No. 1	—	Op. 27, No. 1	E-flat major	Piano	Classical	3
Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54	—	Op. 54	F major	Piano	Classical	3
Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101	—	Op. 101	A major	Piano	Classical	6
Six Easy Variations on a Swiss song, WoO 64	—	WoO 64	—	Piano	Classical	6
Nine Variations on an Aria by Paisiello, WoO 69	—	WoO 69	—	Piano	Classical	4
Eight Variations on a Trio by Sussmayr, WoO 76	—	WoO 76	—	Piano	Classical	4
Fifteen Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	5
Allegretto in C Major, WoO 56	—	WoO 56	C major	Piano	Classical	3
Prelude in F Minor, WoO 55	—	WoO 55	F minor	Piano	Classical	4
Two Russian Folk Songs	—	—	—	Piano	—	2
Sonata #5 - Op. 10, #1	—	Op. 10	—	Piano	Classical	3
Sonata #1 - Op. 2, #1	—	Op. 2	—	Piano	Classical	5
Sonata #7 - Op. 10, #3	—	Op. 10	—	Piano	Classical	4
Sonata #15 - Op. 28	—	Op. 28	—	Piano	Classical	5
Sonata #17 - Op. 31, #2	—	Op. 31	—	Piano	Classical	6
Sonata #11 - Op. 22	—	Op. 22	—	Piano	Classical	5
Sonata #2 - Op. 2, #2	—	Op. 2	—	Piano	Classical	4
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, First Movement Excerpt	—	—	B-flat major	Piano	Classical	3
Sonata #29 - Op. 106	—	Op. 106	—	Piano	Classical	5
Trio [Ghosts trio], D major, op. 70,1 (Piano trios)	1808Wikidata	op. 70	—	Piano, Cello, violin	Classical	1
Trio, E flat major, op. 70,2 (Piano trios)	1808Wikidata	op. 70	—	Piano, Cello, violin	Classical	1
Trio, B flat major, op. 97 (Piano trios)	1810Wikidata	op. 97	—	Piano, Cello, violin	Classical	0
Country Dance in C Major	—	—	C major	Piano	Classical	4
German Dance in D Major	—	—	D major	Piano	Classical	4
Beethoven: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 E flat major op. 73	—	op. 73	—	Piano	Classical	1
Variations on a Swiss Song	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	6
Beethoven: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 4 G major op. 58	—	op. 58	—	Piano	Classical	0
Andante, Op. 105, No. 4	—	Op. 105, No. 4	—	Piano	—	2
Sonata in G, Op. 79Andante	—	Op. 79A	—	Piano	—	1

Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 32182557. Portrait: Joseph Karl Stieler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.