L.v. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major Op. 22

The Piano Sonata no. 11 is the last of Beethoven’s “early period” sonata where Beethoven structures each movement in a principal structure of the classical period. It is one of his “grande” sonatas with four movements. The first movement harmonically and thematically follows a conventional allegro sonata form. One interesting element that we can quickly notice when studying the score is that all the themes and motifs displayed in this movement are constructed based on the idea of ascending and descending third intervals. The secondary theme is also harmonised in thirds. The first movement of this sonata is one of the pieces in which the composer attempts to imitate the sound of a big orchestra and the timbre of other instruments on the piano. To imitate the sound of a particular instrument or an instrumental section he deploys specific articulation rhythm and figuration that makes the music closely resembles that particular sound.