Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.24, Op.78

Introduction

The Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major, Op. 78, nicknamed "à Thérèse" (because it was written for Countess Thérèse von Brunswick) was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1809. It consists of two movements:

1. Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo
2. Allegro vivace

A typical performance takes 10 minutes. The common practice of leaving out long repeated sections, such as the development and recapitulation in the first movement, would make two or three minutes' difference to the total duration.

Maynard Solomon notes that this and the "Appassionata" sonata, op.57, were Beethoven's favorite of his piano sonatas prior to the "Hammerklavier."