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 36 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
St. James Infirmary	—	—	—	Guitar	Classical	1
Star of the County Down	—	—	—	Guitar	Classical	3
Piano Concerto #1 Op15	—	Op15	—	Guitar	Classical	2
Piano Concerto #2 Op19	—	Op19	—	Guitar	Classical	3
Alabama Jubilee	—	—	—	Guitar	Classical	2
Cripple Creek	—	—	—	Guitar	Classical	2
Ragtime Annie	—	—	—	Guitar	Classical	2
Allegro Molto Vivace, from Piano Sonata Op. 27, No. 1	—	Op. 27, No. 1	—	Guitar	Classical	2
Andante (Fragmento). De La Sonata N. 23, Op.57 (Apassionata)	—	Op.57	—	Guitar	Classical	1
Piano Sonata No 2 Op 14	—	Op 14	—	Piano, Guitar	Classical	0
Piano Sonata Op 26	—	Op 26	—	Piano, Guitar	Classical	2
Bugle Call Rag	—	—	—	Banjo	Classical	1
She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain	—	—	—	Autoharp	—	2
"Hier schlummert seinen stillen Frieden from Cantata on the Death of Emperor Franz Joseph II, WoO 87"	—	WoO 87	—	—	—	0
"Oh, My Heart Is Sore Within Me"	—	—	—	—	—	2
Ach, Vater, eilt!	—	—	—	Voice	Classical	1
Er sterbe!	—	—	—	Voice	Classical	2
Es schlagt der Rache	—	—	—	Voice	Classical	1
Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben (Rocco) from Fidelio	—	—	—	—	Classical	0
Gott, deine Gute reicht so weit, Op. 48 no. 1 - C-Dur/C major	—	Op. 48 no. 1	—	Choir	Classical	2
Pieces for the Musical Clock (Ed. Schunemann)	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	2
Phantasy, Op. 77	—	Op. 77	—	Piano	Classical	1
Andate	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	0
Cadenzas to the Piano Concerti	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	3
Seven Easy Pieces	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	2
Variations in C Major	—	—	C major	Piano	Classical	3
Piano Trios (Piano, Violin, Vello)	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	2
Trio No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1	—	Op. 1, No. 1	E-Flat major	Piano, Cello, violin	Classical	1
Trio No. 10 in E-Flat Major (14 Variations), Op. 44	—	Op. 44	E-Flat major	Piano	Classical	2
Trio No. 11 in G Major, Op. 121a	—	Op. 121a	G major	Piano	Classical	0
March in E-flat major, op. 45, no. 2	—	op. 45, no. 2	E-flat major	Piano	Classical	2
Contra Dance	—	—	—	Piano, Clarinet, Saxophone	Classical	1
Happy Story (Kabalevsky)	—	—	—	—	Classical	3
Hobnobs	—	—	—	—	Classical	1
Fantasy, Op. 77	—	Op. 77	—	Piano	Classical	5
Sinfonie Nr. 3 Es-Dur op. 55 "Eroica" -Bearbeitung fur Klavier zu 2 Handen-	—	op. 55	—	Piano	Classical	0
13 Variations on "Es war einmal ein alter Mann" WoO 66	—	WoO 66	—	Piano	Classical	4
8 Variations on "Une fievre brulante" WoO 72	—	WoO 72	—	Piano	Classical	3
8 Variations on "Tandeln und Scherzen" WoO 76	—	WoO 76	—	Piano	Classical	2
Performed by Ludwig van Beethoven	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	2
Adagio ma non troppo, E-flat Major	—	—	—	harpsichord, Mandolin	Classical	3
Eroica Beethoven)	—	—	—	—	Classical	2
Kreutzer Sonata Op 47	1802-04IMSLP	Op 47	—	—	Classical	2
PASTORAL THEME, THE FROM SYMPHONY NO 6	—	—	—	—	Classical	2
For Getrude , WoO 16 Performed by Ludwig van Beethoven	—	WoO 16	—	Piano, Organ	Classical	2
First Movement Themes Performed by Ludwig van Beethoven	—	—	—	Flute, violin	Classical	3
Rondo, C major, WoO 48 Performed by Ludwig van Beethoven	—	WoO 48	—	Piano, harpsichord	Classical	1
Sonate fur Klavier Nr. 18 Es-Dur op. 31; 3 Performed by Ludwig van Beethoven	—	op. 31	—	Piano	Classical	3

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.