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Sonate für Klavier (e-Moll) op. 90
 Listening samples
Composition
1814
dedicated to Moritz Graf von Lichnowsky
Piano sonata op. 90 was composed in the summer of 1814. Beethoven had not written a piano sonata for five years - his last one was the "Lebewohl-Sonate" (Farewell Sonata) op. 81a. In the summer of 1814 Beethoven was at the peak of his popularity: "Wellington's Victory" op. 91 and the cantata "The glorious moment" op. 136, both composed for the Vienna Congress, had brought him appraisal, wealth and public glory. In late May of 1814 the third version of his opera "Fidelio" was performed for the first time with much success and remained on the repertoire all summer long. After completing the sonata, Beethoven first gave the autograph to his friend, patron and (piano) student Archduke Rudolph, indicating that he was not interested in publishing the piece right away. However, he needed the manuscript back in the autumn of the same year and promised the Archduke he would soon receive a nice engraving of the autograph. Beethoven's brother Kaspar Karl and his wife Johanna were indebted to Vienna music publisher Anton Steiner and Beethoven volunteered as a bondsman. The county court then obliged the composer to provide Steiner with a new piano sonata - op. 90. The sonata was not printed until early spring of 1815 and only on June 6th did Steiner announce in the Vienna Newspaper the recently published sonata, promising that all conoisseurs and friends of composition would certainly welcome this sonata as Beethoven had not written anything for piano forte for quite a while. He continued that this new piece did not need appraisal as it did not lack ingenuity, harmony and art so typical for the most appreciated composer of their time. The Archduke, however, was not willing to wait that long and asked to have the autograph back as a loan in order to make a copy of it. Beethoven humoured him and gave him the manuscript which he had borrowed from the publisher for a week. And indeed, the Archduke made a copy which is still considered an important source of the piano sonata. (J.R.)
| First editions |
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Originalausgabe, op. 90, Steiner, 2350 |
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Originalausgabe, op. 90, Steiner, 2350 |
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Titelauflage, op. 90, Breitkopf und Härtel, 2350; Teilscan |
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Titelauflage, op. 90, Simrock, 2350; Teilscan |
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Titelauflage, op. 90, Steiner, 2350; Teilscan |
Scores
Literatur
Location of other important manuscript sources
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Berlin: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Musikabteilung mit Mendelssohn-Archiv
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Österreich, Wien: Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Archiv, Bibliothek und Sammlungen
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Österreich, Wien: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
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