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47-455: The sonata's name derives from Beethoven's dedication to his close friend and patron Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein , member of Bohemian noble Waldstein family (Valdštejn). It is the only work that Beethoven dedicated to him. It is also known as L'Aurora (The Dawn) in Italian, for the sonority of the opening chords of the third movement, thought to conjure an image of daybreak. It

94-675: A change in musical style and is now often designated as the start of his middle or "heroic" period characterized by many original works composed on a grand scale. In the autumn of 1808, after being rejected for a position at the Royal Theatre, Beethoven received an offer from Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte , the king of Westphalia , for a well-paid position as Kapellmeister at the court in Cassel . To persuade him to stay in Vienna, Archduke Rudolf, Prince Kinsky , and Prince Lobkowitz pledged to pay him

141-513: A contract with Britain on creating a "Mergentheim Regiment". Recruited mainly in the principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont , his regiment arrived in the Isle of Wight , England in 1796. "Waldstein's Light Infantry" was well below its target strength of 1,200 men. While Adjutant Schmitt returned to Germany to continue recruiting, about 800 were sent to the West Indies in 1797. Many died of fever, and at

188-447: A fairly good pianist and composer, took an active part in the public life of Bonn. In the literary circles of professor Eulogius Schneider he noticed the young Ludwig van Beethoven around 1790 and he became one of his early patrons. Beethoven's Ritterballet , WoO 1, first performed on 6 March 1791, was attributed to Waldstein until it was discovered later that Beethoven had ghost-written it for his patron. In 1791/92 Beethoven finished

235-542: A fire in a biscuit bakery on the Isle of Wight. For the next few years, Waldstein spent much of his time in London, although he returned to Germany from time to time. On 23 July 1797, Maximilian Francis wrote, "For over a year neither the order nor his creditors have heard anything from Ferdinand von Waldstein, I wish him much money and intelligence". While in London, he took part in amateur theatricals (for select invited audiences), and

282-534: A pension of 4000 florins a year. Archduke Rudolf paid his share of the salary on the agreed date. Kinsky, immediately called to military duty, did not contribute and died in November 1812 after falling from his horse. When the Austrian currency destabilized in 1811, Lobkowitz went bankrupt. To benefit from the agreement, Beethoven had to obtain recourse from the law, which in 1815 brought him some payment. Beethoven felt

329-400: A piece. The first movement is longer than any that Beethoven had previously composed in the piano concerto genre. Beethoven adhered to the traditional sonata form but significantly redefined the interaction between piano and orchestra. The opening cadenza precedes orchestral exposition, solo exposition, development, recapitulation, written cadenza, and a coda. Beethoven explicitly forbids

376-473: A score entitled Eight variations for piano four hands on a theme by Count Waldstein . It was Waldstein who recommended young Beethoven to Joseph Haydn and arranged a scholarship for him. His entry in Beethoven's friendship book on the composer's departure for Vienna in November 1792 remains famous: Dear Beethoven! You go to realise a long-desired wish: the genius of Mozart is still in mourning and weeps for

423-502: A short, delicate pianissimo section: the movement seems to die away but then unexpectedly segues into a virtuosic prestissimo coda that plays with the various themes of the movement, ending in a triumphant rush of grandeur. Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein Count Ferdinand Ernst Joseph Gabriel von Waldstein und Wartenberg (24 March 1762 – 26 May 1823) was a German nobleman and patron of

470-485: A three-note descent in the middle register and a four-note descent in the upper. This phrase is then repeated starting on B ♭ major – a whole tone lower – a device Beethoven also used for the opening of the Sonata No. 16 in G Major (Op. 31 No. 1) . After a half cadence to the dominant ( G major ), the opening phrase returns again but this time in a tremolo variation. The second subject group, marked dolce ,

517-412: A very remote key from the concerto's E ♭ major. The third movement begins without interruption when a lone bassoon note B drops a semitone to B ♭ , the dominant of the tonic key E ♭ . The end of the second movement builds directly into the third. Beethoven uses B major as a “surprise” key for abrupt distant key relationships. This resolves to B ♭ in the transition to

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564-534: Is a chordal theme in E major , the mediant key. Modulation to the mediant for the second subject area is another feature shared by this sonata and the Sonata No. 16. Beethoven would employ the same shift again in later works (in the Hammerklavier Sonata , for example). For the recapitulation , Beethoven transposes the second subject into A major , quickly changing into A minor and then back to C major for

611-451: Is considered one of Beethoven's greatest and most technically challenging piano sonatas . The first section of the rondo requires a simultaneous pedal trill , high melody and rapid left hand runs , and the coda features glissando octaves written in dialogue between the hands. An average performance of the entire Waldstein lasts about twenty-five minutes. The Waldstein has three movements : The first and last movements of

658-433: Is in sonata form and is longer than any opening movement of Beethoven's earlier piano concertos. The second movement, Adagio un poco mosso, is a nocturne that directly builds into the third movement. The last movement, Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo, is in seven-part rondo form. The concerto is approximately forty minutes. The origin of the epithet Emperor is uncertain; it may have been coined by Johann Baptist Cramer ,

705-535: Is reported to have given creditable performances. From 1809, Ferdinand lived in Vienna or on his Bohemian estates. He withdrew from the Order in 1811. On 9 May 1812, Ferdinand married the wealthy Countess Isabella Rzewuska and organised numerous festivities on the sidelines of the Vienna Congress . After several unfortunate financial transactions, however, he became impoverished, and died in 1823 in Vienna. Waldstein,

752-503: The Appassionata and Les Adieux . The rondo begins with a pianissimo melody played with crossed hands that soon becomes fortissimo , over daringly fast scales in the left hand and a continuous trill on the dominant in the right, as described above. The second theme, a series of broken chords in triplets , is soon interrupted by a turbulent section in A minor that foreshadows the central episode . The music returns to C major and

799-487: The Beethoven Monument in 1845, and at an 1877 all-Beethoven concert with Ferruccio Busoni in attendance. At the 1877 concert, Liszt played with nine fingers because of an injury to his left hand. Eleven-year-old Busoni was "bitterly disappointed" at his performance but was the only one who noticed. The musicologist Alfred Einstein described the concerto as "the apotheosis of the military concept." He believed it

846-570: The Emperor Concerto in English-speaking countries, is a piano concerto composed by Ludwig van Beethoven . Beethoven composed the concerto in 1809 under salary in Vienna, and he dedicated it to Archduke Rudolf , who was his patron, friend, and pupil. Its public premiere was on 28 November 1811 in Leipzig, with Friedrich Schneider as the soloist and Johann Philipp Christian Schulz conducting

893-489: The Gewandhaus Orchestra . Beethoven, usually the soloist, could not perform due to declining hearing. The work's military aspects and symbolism characterize its heroic style. Beethoven used novel approaches with the piece, such as beginning the solo entrance without orchestral introduction, lengthening the concerto, and creating a new relationship between piano and orchestra. The first of its three movements , Allegro,

940-703: The Komtur office of the Order at Virnsberg Castle in Franconia . By early 1794, he was in the entourage of Elector Maximilian Francis, who had fled to Vienna from the invading French forces during the War of the First Coalition . He became obsessed with the idea of defeating the French, broke up with the Elector and squandered all his money raising an army. On 3 June 1795, Ferdinand sealed

987-661: The Napoleonic Wars reaching Vienna in early 1809 and completed writing the piano concerto in April while Vienna was under siege by Napoleon's armies. He wrote to his publisher in July 1809 that there was "nothing but drums, cannons, men, misery of all sorts" around him. To save his hearing, he fled to his brother's cellar and covered his ears with pillows. The work's heroic style reflects the war-ridden era in its military topics and heroic tone. Beethoven experimented with new techniques, such as

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1034-463: The coda . The Introduzione is a short Adagio in 8 time that serves as an introduction to the third movement. This replaced an earlier, longer middle movement, later published as the Andante favori , WoO 57. The music gradually gets more agitated before calming down to transition into the rondo third movement. Beethoven would later repeat this procedure in his later piano sonatas, notably

1081-503: The English publisher of the concerto. The concerto has no association with any emperor, and according to Donald Tovey and Betsy Schwarm, Beethoven would have disliked it due to his disapproval of Napoleon's conquest. As part of his repertoire, Franz Liszt frequently performed the concerto throughout his life. Since 1912, it has been recorded numerous times by classical pianists. Beethoven's return to Vienna from Heiligenstadt in 1802 marked

1128-607: The adagio movement with a studio orchestra for the Victor Talking Machine Company ; the recording was issued as Victor 55030-A. In 1922, Frederic Lamond made the first complete recording with the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra under Eugene Goossens . In 1945, Walter Gieseking made a stereophonic tape recording for German radio with the Grosses Funkorchester under Artur Rother . It is one of

1175-844: The arts. A member of the Bohemian House of Waldstein and an early patron of Ludwig van Beethoven , his political and military roles included the office of a Geheimrat in Bonn , commander ( Komtur ) of the Teutonic Order , and (briefly) colonel of a light infantry regiment that he had raised. Waldstein was born in Vienna , Austria , the son of Count Emanuel Philibert von Waldstein-Wartenberg (1731–1775) and his wife, Princess Maria Anna Theresa of Liechtenstein (1738-1814). One of 11 children, his older brothers included Franz de Paula Adam von Waldstein and Josef Karl von Waldstein (1755-1814), who

1222-406: The concerto ends with a short cadenza and robust orchestral response. Contemporary reception was positive, with reviews praising its originality and beauty. One review said: In the exuberance of his genius, he almost never thinks of the ne quid nimium; he pursues his theme with tireless haste, not infrequently makes digressions which seem baroque, and thus, through exertion, he himself exhausts

1269-444: The concerto's epithet, Emperor , are obscure and no consensus exists on its origin. An unlikely and unauthenticated story says that at the first Vienna performance, a French officer said, "C'est l'Empereur!" Other sources say that Johann Baptist Cramer coined it. According to Donald Tovey and Betsy Schwarm, Beethoven would have disliked the epithet due to his disapproval of Napoleon's conquest. Beethoven had previously reconsidered

1316-546: The death of its disciple. (...) By incessant application, receive Mozart's spirit from Haydn's hands. In 1804 Beethoven dedicated his Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, known as the Waldstein , to him. However, it seems that both men hardly had contact with one another at that time. Beethoven dedicated no other work to Waldstein. Piano Concerto No. 5 (Beethoven) The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major , Op. 73, known as

1363-478: The dedication of his third symphony ; initially dedicated to Napoleon, Beethoven changed it after Napoleon assumed the title of emperor in 1804. According to Yan Shen, musicologists agree that the concerto has no connection to an emperor. The concerto is scored for two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets in B ♭ (clarinet 1 playing in A in movement 2), two bassoons , two horns , two trumpets , timpani in E ♭ and B ♭ , and strings . In

1410-410: The eager attention of the weaker musical amateur, who cannot follow his train of thought. Criticism fell on the concerto's length, saying that its duration took away from its beauty. According to Betsy Schwarm, the piece was a favorite of Franz Liszt . Liszt frequently performed the concerto throughout his life, including at an 1841 performance with Hector Berlioz conducting, at the unveiling of

1457-454: The end of the year or early in 1798 the remaining enlisted men were drafted into the British 60th Regiment of Foot . Many of the officers were offered and accepted British Army commissions. Waldstein was not among them, and it appears that his brief military career ended when his unit was dissolved. Waldstein's Light Infantry never saw action, but it did help the local militia to put out

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1504-502: The last movement. Like the Appassionata sonata and the Violin Concerto , the score is notated with attacca to indicate little to no break with the previous movement which did not end with complete closure . The final movement of the concerto is a seven-part rondo form (ABACABA). The solo piano introduces the main theme before the orchestra affirms the soloist's statement. The rondo's B-section begins with piano scales before

1551-507: The opening theme in chords and further develops it: it appears in A ♭ major (bars 221–224), then F minor (225–228) and then D ♭ major (229–232); it is fragmented into shorter phrases (233–238) and then transits into a quiet section with major 7th arpeggios , returning after much drama to the C major theme played fortissimo . The second theme reappears, followed by another characteristic long line of beautiful dance-like music. Another series of fortissimo chords announces

1598-479: The orchestra again responds. The C-section is much longer, presenting the theme from the A-section in three different keys before the piano performs a passage of arpeggios. Rather than finishing with a strong entrance from the orchestra, the trill ending the cadenza dies away until the introductory theme reappears, played first by the piano and then the orchestra. In the last section, the theme undergoes variation before

1645-423: The orchestra offering three sonorous chords. The solo piano responds to each chord with flourishes of arpeggios, trills, and scales. This opening was new in classical concertos, and the flourishes almost became thematic. The propulsive first theme follows, and the expository material repeats with variations, virtuoso figurations, and modified harmonies. The second theme, a march, appears first in B minor form in

1692-475: The pianist was the "hero," the dominant and directional soloist. Also, in Mozart's concertos, the soloist was a virtuoso and more important than the composer; in Beethoven's, the pianist is a vector for the composer. Beethoven created the tradition of linking movements in concertos, especially the middle and the last. Subsequent composers connected and transitioned through all movements in an attempt to create unity in

1739-454: The piano entrance beginning earlier than typical and with a cadenza . The concerto's public premiere was on 28 November 1811 in Leipzig , with Friedrich Schneider as the soloist. Beethoven's hearing loss did not prevent him from composing music, but it made playing at concerts increasingly difficult. The concerto debuted in Vienna on 12 February 1812, with Carl Czerny , Beethoven's pupil, as

1786-430: The second movement, the 2nd flute, 2nd clarinet, trumpets, and timpani are tacet . The concerto is divided into the following three movements : Beethoven began innovating the piano concerto genre with his third piano concerto and continued through his fifth piano concerto. While Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 's piano concertos consisted of the piano and orchestra working in tandem, in Beethoven's last two piano concertos,

1833-456: The solo instrument, a trademark of Beethoven's concertos. The coda elaborates upon the open-ended first theme, building intensity before finishing with a final climactic arrival at the tonic E ♭ major. The second movement in B ;major forms a quiet nocturne for the solo piano, muted strings, and wind instruments that converse with the solo piano. The movement briefly changes to D major ,

1880-419: The soloist from performing their own cadenza , a shift from previous piano concertos. Stephan Lindeman and William Kinderman have speculated that Beethoven wanted to control all aspects of the piece since he could not personally perform it or create a better flow without a virtuosic interruption. Following this piece, composers wrote cadenzas instead of leaving them to the performer. The concerto opens with

1927-445: The soloist. The English premiere was on 8 May 1820 with Charles Neate as soloist. Felix Mendelssohn gave an English performance on 24 June 1829. Archduke Rudolf of Austria was Beethoven's aristocratic patron, and in 1803 or 1804, Rudolf began studying piano and composition with Beethoven. They became friends, and their meetings continued until 1824. Beethoven dedicated many pieces to him, including this concerto. The origins of

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1974-486: The sonata are the most substantial, each taking about 11 minutes to perform. The second movement only lasts about 4 minutes in performance. The first movement is in sonata form and common time : it has a repeated exposition with two subject groups , a development section, a recapitulation and a coda . The movement opens with repeated pianissimo chords in a straightforward but anxious rhythm, devoid of melody for two bars : It then swiftly ascends, followed by

2021-442: The strings, then thematically shifts to C-flat major by the horns. Throughout the movement, Beethoven transforms these themes into a range of keys, moods, and figurations. Following the opening, the movement follows Beethoven's three-theme sonata structure for a concerto. The orchestral exposition is a two-theme sonata exposition. The second exposition with the piano introduces a triumphant, virtuosic third theme that belongs solely to

2068-514: The sweet theme is repeated, followed by a series of staccato octaves in C minor that mark the start of the central episode, one of the few cases where such a melodic change is seen, a tactic repeated in larger works like the Emperor Piano Concerto . Soon the octaves are accompanied by swirling triplets in the left and then the right hand. The music grows more tense and eventually reaches a cadence in C minor. The next section brings back

2115-587: Was admitted to electoral court in Bonn and one year later became Geheimrat ("privy councillor") of the Order and a member of its Staatskonferenz . As a gift of Maximilian Francis, he received a knightly estate in Godesberg and became, after submitting his quarters of nobility , a member of the Cologne Landstände in 1793. From 1788 to 1792, Ferdinand was sent on various diplomatic missions. In 1792, he received

2162-631: Was an enthusiast of Kabbalah and employer of Giacomo Casanova . His sister Mariana Waldstein (1763-1808) became a famous painter in Spain. In 1787 he joined the Teutonic Knights and became a novice in Ellingen . Living in Bonn from early 1788 onwards, Waldstein received, on 17 June that year, the knighthood of the Order by its Grand Master Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria , the Elector of Cologne . He

2209-511: Was the sister work of Eroica because it evokes imagery of an emperor such as Napoleon. Alfred Brendel said it has "a grand and radiant vision, a noble vision of freedom." In the 1860 edition of his biography of Beethoven, Anton Schindler wrote that the concerto was "the summit of all concerto music ever written." Joseph Kerman stated it was a "triumph". As of 2021 , it was the most performed piano concerto at Carnegie Hall , with 215 performances. On 2 October 1912, Frank La Forge recorded

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