Ex. 13-2: Adagio cantabile (edited fragment)

From Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major (Op. 78), composed in 1809. It is the only one of his 32 sonatas in F-sharp major, and one of only two he wrote in just two movements — a short, gentle work. He dedicated it to Countess Thérèse von Brunswick, which gave it the nickname "à Thérèse."

Beethoven was close to the Brunswick family, and Thérèse gave him a portrait of herself, inscribed "to the rare genius, the great artist, the good man." He kept it to the end of his life.

According to Carl Czerny, Beethoven counted this sonata, with the "Appassionata" (Op. 57), among his own favorites. Czerny also reported that Beethoven complained: everyone talked about the "Moonlight" Sonata, when he had written better things — "such as the Sonata in F-sharp major."

He wrote it in 1809, the year Napoleon's army occupied Vienna. That same year he also composed his "Emperor" Concerto and the "Les Adieux" Sonata (Op. 81a), written for Archduke Rudolf as he fled the city. That "Emperor" Concerto is also in this app. (Ex. 11-2: Adagio un poco moto (fragment) by Ludwig van Beethoven)

Thérèse was once rumored to be the "Immortal Beloved" of Beethoven's famous unsent love letter, though scholars now favor other women. She never married, and later founded the first nursery schools in Hungary.

Note: Thérèse von Brunswick is a different person from Therese Malfatti, a leading candidate for the "Elise" of Für Elise.

Note: This version has been substantially arranged for vocal range. It differs considerably from the original.

From the album Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Opp. 54, 57, 78 & 90 by Maurizio Pollini (2003)
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