Violin Sonata No. 4 (Beethoven)


The Violin Sonata No. 4 of Ludwig van Beethoven in A minor, his Opus 23, was composed in 1801, published in October that year, and dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries. It followed by one year the composition of his first symphony, and was originally meant to be published alongside Violin Sonata No. 5, however it was published on different sized paper, so the opus numbers had to be split. Unlike the three first sonatas, Sonata No. 4 received a favourable reception from critics.

Structure and Analysis

It has three movements:
  1. Presto
  2. Andante scherzoso, più allegretto
  3. Allegro molto
The work takes approximately 19 minutes to perform.