Beethoven revisiting his own past: some considerations on the relationship between the last two Sonatas and Op. 10 n. 1

Abstract

The objectives of this study fall into two categories: while the first involves theoretical reflection, the second is based upon firmly rooted performing experience.

One theoretical-poietic observation to begin with, that is trivial only if taken at face value: while in both the analytical and the musicological literature there is an enormous amount of material that traces the influence of preceding or contemporaneous composers on the work of Beethoven – at present I will only mention the texts by Webster [1995] and Dahlhaus [1990] – the influence that the young Beethoven had on the more mature composer has not been investigated to the same degree. In what sense do Beethoven’s last works owe something to those of his youth? More broadly, one might further ask for what reason a composer is driven to revisit his own past works, and in what key they should be reinterpreted.