Piano Concerto No. 1 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, was written in 1795, then changed in 1800. It was possibly first shown by Beethoven at his first public concert in Vienna on 29 March 1795.[1] It was first made public in 1801 in Vienna, dedicated to his student Princess Anna Louise Barbara Odescalchi (née Countess von Keglević), also called "Babette".[2]
| No. 1 | |
| by Ludwig van Beethoven | |
 Beethoven in 1803, six years after he finished the piano concerto | |
| Opus | 15 |
|---|---|
| Style | Classical period |
| Dedication | Princess Anna Louise Barbara Odescalchi |
| Performed | 18 December 1795 Vienna |
| Published | 1801 |
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Although this was Beethoven's first piano concerto to be made public, it was actually his third, after a piano concerto in E-flat major of 1784 and the Piano Concerto No. 2. His second concerto was made public in 1801 in Leipzig after the Concerto No. 1, but was made over several years, starting in 1788.
Movements
- Allegro con brio (C major)
- Largo (A-flat major)
- Rondo. Allegro scherzando (C major)
Like the Piano Concerto No. 2, this concerto is similar to works by Mozart and Haydn. It uses the concerto type of sonata form and is made for solo piano and an orchestra with flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. The flute, oboes, trumpets, and timpani do not play in the second movement.
I. Allegro con brio
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Tempo: 
= 144
The first movement is in sonata form, but with an extra orchestral introduction, a cadenza, and a coda. It has a main theme that is played many times, and a lyrical second theme.
There are three options for the cadenza to this movement. The coda is played by only the orchestra. Performances last fourteen to eighteen minutes.
II. Largo
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The second movement is in the key of A-flat major. This movement is in ternary (ABA) form.
Performances often last more than ten minutes
III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando
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The third movement is a sonata rondo (ABACABA). The piano plays the main theme, which is then played by the orchestra.
Beethoven wrote two short cadenzas for this movement. The movement lasts eight to nine minutes.
Recordings
References
- ↑ Template:Cite Grove
- ↑ Frederik Federmayer: Rody starého Prešporka [Families of old Prešporek] (Monada atelier, Bratislava, 2003) ISBN 9788096890606 OCLC 977342024. (in Slovak)
Other websites
Media related to Piano Concerto No. 1 (Beethoven) at Wikimedia Commons- [[scores:{{{id}}}|Piano Concerto No. 1]]: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project