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Beethoven and the Harpsichord

In 1783, twelve-year-old Beethoven became the cembalist (keyboard player) for the theater orchestra in Bonn.
As assistant to Christian Gottlob Neefe, the chief organist in Bonn, the young Beethoven was responsible for taking
over when Neefe was away and when he could not accompany. Beethoven biographer Alexander Thayer writes,
In those days, every orchestra was provided with a harpsichord or pianoforte, seated at which the director guided
the performance, playing from the score. Here, then, was in part the origin of that marvelous power, with which in
later years Beethoven astonished his contemporaries, of reading and playing the most difcult and involved scores
at rst sight.
Thayer suggests that Beethovens earliest keyboard lessons as a child were on the pianoforte, but one of the few
witnesses of these lessons only states that they were at the Klavier (the generic German word for keyboard).
History has not recorded whether the Beethoven family had an early fortepiano, harpsichord, or clavichord at
home.
The title pages of Beethovens earliest keyboard works read as follows:
1782: Variations pour le Clavecin Sur une Marche de Mr, Dresler (Variations for the Harpsichord on a March by
Mr. Dres[s]ler), WoO 63, published in 1782
1782-83: Drei Sonaten frs Klavier (Three Sonatas for Keyboard), WoO 47, published in 1783
1783: Rondo Allegretto, WoO 48, published in 1783
Rondo Allegretto, WoO 49, published in 1783
1783: un Concert pour le Clavecin ou Fortepiano, WoO 4, published in 1890, title on the solo keyboard part of
the manuscript
1785: trios quatuors p[o]ur le clave[c]in violino viola e Basso, WoO 36, published in 1828, title from the

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Beethoven and the Harpsichord | Beethoven Center | San Jose State University

manuscript
Thus, the earliest printings and ms. of his keyboard works state that they are either for harpsichord, Klavier
(keyboard), or fortepiano. In fact, Beethovens keyboard works published during his First Period (which ends in
1802) frequently list the harpsichord as the rst possible instrument (see the entries in bold below). This is a list of
all of Beethovens works with opus numbers for keyboard alone or with other instruments during the First Period:
Opus 1 trios, published in 1795: Pour le Piano-Forte Violin, et Violoncelle
Opus 2 sonatas, published in 1795: Pour le Clavecin ou Piano-Forte
Opus 5 sonatas, published in 1797: pour Le Clavecin ou Piano = Forte avec un Violoncelle
Opus 6 sonata (four-hands), published in 1797: Pour le Clavecin ou Forte-Piano
Opus 7, published in 1797: pour le Clavecin ou Piano-Forte
Opus 10, published in 1798: pour le Clavecin ou Piano Forte
Opus 11, published in 1798: pour le Piano-Forte avec un Clarinette ou Violon, et Violoncelle
Opus 12 (violin and piano), published in 1798-99: Per il Clavicembalo o Forte-Piano)
Opus 13 sonata, published in 1799: Pour le Clavecin ou Piano-Forte
Opus 14 sonatas, published in 1799: pour le Piano-Forte
Opus 15 (1st Concerto), published in 1801: pour le Forte-Piano
Opus 16 wind quintet, published in 1801: pour le Forte-Piano avec
Opus 17 horn sonata, published in 1801: pour le Forte-Piano avec
Opus 19 (2nd Concerto), published in 1801: pour le Pianoforte
Opus 22 sonata, published in 1802: pour le Piano Forte
Opus 23-24 violin sonatas, published in 1801: pour le Piano Forte avec
Opus 26 sonata, published in 1802: pour le Clavecin ou Forte-Piano
Opus 27 sonatas, published in 1802: per il Clavicembalo o Piano-Forte
Opus 28 sonata, published in 1802: pour le Pianoforte
All the remaining title pages for keyboard specify Pianoforte. It is surprising to read that the Moonlight Sonata
was advertised as either for harpsichord or fortepiano since it takes full advantage of the fortepiano, but there is a
commercial recording of the work on harpsichord.
Thus, by 1802-03, the pianoforte had replaced the harpsichord as the popular home keyboard instrument to such an
extent that publishers no longer felt that listing the harpsichord on the title pages had any value.
Beethovens teacher Neefe, however, wrote in 1787 (when Beethoven was 16) that the Elector of Bonn was
spending a great amount of money on music, instruments, and virtuosi. He added, The pianoforte is especially
liked; there are here several Hammerclaviere by Stein of Augsburg, and other correspondingly good instruments.
As a teenager, therefore, Beethoven probably had access to some of the nest fortepianos being built in Western
Europe.

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