L. V. Beethoven's '32 Piano Sonatas' Ranked In Order Of Difficulty

[jrr2005]

Does anyone out there have a list of the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas ranked in order of difficulty?

*I know for a fact that Franz Liszt had ranked the sonatas in order of difficluty...If anyone has his ranking of the sonatas that would be great!

[SteinwayTony]

I don't have a list.

But I'll tell you that the most difficult is Op. 106 (Bb), followed by Op. 101 (A).

The easiest are Op. 49 Nos. 1 & 2, followed by Op. 2 No. 1 (Fm)

There's a G major sonata with two movements, the first of which is marked "presto alla tedesca" or something.  I think it's in the Opus 70s, not positive.  That one is fairly easy, perhaps easier than Op. 2 No. 1.

Just my opinion.

[Rach3]

There exist several lists in the archives, including (I think) one by Bernhard. I'm not sure exactly where they are, a search might be usefull here.

That said, I would disagree somewhat with SteinwayTony's ranking... I think op. 111 is more challenging than op. 101 (which I would place at third); also I would place op. 2 no. 1 as being harder than several others, including some early ones and op. 90 (the e minor one in two movements).

[SteinwayTony]

Don't mind me, I'm rusty on Beethoven.  Haven't played anything since the Tempest for college auditions... 

But IMHO 101 is harder than 111, so we'll agree to disagree.

[sirpazhan]

Senior Member 'Bernhard' listed this in one of his posts (I'm not taking credit):

Goes from easy(1) to hard (32)

1. Op. 49 no. 2
2. Op. 49 no. 1
3. Op. 79
4. Op. 14 no. 2
5. Op. 14 no. 1
6. Op. 2 no. 1
7. Op. 10 no. 1
8. Op. 10 no. 2
9. Op. 2. no. 2
10. Op. 2 no. 3
11. Op. 10 no. 3
12. Op. 13 (Pathetique)
13. Op. 22
14. Op. 28 (Pastorale)
15. Op. 7
16. Op. 78
17. Op. 26
18. Op. 31 no. 3
19. Op. 31 no. 1
20. Op. 90
21. Op. 27 no. 1
22. Op. 27 no. 2 (Moonlight)
23. Op. 54
24. Op. 31 no. 2 (Tempest)
25. Op. 53 (Waldstein)
26. Op. 81 (Les Adieux)
27. Op. 57 (Appasionata)
28. Op. 101
29. Op. 110
30. Op. 109
31. Op. 111
32. Op. 106 (Hammerklavier)

[sirpazhan]

Senior Member 'Hmoll' listed this in one of his posts (I'm not taking credit):

Goes from easy(1) to hard (32)

1 - Op 49#2
2 - Op 49#1
3 - Op 79
4 - Op 14#1
5 - Op 2#1
6 - Op 10#1
7 - Op 14#2
8 - Op 10#2
9 - Op 26
10 - Op 13
11 - Op 54
12 - Op 27#2
13 - Op 28
14 - Op 31#3
15 - Op 78
16 - Op 31#2
17 - Op. 22
18 - Op 2#3
19 - Op 2#2
20 - Op 90
21 - Op 31#1
22 - Op 10#3
23 - Op 27#1
24 - Op 7
25 - Op 110
26 - Op 57
27 - Op 109
28 - Op 81a
29 - Op 53
30 - Op 111
31 - Op 101
32 - Op 106

[dreamaurora]

I think Hmoll's list is more accurate. I think Bernhard rated some of those more difficult ones a tad easier. I don't think Op 2 no 3 in any way is easier than 'Pathetique'.

[jrr2005]

This is a 'thank you' to everyone for all your help with this issue!  I think that Senior Member Hmoll's ranking is quite accurate and a good reference list for any pianist.  Good Work 'Hmoll'!  (Liszt's ranking i'm sure is similar to yours)  On the other hand, Senior Member Bernhard's ranking is quite the opposite.  In Bernhard's ranking, some of the most difficult/substantial Beethoven sonatas (Op. 2, No. 3; Op. 10, No. 3; Op. 7) are completely misplaced.  Bernhard is correct, however, on the easiest 5 and most difficult 5 sonatas.  But, everything inbetween is absolutely wrong.

[SteinwayTony]

I think Hmoll's list is more accurate. I think Bernhard rated some of those more difficult ones a tad easier. I don't think Op 2 no 3 in any way is easier than 'Pathetique'.

I have to agree with Hmoll's list as well with the exception of a few in the middle.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

If you have the Schirmer edition, Lebert lists them all in order of difficulty. Here's the list:


First (lowest) Grade:

1. Op. 49 No. 2 (Easy)
2. Op. 49 No. 1 (Easy)
3. Op. 79 (Alla tedesca)
4. Op. 14 No. 1
5. Op. 14 No. 2
6. Op. 2 No. 1 ("Little Appassionata")

Second Grade:

7. Op. 10 No. 1
8. Op. 13 (Pathetique)
9. Op. 10 No. 3
10. Op. 10 No. 2
11. Op. 28 (Pastoral)
12. Op. 2 No. 3
13. Op. 26 (Funeral March)
14. Op. 31 No. 3 (The Hunt)
15. Op. 22
16. Op. 7 (Grand)

Third Grade:

17. Op. 27 No. 2 (Moonlight)
18. Op. 27 No. 1
19. Op. 31 No.2 (Tempest)
20. Op. 2 No. 2
21. Op. 54
22. Op. 78 (For Therese)
23. Op. 90 (Love)
24. Op. 81a (Les Adieux)
25. Op. 31 No. 1
26. Op. 53 (Waldstein)
27. Op. 57 (Appassionata)
28. Op. 101
29. Op. 111*
30. Op. 110
31. Op. 109
32. Op. 106 (Hammerklavier)

*On several occasions I have heard this referred to as "Fate", like the 5th Symphony, though, most of the time, it is simply called Opus 111.

[SteinwayTony]

*On several occasions I have heard this referred to as "Fate", like the 5th Symphony, though, most of the time, it is simply called Opus 111.

No offense, but I wouldn't be caught dead using a Schirmer edition, especially for Beethoven. 

Did you mean that the editor of your edition has heard Op. 111 referred to as "Fate," or have YOU heard it referred to as "Fate"?

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

No offense, but I wouldn't be caught dead using a Schirmer edition, especially for Beethoven. 

True. I tend to agree with a lot of this however, but I also disagree with a lot of it.

Did you mean that the editor of your edition has heard Op. 111 referred to as "Fate," or have YOU heard it referred to as "Fate"?

I have heard it referred to as "Fate" on numerous occasions, however I am as unsure about the validity of that about as much as I am about the list. The Schirmer edition doesn't mention any of the nicknames in the list.

[Rach3]

(oops! I meant op. 79 in my previous post, not op. 90, please disregard...)

Why is op. 2 no. 1 called 'little appasionata'? Funny, I was just thinking about how both it and op. 57 are in f minor - but still, it seems quite arbitrary? Is it called this anywhere else?

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

Why is op. 2 no. 1 called 'little appasionata'? Funny, I was just thinking about how both it and op. 57 are in f minor - but still, it seems quite arbitrary? Is it called this anywhere else?

Yes, but not too often. Try doing a search on it.

[SteinwayTony]

(oops! I meant op. 79 in my previous post, not op. 90, please disregard...)

Why is op. 2 no. 1 called 'little appasionata'? Funny, I was just thinking about how both it and op. 57 are in f minor - but still, it seems quite arbitrary? Is it called this anywhere else?

Never heard that before, but it's very interesting.  Likely the key and mood have a lot to do with it.

[musicsdarkangel]

I would say that op 10 no 1 is the hardest.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

I would say that op 10 no 1 is the hardest.

Please tell me that was a joke! 

If not, then you obviously don't know much about Beethoven's sonatas. Haven't you ever heard/seen the music to the Hammerklavier, Op. 106? If you haven't...

www.sheetmusicarchive.net

Download it! Op. 10 No. 1 is actually one of the easier ones he wrote.

[Hmoll]

Just as a bit of background, here is the thread where Bernhard and I ranked the sonatas.

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2748.0.html

My good cyber-friend Bernhard's comments are interesting in terms of how he ranked the pieces as he did.

While I put a lot of thought into my ranking, and think it's pretty close to what a lot of pianists would encounter in terms of relative difficulty of these pieces, I have not studied all 32. Also, Bernhard's experience as a teacher - ie, having taught many of these pieces - provides additional perspective that I - not being a teacher - simply do not have.

That said, I still wonder why he has Op.110 listed as easier than Op. 101. Also, I think he discounts the earlier sonatas as being easier than they really are - Op2#3, Op 10#3, and especially Op7 should be ranked higher.

I hope Bernhard chimes in again here, so we can fight this one out.

[musicsdarkangel]

Please tell me that was a joke! 

haha man this forum has taught me a lot.  I can't believe I said that.


Sorry for ressurecting an old thread.

[barbosa-piano]

 I will copy/ paste my reply on a similar thread.

I have a very old book from 1919 published by Ricordi, revised by Alfredo Casella, that has a very good preface and both the chronologic order table and the difficulty table.

He organized the difficulty this way:

First Grade: (Easy)
Sonatas Op. 49, n.1 and 2.
Sonatina Op. 79
Sonatas Op. 14, n. 1 and 2.
Sonata Op. 2 n.1

Second Grade: (Medium)
Sonatas Op. 10, n. 1 and 3
Sonata Op. 22
Sonata Op. 7
Sonata Op. 2 n.3
Sonata Op. 13 (Pathetique)
Sonata Op. 10, n. 2
Sonata Op. 28 (Pastorale)
Sonata Op. 26 (Marcia Funebre)
Sonata Op. 2, n. 2
Sonata Op. 27, n. 1 (quasi una fantasia)
Sonata Op. 27, n. 2 (Au clair de lune)

Third Grade: (Difficult)
Sonatas Op. 31, n. 1 , 2 and 3
Sonata Op. 54
Sonata Op. 90
Sonata Op. 78
Sonata Op. 53 (Aurore)
Sonata Op. 81 (L'adieu)

Fourth Grade: (Superior- Transcedental)
Sonata Op. 57 (Apassionata)
Sonata Op. 101
Sonata Op. 109
Sonata Op. 110
Sonata Op. 111
Sonata Op. 106 (Hammerklavier)

This might be slightly different from other editions, but it is about the same rating.
 
Best wishes,
Mario Barbosa   

[steinwayguy]

I really like Hmoll's list, bravo!

And that Schirmer's list looks like a bunch of bullshit (surprise surprise) 

I don't understand why so many people rank op. 7 in the middle or even in the bottom. Charles Rosen is known to have said that he thought it was the second-most difficult (to the Hammerklavier).

[presto agitato]

Op 2-3 is much harder than Op 2-2

[steinwayguy]

Op 2-3 is much harder than Op 2-2

Yeah that's the one I would wonder about, but for me, since I don't practice scales, I think Op. 2 No. 2 would be quite difficult, at least for a while.

[tabris]

I'd have to agree with steinwayguy a bit there.  Op. 7 is definitely among the most challenging.  I'm playing it for a recital in October.  I would say it ranks in the top ten most difficult.  The Op. 100 ones are harder, except maybe op 110.  IMO the Appassionata is also harder.  But still it definitely is NOT in the easier half.  I'd also say the op. 2 no 3 and op 10 no. 3 are in the more difficult half.  I might place op 2 no 3 at the bottom of the top 10.  Op 10 no 3 would probably come shortly after.  But then again it always depends on the person.  Towards the top of the list they kinda get subjective after the Hammerklavier.

[lagin]

Yes, I know, I'm bumping an old thread, but I wanted to keep this list handy for reference for a while.  Thanks for your patience guys.

[etudes]

i even think that op.2 no.3 technically speaking is more difficult than op.57 (but op.57 is much more musically difficult)

[precipitato]

Hmm i kind of disagree wth Hmoll.

1. Piano Sonata No.20 in G, Op.49 No.2 “Leichte Sonata”
2. Piano Sonata No.19 in G minor, Op.49 No.1 “Leichte Sonata”
3. Piano Sonata No.25 in G, Op.79
4. Piano Sonata No.9 in E, Op.14 No.1
5. Piano Sonata No.10 in G, Op.14 No.2
6. Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2 No.1
7. Piano Sonata No.5 in C minor, Op.10 No.1
8. Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 "Pathétique"
9. Piano Sonata No.7 in D, Op.10 No.3
10. Piano Sonata No.6 in F, Op.10 No.2
11. Piano Sonata No.15 in D, Op.28 “Pastoral”
12. Piano Sonata No.3 in C, Op.2 No.3 “The Hunt”
13. Piano Sonata No.12 in A♭, Op.26 “Funeral March”
14. Piano Sonata No.18 in E♭, Op.31 No.3
15. Piano Sonata No.11 in B♭, Op.22
16. Piano Sonata No.4 in E♭, Op.7 “Grand Sonata”
17. Piano Sonata No.14 in C♯ minor, Op.27 No.2 "Moonlight"
18. Piano Sonata No.13 in E♭, Op.27 No.1 “Quasi una Fantasia”
19. Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31 No.2 "The Tempest"
20. Piano Sonata No.2 in A, Op.2 No.2
21. Piano Sonata No.22 in F, Op.54
22. Piano Sonata No.24 in F♯, Op.78 “A Thérèse”
23. Piano Sonata No.27 in E minor, Op.90
24. Piano Sonata No.26 in E♭, Op.81a “Les Adieux”
25. Piano Sonata No.16 in G, Op.31 No.1
26. Piano Sonata No.21 in C, Op.53 "Waldstein"
27. Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 "Appassionata"
28. Piano Sonata No.28 in A, Op.101
29. Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op.111
30. Piano Sonata No.31 in A♭, Op.110
31. Piano Sonata No.30 in E, Op.109
32. Piano Sonata No.29 in B♭, Op.106 "Hammerklavier"

Here goes the list! les adieux isn't that hard... but open to your discussions
and yes, i totally agree with hans on bulow's edition! (this is his rankings) though feel free to rotate around 26 - 31 though
i am interested in looking out for liszt's version too, does anyone know it?

[lorditachijr]

Precipitato, I like your list. The only thing I really think should be higher is Op. 7. It's actually a really difficult piece and requires a lot of endurance. I think it's the 2nd longest sonata he wrote. In my opinion it should be around 24 or 25. Feel free to disagree with me; this is just what I think.

[fftransform]

I haven't played enough of the less common ones to try to put together a whole list (nor have I tried to play Op. 106, because I dislike that piece), but I think that Op. 106 is clearly the most difficult.  From there it will be a bit subjective, but from my own experiences I would say that the five hardest are Op. 106, Op. 109, Op. 111, Op. 101, Op. 53, in that order.  I do not think that the Appassionata is nearly as difficult as the Waldstein; I thought that that opinion was pretty much unanimous, but maybe I am wrong.  I also think that Les Adieux is more difficult than the Appassionata, but that is a closer call.  Op. 110 and Op. 53 are about equal, IMO, since we're only talking about technical difficulty, so that is also a close call, but I haven't played Op. 110, so maybe I am off base.  But I feel pretty comfortable in saying that it would rank, at highest, as #5.

[pianoplayjl]

No, I think appasionata is more difficult than les adieux. I reckon appasionata is the hardest of the beethoven sonata's excluding the op100 something sonatas.

[werq34ac]

Having played:
Pathetique all 3 mvt, Moonlight all 3, 31/1 1st, 31/2 1st and 3rd, 79 1st mvt, 2/3 1st, umm thats about it
But i have read through a lot of them including 2/1, 2/2, 2/3, 10/1, 28, etc. etc.


Of my knowledge, op 49 are the easiest followed by 79. 2/1 is near the bottom.
Hammerklavier, and in general ALL of the late sonatas REGARDLESS of technical difficulty, are HELLA HARD. They say how good someone is at piano is measured by how well they play Beethoven and Schubert AT AGE 35. Not when one is a teenager learning these pieces. These pieces require an enormous amount of maturity, musically, and in general as a person. Sure one can play the notes, but can one really present the music as it was meant to be presented?

With that aside, Moonlight Sonata is actually one of the easier ones. It was a lot easier than 2/3 and 31/2.

As for the title "Little Appasionata" I heavily disagree. I see 2/1 as more of a petty kind of emotion rather than the despair and dark passion of the Appasionata.

[pianoplayjl]

Schirmer's book/copy on beethoven sonatas prbably has a list of Beethoven's sonatas and various works by order of difficulty.

[precipitato]

thanks for you opnions!

ahh yes, lorditachijr. op.7 i havent seen into it much, today when i looked through, yes its no piece of cake. i'll probably place it between op.90 and les adieux! also seeing it in lrsm and ltcl repertoire you're right, thanks!

fftransform, nope i dont think so. i have played appassionata, my brother waldstein. we both agreed, while trying out each other's repertoire they're around the same;my teacher played all 32 before, he says appassionata > waldstein > les adieux!

[pianoplayjl]

exactly. appasionata is harder than waldstein.

[pianist88]

Bernhard's list is probably the most accurate- but some critics say Sonata no 2 in A Major is harder than the Tempest??? I definitely beg to differ with that one.  Not only is the Tempest more difficult; you need to bring out the emotion, and those tremolos are a nightmare. Sonata no 2 sounds like Mozart on speed.

[maitea]

hm... I find op. 2 n2 much harder than Tempest, I play both! I guess that's very personal. Op2 n2 requires a clarity,finesse still with lots of character and spark, and has hard hard passages! I find Tempest far more even. I see what you mean with the emotional content of Tempest, but again, personally I find it is 'easier' or clearer to me to read and understand the humanity of that piece. With A major, I have to dig in my 18th Century self a bit more.. Again, very  personal.

However, I do think that op31.n1 is far harder than Tempest too, no doubt. That 3rd movement is a pig-excuse my French:) There was a list that had them close together, or in the same badge, I disagree..!

[nanabush]

I agree with grouping the last bunch in the top 5 most difficult.

I don't agree with how low some of the lists put the Op.78.  For anyone here who hasn't played it, the second movement is a b!tch.  The first one is technically pretty straightforward (nothing too out of the ordinary), a few musical challenges with pedalling, but the second one is pretty insane.

I'm working on the Appassionata for my graduating recital, and I'd have to say the third movement poses about as many technical challenges put together as the single challenge of getting those damn *intensely fast* two note slurs in the Op 78.

I also think people underestimate the last movement of the moonlight, and the last movement of the other Op 27.  Just because it is a well known piece, with two easier preceding movements, the third movement isn't 'easier' by association... lol

Two of my friends are doing Op.109, and I looked at the end of the last movement... my god, those trills.

[pts1]

A number of the more difficult Sonatas can change ranking difficulty order based on tempo interpretations.

For instance, press the tempo a bit on Appasionata, it increases the difficulty, power, endurance required exponentially and jumps up several rungs on the ladder.

Slow it down, and down the ladder she goes.

Same with Les Adieux, Waldstein, etc, etc...

Opus 2 no 3 can rise toward the top of the list at a certain tempo, for instance.

So I think after a certain point, the list becomes quite subjective (unless someone wanted to go to the trouble of defining a standard metronomic marking for each movement of each sonata -- (groan!!!)

[teran]

My teacher just says "they're all basically the same, they're all very difficult"

I think that's a pretty humorous way of looking at it tbh, but for some reason I think it all stems from him wanting me to do the Tempest next. 

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I know this is kinda late, but...

I'm sorry, I have to.

The moonlight sonata shouldn't be ranked as that difficult.

I think everyone's forgetting that there's only ONE hard movement of the moonlight sonata.

[j_menz]

I'm sorry, I have to.

I think everyone's forgetting that there's only ONE hard movement of the moonlight sonata.

If you don't mean the first movement, you don't understand difficulty.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

If you don't mean the first movement, you don't understand difficulty.

Actually I was talking about the second.   

[j_menz]

Actually I was talking about the second.   

Novel, but still not right. 

[worov]

This thread is pretty old, isn't it ?

[j_menz]

This thread is pretty old, isn't it ?

It's not like a new one would be any different. 

[burnttoast]

(oops! I meant op. 79 in my previous post, not op. 90, please disregard...)

Why is op. 2 no. 1 called 'little appasionata'? Funny, I was just thinking about how both it and op. 57 are in f minor - but still, it seems quite arbitrary? Is it called this anywhere else?

Also, op. 2, no. 3 has been referred to as the "Little Waldstein."

[canada100]

As musicians, it is not wise to rank pieces in difficulty order. None of Beethoven's Sonatas can be called easy, not even the Op. 49 set. However, it is true that some are easier than others. Yes, there are givens, for example, Op. 49 is clearly easier than something like Op. 57 or Op. 53.

Also, I disagree with how they get ranked. I am greatly annoyed that people sometimes consider Op. 2 No. 3 to be "easy" in any way. Same thing goes for Op. 10 No 3. They are both very difficult pieces. Op. 2 No 3 is not easy at all, and you do not have to take my word for it. Try playing it, and you will see how hard it really is. It is considered one of Beethoven's most respected sonatas, and one of the biggest ones. The first movement has nasty thirds, which are nortoriously difficult. The second movement is musically draining. The third movement has technical challenges too, as well as musical challenges, especially the Trio. The last movement must be very light.

Op. 10 No. 3 is not easy either. In fact, I even hear it played at major competitions, such as the E-Piano Competition in Minneapolis and the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv. In fact, Eric Zuber, the 4th place winner of the 2011 Rubinstein, played the Op. 10 No 3. Just think! If someone would use it for the Rubinstein, it must be VERY DIFFICULT.

Most would agree that the Hammerklavier, Op. 106 is the hardest. But Op. 57, Op. 53, Op 31 No 2, Op. 10 No 3, Op. 2 No 3, Op 111, and Op 110 can also be added to the list.

[yohankwon]

Yeah, to add on what above person (^) said.

For me, Op2 No3 is harder than Op22, which were the only 2 sonatas (2 complete; I've also looked at single mvts of other sonatas) I learned in high school. (I'm playing Op2 No3 for auditions)

[liszt1022]

I've played all mvts of the following-

Op. 2 no. 3 - I wouldn't set it too high on the difficulty chart. It was mostly difficult to memorize. I spent the most practice time on the scherzo & trio, and the LH of mvt 4.

Op. 78 - Yes, the second mvt can get crazy, but don't forget it's only got two movements. The black-key-heavy writing helps out with jumps quite a lot. For this one I was most concerned with LH line clarity in mvt 1.

Moonlight - With good fingering, the 3rd mvt is very comfortable to play. I don't sweat this mvt, I have fun with it - though I do play a little under tempo. I'd put it somewhere in the middle of the "middle" sonatas, but not near the late ones.

[diwang99]

Yet no one dares to play moonlight, in the face of Wilhelm Kempff and those other masters.