Beethoven’s piano sonatas form one of the most important collections of works in the whole history of music. Spanning several decades of his life as a composer, the sonatas soon came to be seen as the first body of substantial serious works for piano suited to performance in large concert halls seating hundreds of people. In this comprehensive and authoritative guide, Charles Rosen places the works in context and provides an understanding of the formal principles involved in interpreting and performing this unique repertoire, covering such aspects as sonata form, phrasing, and tempo, as well as the use of pedal and trills. In the second part of his book, he looks at the sonatas individually, from the earliest works of the 1790s through the sonatas of Beethoven’s youthful popularity of the early 1800s, the subsequent years of mastery, the years of stress (1812†“1817), and the last three sonatas of the 1820s. Composed as much for private music-making as public recital, Beethoven’s sonatas have long formed a bridge between the worlds of the salon and the concert hall. For today’s audience, Rosen has written a guide that brings out the gravity, passion, and humor of these works and will enrich the appreciation of a wide range of readers, whether listeners, amateur musicians, or professional pianists. The book includes a CD of Rosen performing extracts from several of the sonatas, illustrating points made in the text.

Re-engraved, corrected editions by Artur Schnabel, with Schnabel's notes and comments in five languages. Volume One contains Sonatas One through Seventeen and Volume Two contains Sonatas Eighteen through Thirty-Two.

Re-engraved, corrected editions by Artur Schnabel, with Schnabel's notes and comments in five languages. Volume One contains Sonatas One through Seventeen and Volume Two contains Sonatas Eighteen through Thirty-Two.

These three volumes, in practical urtext-pedagogical editions, are designed with the idea that these precious works will be performed on the modern piano. With respect to the original text, Dr. Hinson offers many valuable, stylistically faithful suggestions for interpretation. Volume I is appropriate for progressing intermediate students, and provides a most effective introduction to the great Viennese Classical style.

Beethoven wrote 32 sonatas for piano. Volume 1, edited by Stewart Gordon, includes the first 8 sonatas (Op. 2, Nos. 1-3; Op. 7; Op. 10, Nos. 1-3; and Op. 13 ["Pathétique"]), written between 1795 and 1799. Since these autographs no longer exist, this edition is based on the first editions, published by various Viennese engravers. Dr. Gordon discusses a variety of topics including Beethoven's life; the pianos of his time and their limitations; Beethoven's use of articulation, ornamentation, tempo; and the age-old challenge of attempting to determine the definitive interpretation of Beethoven's music. Valuable performance recommendations, helpful fingering suggestions and ornament realizations are offered in this comprehensive critical body of Beethoven's sonatas. Where performance options are open to interpretation, other editors' conclusions are noted, enabling students and teachers to make informed performance decisions.

Now better known for his collections of Scottish tunes with variations, William McGibbon (1696–1756) was the best-known and most popular violinist-composer in Edinburgh in the eighteenth century. His three volumes of trio sonatas—one of which survives only in fragmentary form—combine fluidity of writing with Corellian influence. The 1729 set was the first music published in Scotland for the transverse flute, and its sixth trio sonata features virtuosic violin writing as well. This edition contains twelve trio sonatas, six solo sonatas, six flute duets, and the surviving first flute part of the fragmentary third volume of trio sonatas.

A collection of 54 pieces by 21 composers. Includes music by Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Schubert, Scriabin, and more.