The last three piano sonatas, opus 109, 110 and 111, are Beethoven’s farewell to the genre. Beethoven had been writing piano sonatas for over thirty years and though he would still write for the piano, as far as piano sonatas are concerned, he had nothing more to say. The last three sonatas were written simultaneously between 1820 and 1822 under difficult circumstances. Beethoven’s rapidly deteriorating health and his deafness made him withdraw in isolation. And there was the struggle with the Austrian authorities for the custody of his nephew Carl. These circumstances must have inspired Beethoven to write these last three great sonatas. From the many elements that unite them, the spiritual experience is the most obvious. In spite of this unity, Beethoven gave these works separate opus numbers. Beethoven must have felt they were too important for a single opus number. And all three have very distinct individual qualities. They are so great that words fail, though they needed quite some time -almost a century- to enter into the mainstream of musical influence. Understanding them requires an active participation from the listener.

The miracle of the first movement (Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo – Tempo I) of sonata no 30 in E major (opus 109) is that it doesn’t begin. It comes from somewhere and continues. Enigmatically and poetically, it marks a return to intimate, yet radical structures. The first movement is extremely short and built around contrast. There is no other Beethoven sonata that has such a compressed exposition. Compared to the expansive beginning of the opus 111 sonata in C minor, we get some idea of the huge range of Beethoven’s sonata forms. The first movement only has two themes, both very different in character, tempi and even meter. The development section only uses the first theme. The recapitulation is in forte, with the hands very far apart, symbolising heaven and earth. The second subject returns as a variation, with modern and daring harmonies. The coda is deeply moving. A beautiful solemn choral.

Then, without a break, the infernal second movement (Prestissimo) starts in E minor. How the huge contrast with the first movement must have shocked the contemporary listeners! This movement is also in sonata form, which is quite unusual, and also very short. In all three late piano sonatas the final movement carries the weight of the whole piece. It is one of the greatest achievements of Beethoven that he could carry through an incredible tension to the end of a piece. The main motiv, a passacaglia, starts in the bass. At the end of the exposition, the passacaglia moves as a canon to the upper voices with tremolo underneath. After theme and inversion in the bass together, the recapitulation is marked espressivo.

The theme and six variations that make up the final movement (Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung – Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo) is more than three times as long as the opening movement, involving the rhythm of a baroque sarabande. Beethoven must have been inspired by Bach’s sarabande, for example the aria of the Goldberg Variations. Though Bach’s Goldberg Variations were not well known in Beethoven’s time, Beethoven must have known them very well. The structure of the final movement of opus 109 is obviously modelled after the Goldberg Variations. As in Goldberg, at the end of the movement the theme returns in great simplicity and completes the circle. In a nutshell the variations:

Var. I. Molto espressivo – a lot of Beethoven’s late music is polyphonic, but this variation is special because it concerns a melody and accompaniment, where the accompaniment is full of polyphony and counterpoint.

Var. II. Leggiermente – is like a pointillistic painting. Beethoven uses descending thirds. The interval of a third is the main element of the third movement. Acttually, the sonata as a whole is unified by the motivic interval of a third.

Var. III. Allegro vivace – Beethoven changes character, tempo, meter (2/4) and uses ascending thirds.

Var. IV. Etwas langsamer als das Thema. Un poco meno andante ciò è un poco più adagio come il tema – in this four part counterpoint we can hear the late string quartets already.

Var. V. Allegro, ma non troppo – according to Schiff this is a ‘credo variation’, right out of the Missa Solemnis. Like in the second movement of opus 110 the arioso dolente is an ‘agnus dei’ and a straight quotation from Bach’s St John’s Passion, namely the alto aria ‘Es ist volbracht’. The religious inspiration is omnipresent.

Var. VI. Tempo I del tema. Cantabile. Suddenly the world changes and we are back in the theme, first in the middle voice, then in the soprano voice. The different levels of sonority generate tremendous tension and had great influence on the piano music of Liszt. Then we hear the theme again in its original form. Even more simple this time, because Beethoven has taken out most arpeggios.

Just like this very poetic sonata has no beginning, it has no real ending.