Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)

Piano Sonata No. 8
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Portrait of Beethoven in 1801; painted by Carl Traugott Riedel
Key	C minor
Opus	13
Composed	1798–1799
Dedication	Prince Karl von Lichnowsky
Duration	17-20 minutes
Movements	3

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as Sonata Pathétique, was written in 1798 when the composer was 27 years old and was published in 1799. It has remained one of his most celebrated compositions.^[1] Beethoven dedicated the work to his friend Prince Karl von Lichnowsky.^[2] Although commonly thought to be one of the few works to be named by the composer himself, it was actually named Grande sonate pathétique (to Beethoven's liking) by the publisher, who was impressed by the sonata's tragic sonorities.^[3]

Prominent musicologists debate whether or not the Pathétique may have been inspired by Mozart's piano sonata K. 457, since both compositions are in C minor and have three very similar movements. The second movement, "Adagio cantabile", especially, makes use of a theme remarkably similar to one in the spacious second movement of Mozart's sonata.^[4] Close similarities have also been noted with Bach's Partita no. 2 in C minor.^[5] Both works open with a declamatory fanfare marked Grave, sharing a distinct combination of dotted rhythms, melodic contour, and texture. Furthermore, the first four notes of the Partita's Andante (G–C–D–E♭, prominently repeated throughout the work) are found in the Pathétique as the first notes of important themes – first in the hand-crossing second subject of its first movement (initially transposed), then in the main theme of the Rondo. It is known that Beethoven was familiar with the works of Bach, studying The Well-Tempered Clavier as a youth and returning to his predecessor's compositional styles later in life.