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 84 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
Bagatelle C-Dur op. 119; 8 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 119	—	—	—	1
Bagatelle C-Dur op. 119; 7 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 119	—	—	—	1
Bagatelle B-Dur op. 119; 11 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 119	—	—	—	1
Bagatelle As-Dur op. 33; 7 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 33	—	—	—	1
Bagatelle a-Moll op. 119; 9 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 119	—	—	—	1
Bagatelle A-Dur op. 33; 4 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 33	—	—	—	1
Bagatelle A-Dur op. 119; 10 -fur Klavier-	—	op. 119	—	—	—	1
"Sonata in Ab, Op. 26"	—	Op. 26	—	Piano	Classical	1
"Sonata in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 (Moonlight)"	—	Op. 27 No. 2	C-sharp minor	—	—	0
"Sonata in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 (Tempest)"	—	Op. 31 No. 2	D minor	Piano	Classical	0
"Sonata in Eb, Op. 27 No. 1"	—	Op. 27 No. 1	—	Piano	Classical	1
"Sonata in Eb, Op. 31 No. 3"	—	Op. 31 No. 3	—	Piano	Classical	1
Sonate fur Klavier Nr. 16 G-Dur op. 31; 1 (1801/02)	—	op. 31	—	Piano	Classical	0
Sonate fur Klavier Nr. 31 As-Dur op. 110 (1821)	—	op. 110	—	Piano	Classical	0
"Sonata in D, Op. 10 No. 3"	—	Op. 10 No. 3	—	Piano	Classical	1
Sonate Au Clair De Lune (Moonlight Sonata)	—	—	—	—	—	0
Variations On A Minuet By Fischer	—	—	—	—	—	0
"Bagatelle in F, Op. 33 No. 3"	—	Op. 33 No. 3	—	—	—	0
Minuet in E-flat Major, WoO 82	—	WoO 82	E-flat major	—	—	0
Bagatelle In A Op.119 No.4	—	Op.119 No.4	—	—	—	2
Allegretto C-Dur (1804) -fur Klavier-	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
Allegretto c-Moll WoO 53 (um 1797) -fur Klavier-	—	WoO 53	—	Piano	Classical	1
Allegretto h-Moll WoO 61 (1821) -fur Klavier-	—	WoO 61	—	Piano	Classical	1
Allemande A-Dur WoO 81 (um 1800) -fur Klavier-	—	WoO 81	—	Piano	Classical	1
Klavierstuck B-Dur WoO 60 (1818)	—	WoO 60	—	Piano	Classical	1
Lustig und traurig C-Dur / c-Moll WoO 54 (um 1798) -fur Klavier-	—	WoO 54	—	Piano	Classical	1
Menuett Es-Dur WoO 82 (um 1787) -fur Klavier-	—	WoO 82	—	Piano	Classical	1
Praludium durch alle Dur-Tonarten - Nr. 1 (1789) -fur Klavier oder Orgel-	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
Praludium durch alle Dur-Tonarten - Nr. 2 (1789) -fur Klavier oder Orgel-	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
Praludium f-Moll WoO 55 (um 1787) -fur Klavier oder Orgel-	—	WoO 55	—	Piano	Classical	1
Bagatelle In F Op.33 No.3	—	Op.33 No.3	—	—	—	1
9 Var.On Quanto Bello(Paisiello)	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
12 Var. On A La Vigano (Haibl)	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
8 Var.Une Fievre Brulante/Gretry	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
8 Var. Tandeln Und Sch(Sussmayr)	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
13 Var.Es War Einmal/Dittersdorf	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
6 Easy Var. On Original Theme	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
7 Var. On God Save The King	—	—	—	—	—	0
8 Var. Ich Hab'ein Kleines Huttc	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
Beethoven: 3 Piano Sonatas WoO 47 [Kurf!rsten-Sonatas]	—	WoO 47	—	Piano	Classical	0
6 Variations on "Nel cor pi	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	0
6 leichte Variationen G-Dur WoO 77 (1800) -uber ein eigenes Thema - fur Klavier-	—	WoO 77	—	Piano	Classical	0
6 Variationen G-Dur WoO 70 (1795) -uber das Duett "Nel cor pi	—	WoO 70	—	Piano	Classical	0
Fur Elise - Albumblatt a-Moll WoO 59 (1810) -fur Klavier-	—	WoO 59	—	—	—	0
Adagio Sostenuto (Sonata In C Sharp Minor 'Moonlight' Op.27 No.2)	—	Op.27 No.2	C-Sharp minor	—	—	0
Minuet And Trio In G Major	—	—	G major	—	—	0
Variationen fur Klavier zu 4 Handen D-Dur -Lied mit Veranderungen-	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	1
Variationen fur Klavier zu 4 Handen C-Dur -uber ein Thema des Grafen von Waldstein-	—	—	—	Piano	Classical	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.