Ex. 11-2: Adagio un poco moto (fragment)

The second movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major (Op. 73), known as the "Emperor" Concerto. Composed in 1809, while Napoleon's armies besieged and bombarded Vienna. Beethoven took shelter in his brother's cellar, covering his ears with pillows to protect his already declining hearing.

This was the last piano concerto Beethoven completed, and the first where he could not perform the solo part himself due to his hearing loss. The premiere was given by Archduke Rudolf (Beethoven's patron and student) in a private performance in January 1811.

The nickname "Emperor" was not Beethoven's — it was likely coined by the publisher Johann Baptist Cramer. Given that Beethoven was living under French military occupation at the time, he would have disapproved of any imperial association.

The concerto was initially unsuccessful and was not performed again during Beethoven's lifetime. Franz Liszt later helped popularize it.

Note: This version is an excerpt from the original, adapted for sight-singing practice.