Two Sonatas for piano and violoncello (F major, G minor) op. 5

Beethoven did not travel much. Compared to the other two giants of Viennese classicism, Haydn and Mozart, he made few concert tours. As a child (1783) he accompanied his mother to the Netherlands. In 1787 he arrived in Vienna for the first time but soon returned as his mother fell seriously ill. In 1792 he made his second journey to Vienna, which became his permanent home. Four years later he undertook his only real concert tour to Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin. In Potsdam he played for King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, who was very interested in music and architecture and had summoned renowned musicians to his court. Beethoven performed with the king's first cellist, Jean Louis Duport (1749–1819), for whom he wrote the two sonatas for cello and piano op. 5. He then played them with the cellist. The sonatas were dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm II, himself a gifted cellist and Duport's student. For his services Beethoven received a precious gift: a golden box filled with louis d'or coins. (J.R.)