Beethoven - Sonatas for Pianoforte and Violin Vol. 1

Beethoven’s ten sonatas for violin and piano are among the most famous works of chamber music history and represent, together with Mozart’s works for this combination, the core of violin repertoire from the Viennese Classicist period.

Clive Brown’s ground-breaking new edition combines a scholarly Urtext approach with the provision of a wealth of information on historical performing practice, all conveniently united in one practical edition. It is the first scholarly-critical edition to include a complete Critical Commentary and a description of all relevant sources.

This first volume (BA 9014) contains the first five sonatas: the Sonatas in D major, A major, and E-flat major opp. 12, nos. 1–3, the Sonata in A minor op. 23, and the Sonata in F major op. 24 (“Spring”). Additionally, it offers a detailed introduction by Clive Brown, the chapter “Reading between the lines of Beethoven’s notation” (German/English), as well as information on historical metronome markings and the Critical Commentary (English).

This edition consists of a score and two individual parts for the violin: an Urtext part based on the scholarly-critical assessment of all sources, and an annotated part with fingering and bowing by Clive Brown based on the thorough study of historical techniques and practices.

The pivotal Performing Practice Commentary by Clive Brown and Neal Peres Da Costa is available online, supplementing information on performing practice for each Sonata and each movement in this volume. It discusses conventions of both violin and piano playing in Beethoven’s period, describes historical contexts and advises on phrasing and technique based on the evaluation of historical editions (s.a. von Czerny, Ferdinand David, Alard, Diémer, Grützmacher, Reinecke, Brodsky, Joachim, Rosé, Halir, Kreisler etc.).