JustSheetMusic
Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven

Composer

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer (1770-1827)

1770–1827

6,206 catalog entries

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
Entries with composition dates
358 of 6,206

These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.

Grouped works and collections

Find collection editions and individual pieces together on one page.

Browse 71 grouped works and collections

Catalogue

Works page 80 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
WorkYear composedCatalogue / opusKey in titleListed instrumentsGenreEditions
Rondo in C Major, Op. 51, No. 1 — Op. 51, No. 1C major —— 0
Rondo in G Major, Op. 51, No. 2 — Op. 51, No. 2G major —— 2
Waltz in D Major, WoO 85 — WoO 85D major —— 0
Sonatina in GModerato / Romanza: Allegretto — —— Piano— 0
Bagatelle4 listed pieces — —See contents See editions— Compare editions
Winter Storm — —— PianoClassical 0
Piano piece [For Eliza], A minor, WoO 59 (Piano solo) — WoO 59— —— 0
Moonlight Sonata - Adagio — —— —— 0
Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia "Moonlight Sonata" (1st movement) — —— —— 0
Fur Elise, WoO 59 — WoO 59— —— 0
Beethoven: Trio E flat major Hess-Verz. 48 — —— Piano, Cello, violinClassical 2
7 Variations on God save the king, WoO 78 (Piano solo) — WoO 78— —— 0
Moonlight Sonata Op.27 No.21 listed pieces — Op. 27See contents See editions— Compare editions
Sonata, Op. 13 ("Pathetique")Adagio Cantabile — Op. 13— —— 0
Moonlight Sonata, Op. 27, No. 2Adagio Sostenuto — Op. 27, No. 2A— —— 0
Beethoven: Bagatelle C major WoO 56 — WoO 56— —— 0
Beethoven: 'For Elise' Piano Piece a minor WoO 59 — WoO 59— —— 0
Beethoven: Minuet E flat major WoO 82 — WoO 82— —— 0
Bagatelles, Op. 11910 listed pieces — Op. 119See contents See editions— Compare editions
Bagatelles, Op. 1266 listed pieces — Op. 126See contents See editions— Compare editions
Beethoven: Bagatelle c minor WoO 52 — WoO 52— —— 0
Seven Bagatelles, Op. 337 listed pieces — Op. 33See contents See editions— Compare editions
Beethoven: 3 Sonatas [Kurf — —— Piano, harpsichordClassical 1
Symphony No.920 listed pieces — —See contents See editions— Compare editions
Beethoven: 9 Variations on 'Quant' E piO bello' from La Molinara by Paisiello A major WoO 69 — WoO 69— Piano, harpsichordClassical 0
Beethoven: 9 Variations on a March by Dressler (first version) WoO 63 — WoO 63— Piano, harpsichordClassical 1
Beethoven: 8 Variations on 'Une fiEvre brUlante' by Grtry WoO 72 — WoO 72— Piano, harpsichordClassical 0
Symphony No. 9 (Ode To Joy) - Theme — —— —— 0
Sonata [Moonlight-Sonata], C sharp minor, op. 27,2 (Piano solo) — op. 27— —— 0
Bagatelle #1 — —— —— 0
Gertrude's Dream Waltz — —— Piano, ViolaClassical 2
Bagatelle #2 — —— —— 0
Bagatelle #3 — —— —— 0
Bagatelle #4 — —— —— 0
Bagatelle #5 — —— —— 0
Bagatelle #6 — —— —— 0
Bagatelle #7 — —— —— 0
Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27 No. 2 (Moonlight) - First Movement Theme — Op. 27 No. 2— —— 0
Adagio from Sonata in C Sharp Minor "Moonlight" — —C-Sharp minor —— 0
Alpine Melody — —— Piano— 0
Recitative and Chorale [Edited by Anthony Bianco, Transcribed by Victoria Berneking] — —— Piano, Double BassClassical 1
Dances, WOO 85 listed pieces — WOO 8See contents See editions— Compare editions
Bagatelle In A Minor 'Fur Elise', WoO 59 — WoO 59A minor —— 0
Bagatelle In B-flat Major, WoO 60 — WoO 60B-flat major —— 0

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.