Variations on L. V. Beethoven's music for solo piano and analysis of the "Eroica Variations, Op.35"

Ludwig van Beethoven, born December 16, 1770 in Bonn, riverside of Rhine, became a well-known composer and pianist during the 19th Century. Beethoven, a musical revolutionary, created a rich model of classical composition which was unique and stylistically novel for his time. Although Beethoven's pieces encompass classical features, it is possible to perceive components of romanticism which was about to dominate the era of music and society. The aim of the current study will be to examine Ludwig van Beethoven's compositions in variation-form regarding solo piano. Multiple musical selections and pieces will be compared, examined, and discussed. Implications will be delinated with respect to Beethoven's musical insights, techniques, and style. The following paper entails five chapters which form a framework to review and comment on Beethoven's solo piano musical oeuvre. The first chapter introduces a general overview of Beethoven's life. The second chapter presents Beethoven as a pianist and discusses general developments regarding compositions for piano. The third chapter inspects variation-form and Beethoven's variation compositions for solo piano, including a general overview for every composition. The fourth chapter pertains to variations utilized in piano sonatas. The fifth and final chapter examines "Eroica Variations", Opus 35 in fine detail wherein comparisons to other compositions are elucidated.