Piano Sonata No. 16 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major, Op. 31 No. 1, was composed between 1801 and 1802. Although it was numbered as the first piece in the trio of piano sonatas which were published as Opus 31 in 1803, Beethoven actually finished it after the Op. 31 No. 2, the Tempest Sonata.
Due to his dissatisfaction with the 'classical' style of music, Beethoven pledged to 'take a new path' of musical composition and style. The Opus 31 works are the first examples of Beethoven's new innovative and unconventional ideas, an attempt to make a name for himself in the annals of music history. It is important to take into account that these pieces were written after the famous Heiligenstadt Testament of 1802.
In critical terms, this sonata is light, breezy and has touches of humour and irony amongst its movements. Critics say that the Opus 31 works show now a more pronounced 'Beethovenian' sense of style that will become more evident in later, mature works.
Read more about Piano Sonata No. 16 (Beethoven): Structure
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