The Sonatas for Piano and Cello by Ludwig Van Beethoven: A Recording Project

Abstract

The Beethoven sonatas for piano and cello occupy a significant portion of the repertoire for both the piano and the 'cello. They are a seminal group of works that serve as a foundation to the development of the piano as a collaborative instrument and the development of the violoncello as a solo instrument. Prior to the composition of these sonatas, the role of the piano was most often a solo instrument or a supportive and supported part in works involving other instruments. The cello's role was relegated to that of the basso continuo and as a soloist in a few sonatas and concerti. Unlike the ten piano and violin sonatas, the sonatas for piano and cello span the three "periods" of Beethoven's life. Like the thirty-two sonatas for piano solo, they exhibit the growth and development of Beethoven as a composer: his grasp of the technical aspects of the instruments for which he was writing; as well as his emotional and psychological maturity as a human being. This dissertation is a performance survey of the complete sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven done through the medium of recording. It features the cellist Tobias Werner and comprises two compact discs recorded on May 10, 1 1, and 12,2004, at the Washington Conservatory in Bethesda, Maryland, and on December 20 and 2 1, 2004, in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts center in College Park, Maryland. These recordings may be obtained in person or online from the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library of the University of Maryland, College Park.