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Published: Friday, 10 January 2025 at 10:58 AM
Little known Beethoven works: 11 overlooked gems from the revolutionary composer
The symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven are celebrated universally – unshakeable cornerstones of the classical music repertoire. Some of his lesser-known works, however, remain underappreciated despite their brilliance. Here are a carefully selected 11 of Beethoven’s overlooked gems:
Little known Beethoven
1. Wellington’s Victory/The Battle Symphony, Op. 91
This 15-minute orchestral piece was composed in 1813 to celebrate the defeat of Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain and brother of Napoleon, by British troops led by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Vitoria.
Beethoven’s music dramatises the battle, splitting the orchestra into two and incorporating live cannon and musket fire for added excitement. Well-known national tunes represent the two sides with God Save the King and Rule Britannia for the British and Marlbrough s’en va-t-en guerre for the French.
Today the piece is often seen as a novelty, but at the time of his death it was publicly considered one of his best works.
2. 12 German Dances, WoO 8
Beethoven wrote these 12 German Dances in 1795, at the age of just 25, for the Redoutensaal, a salon frequented by the Viennese upper classes. This is Beethoven on a small scale, displaying concise craftsmanship – not one of the dances breaks the two-minute mark.
Though Beethoven originally orchestrated the dances, they became popular enough for him to make a piano arrangement to be played at home.
3. British folk song arrangements
Beethoven’s 179 settings of folk songs earned him a substantial amount of money. He was commissioned by publisher and folk-song collector George Thomson, who paid the composer four ducats per song – twice as much as his erstwhile teacher Haydn initially received. Thomson had transcribed many of the melodies on his travels around Great Britain and he also commissioned great British poets like Robert Burns and Walter Scott to write new texts for existing folk songs.
A mixture of simple solo, duet, and trio arrangements, the songs were suitable for social use in the houses and salons of the Viennese middle-class. The songs range from the jolly (Put round the bright wine) to melancholy (On the Massacre of Glencoe). There is even a lively arrangement of Auld Lang Syne – see what you think, below.
4. Cantata On the Death of Emperor Joseph II, WoO 87
In 1790, when news of the death of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II reached Beethoven’s native Bonn, the University began preparations for a memorial ceremony that would take place just a month later. Theology student Severin Anton Averdonk wrote a text, and an open invitation was extended to composers in Bonn to set it to music.
The 19-year-old Beethoven leapt at the chance to prove his talent as a composer. Established composers were reluctant to attempt the work on such a tight deadline, so Beethoven won the job with this cantata. However, for unknown reasons, the initial performance was cancelled and it was never performed in his lifetime.
5. Three Equale for Four Trombones, WoO 30
Beethoven wrote this set of ‘equale’ works for All Soul’s Day in Linz Cathedral, 1812. They were later performed at Beethoven’s own funeral in an arrangement for male voice choir, with the words of the Miserere added by Ignaz von Seyfried.
‘Equale’ or ‘Aequale’ is a Latin musical term that means ‘for equal parts,’ or put simply, for the same instrument. Beethoven writes for his four trombones in long, homophonic phrases, creating a rich sombre tone throughout the set.
More little known Beethoven
6. Italian songs
Beethoven wrote a great number of Italian songs while studying composition with Antonio Salieri (perhaps best known as Mozart‘s rival-cum-associate and the anti-hero of the film Amadeus), often as exercises. Very few of his early works have survived, but those he composed or revisited in later life are far better preserved.
The songs have a very different mood from Beethoven’s famous song-cycle An die ferne geliebte. Some of the songs, the brief, lyrical Ecco quel fiero istante (WoO 124) for example, could almost be by Mozart.
In questa tomba oscura (WoO 133) is entirely different. Here we can see more dramatic elements and the accompaniment contributes to the development of the song as it transitions from calm, slow chords to thunderous quaver-movement and back again.
7. Organ Fugue, WoO 31
The only solo piece Beethoven wrote for organ, this is also one of the earliest works he composed. The piece ends with some interest, demonstrating a busy recapitulation of the main theme over a sustained pedal note, but otherwise reveals little that hints towards his revolutionary mature style. It is thought that the piece was written as part of the examination requirements for an organ position at the court of Bonn.
8. Sonata for flute and piano in B flat major, Anh. 4
Beethoven wrote his sonata for flute and piano when he was in his early twenties but it wasn’t published until 1906, when a selection of the composer’s works were released posthumously. He replaces the conventionally slow second movement with a lively Polonaise, while a playful theme and variations play out between the flute and piano in the final movement.
9. Three duets for clarinet and bassoon, WoO 27
This set of three charming duets emerged in Paris towards the beginning of the 19th century and are a delightful addition to a relatively limited repertoire for clarinet and bassoon duo. While there is some debate among musicologists over the origins of the pieces, it is widely accepted that Beethoven composed them some time in the 1790s, while his compositional style was still developing.
10. Sextet for two horns and string quartet in E flat major, Op. 81b
Written around 1795, the progress of Beethoven’s compositional development is evident in the way he treats the two horns in this piece. The composer acknowledges the typical use of the horn for fanfares and hunting calls, but also shows the lyrical qualities the instrument has to offer in the duet between both horns in the second movement, which has a very minimal string accompaniment.
And finally… a little known Beethoven piano gem
10. Andante favori in F major, WoO 57
This beautiful piece for solo piano was published in 1805. Originally intended to be the second movement of the ‘Waldstein’ piano sonata, Beethoven omitted it on the advice of friends who felt it was too long. The work became a much-loved stand-alone piece amongst audiences of the time, which led Beethoven to give it the title Andante favori (favoured andante).