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.