Sonata Op. 2 No. 1: I. Allegro

Ludwig van Beethoven · Level 6 (Expert) · Classical · Piano

The first movement of Beethoven’s first published sonata (1795, dedicated to Haydn): a rising “rocket” arpeggio opens a concise, taut sonata form in F minor. A piano work by Beethoven, between the Classical legacy of Haydn and Mozart and the Romantic impulse. F minor, 4/4, 154 bars (about 3 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• The turns are written out in small note values: keep them light and quick. Play the theme light and staccato, and pace the crescendos up to the sforzandos. Respect Beethoven’s contrasts: sudden dynamics, accents and rests are part of the music. Key signature with 4 flats: name them aloud before playing and spot the places where accidentals cancel them. The piece starts with a pickup: count the incomplete bar before coming in.

More pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven

• Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: I. Allegro ma non troppo
• Sonata Op. 49 No. 2: II. Tempo di menuetto
• Minuet in E-flat major WoO 82
• Sonata Op. 49 No. 1: I. Andante
• Prelude in F minor WoO 55
• Sonata No. 25 (1st Movement: Presto alla tedesca) (Op. 79)
• Sonata Op. 79: II. Andante
• Sonata Op. 2 No. 1: III. Menuetto

Source : Mutopia Project · Public Domain