Cello Sonata No. 4 (Beethoven)

The Sonata for cello and piano No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1, by Ludwig van Beethoven was created in 1815 and made public by Simrock, in 1817 with a dedication to the Countess Marie von Erdődy, a good friend of Beethoven.

 History 
The sonata was composed between May and December 1815. The first copy by Wenzel Rampl was made in 1815 but was then changed by Beethoven. A ‘good’ copy was given in February 1816 to Charles Neate. Beethoven then made small changes before it was made public by Simrock in Bonn.

The people of the time, often confused by Beethoven's last works, talked about the sonata like this from the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung:Reproduced in: Jean and Brigitte Massin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fayard, Paris 1967, p. 682
They elicit the most unexpected and unusual reactions, not only by their form but by the use of the piano as well…We have never been able to warm up to the two sonatas; but these compositions are perhaps a necessary link in the chain of Beethoven's works in order to lead us there where the steady hand of the maestro wanted to lead us.
 Structure 

 Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1 

This sonata has two movements:
 Andante – Allegro vivace
 Adagio – Tempo d'andante – Allegro vivace

 References 

 Other websites 


Category:Cello sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven
Category:Compositions in C major
Category:Compositions with dedications
Category:1810s compositions