Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German
composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most
admired composers in the history of Western music; his
works rank among the most performed of the classical
music repertoire and span the transition from the
Classical period to the Romantic era in classical
music. His career has conventionally been divided into
early, middle, and late periods. His early period,
during which he forged his craft, is typically
considered to have lasted until 1...(+)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German
composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most
admired composers in the history of Western music; his
works rank among the most performed of the classical
music repertoire and span the transition from the
Classical period to the Romantic era in classical
music. His career has conventionally been divided into
early, middle, and late periods. His early period,
during which he forged his craft, is typically
considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to
around 1812, his middle period showed an individual
development from the styles of Joseph Haydn and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized
as heroic. During this time, he began to grow
increasingly deaf. In his late period, from 1812 to
1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and
expression.
Beethoven was born in Bonn. His musical talent was
obvious at an early age. He was initially harshly and
intensively taught by his father, Johann van Beethoven.
Beethoven was later taught by the composer and
conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe, under whose tutelage
he published his first work, a set of keyboard
variations, in 1783. He found relief from a
dysfunctional home life with the family of Helene von
Breuning, whose children he loved, befriended, and
taught piano. At age 21, he moved to Vienna, which
subsequently became his base, and studied composition
with Haydn. Beethoven then gained a reputation as a
virtuoso pianist, and was soon patronised by Karl
Alois, Prince Lichnowsky for compositions, which
resulted in his three Opus 1 piano trios (the earliest
works to which he accorded an opus number) in 1795.
The Minuet for piano in E flat major (WoO 82) is dated
as early as 1783, which would make it the product of a
13-year-old. The work might seem too sophisticated for
such a young mind, but it seems likely to have at least
come from the penultimate decade of the eighteenth
century, thus before the composer's twentieth
birthday.
The form of the piece is quite simple: the main section
is in two parts, each repeated, followed by a trio
section, also repeated, and then closing with a
restatement of the first section. This is the same
model he used in other minuets, including his famous
Minuet in G, part of the Minuets (6) for Piano, WoO 10.
The main theme in this E flat minuet is not as
distinctive as the one in the better known work, but
its brightness does have appeal. The trio shows some
skill when the main line changes over to the left hand,
with the right immediately taking up the accompaniment.
Well-crafted though this little piece is, it is not a
major work among those in the composer's oeuvre for
solo piano. Still, it is attractive and, if it is the
product of the Beethoven's early youth, a great
accomplishment.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven).
Although originally written for Piano, I created this
Interpretation of the Menuett (Minuet) in Eb Major (WoO
82) for Flute & Piano.
PARTITION