Modulation in Beethoven's Sonatas

"How did he do it"? As when one stands in front of a great novel or mystery book, this question comes to mind when listening to Beethoven's music. Why do his piano sonatas sound so different from Haydn's and Mozart's sonatas? What rules did he follow when he wrote them? Can we discern any patterns? What could a young musician learn from Beethoven's writing style that he/she could then use to compose her/his own music? Have the scores on hand, listen to a recording. And as you read the book, sit from time to time at the piano and try your own variations on Beethoven's ideas, a few bars at a time. Write them down in your own sketch book. Who knows? Perhaps, one day some of them will become the seeds from which you will write your own music. In ways you never thought before.

About the Author :
I published three books on Modulation. The first was "Modulation in Classical Music." It was written in 2016 and can be downloaded for free from the IMSLP website. The book is in a format of a "research dissertation," trying to cover everything. It has two chapters that you will not find in the other, more recent, books. One chapter ("Chapter 3") is on string quartets composed by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Another chapter ("Chapter 4") explains the computer code used to generate the modulation graphs. The second book I wrote was "Modulation in Classical Music for Young Musicians." I published it in 2017 and can be purchased from Amazon or from your local bookstore. It is directed to a young audience, teenagers attending Middle or High School. You will find here a gradual step-by-step teaching of the grammar of classical music, with many examples taken from works by Bach, Haydn and Mozart. The third book I wrote is "Modulation in Beethoven's sonatas." I published it in 2018. The basic requirement to read this book is technical and artistic maturity. If you are already playing Bach, Haydn and Mozart, this book is for you. As the previous book, it can be purchased at Amazon or from your local bookstore. How these books came about? Everyone learns how to write a text message and a one-page "Curriculum Vitae." A few become later great novelists and writers. I reasoned that if the young generation could receive a good education in the grammar of classical music and how the classical composers used it when they created their works, then they could be encouraged to write simple music compositions. There is no essential difference between learning how to write in a common language and how to write music. And - as in any other field of the Arts - a few of them could become great artists and composers of good music. The author is a Physicist (PhD in Physics) and Engineer in the Silicon Valley, California. In his free time he enjoys reading books and - sometimes - playing the piano.