Three Sonatas for violin and piano (A major, C minor, G major) op. 30
Listening samples
Dedication
Composition
1802
The three op. 30 violin sonatas were written in the first half of 1802, a very good year for Beethoven from both a private and professional standpoint. In 1801 Prince Karl von Lichnowsky guaranteed him an annuity of 600 florins. He also had professional success; as he wrote to his friend Wegeler in Bonn on 29 June 1801: 'My compositions are selling well and I can say I have more orders than I could handle. There are six to seven publishers for each piece and there could be more if I wanted to. I demand and they pay, a very enjoyable situation' (quoted from complete correspondence, 65).
Despite his personal and professional success, Beethoven was about to face the catastrophe of his life: his loss of hearing. In the same letter he turned to his friend and physician Wegeler, confessing that his condition has been deteriorating for three years. A continuous hissing in his ears made him avoid human contact as he could not tell people he was deaf. If he had a different occupation, his loss of hearing might be acceptable, but as a musician it was devastating. To give Wegeler an idea of how far his deafness had progressed, he described sitting in the theatre, as close to the orchestra as possible, to be able to understand the actors. When he sat further away he could not hear the high notes of instruments. He also had difficulties in following a conversation as he could not hear words spoken in a low voice. However, some people did not notice his inability to partake of the conversation. At the time he hated people yelling. He had no idea how his life would go on. When Beethoven wrote this letter in the summer of 1801 he still had hope. He was very busy and composed music full of life, hope and joy. Besides the three op. 30 violin sonatas he composed a number of works in the years that followed: the three piano sonatas op. 31, the piano variations opp. 34 and 35 and the Second Symphony op. 36. However, his health continuously worsened. In October 1802 he suffered a mental breakdown and drafted the famous 'Heiligenstadt Testament' - his last will - for his brothers Kaspar Karl and Johann. It is an emotional expression of his state of mind in which he defends himself against accusations of misanthropy, explains his illness and deafness and puts his affairs in order. (J.R.)
Despite his personal and professional success, Beethoven was about to face the catastrophe of his life: his loss of hearing. In the same letter he turned to his friend and physician Wegeler, confessing that his condition has been deteriorating for three years. A continuous hissing in his ears made him avoid human contact as he could not tell people he was deaf. If he had a different occupation, his loss of hearing might be acceptable, but as a musician it was devastating. To give Wegeler an idea of how far his deafness had progressed, he described sitting in the theatre, as close to the orchestra as possible, to be able to understand the actors. When he sat further away he could not hear the high notes of instruments. He also had difficulties in following a conversation as he could not hear words spoken in a low voice. However, some people did not notice his inability to partake of the conversation. At the time he hated people yelling. He had no idea how his life would go on. When Beethoven wrote this letter in the summer of 1801 he still had hope. He was very busy and composed music full of life, hope and joy. Besides the three op. 30 violin sonatas he composed a number of works in the years that followed: the three piano sonatas op. 31, the piano variations opp. 34 and 35 and the Second Symphony op. 36. However, his health continuously worsened. In October 1802 he suffered a mental breakdown and drafted the famous 'Heiligenstadt Testament' - his last will - for his brothers Kaspar Karl and Johann. It is an emotional expression of his state of mind in which he defends himself against accusations of misanthropy, explains his illness and deafness and puts his affairs in order. (J.R.)
