RCM Teacher Portal - Stewart Goodyear’s Guide to the Beethoven Piano Sonatas

Stewart Goodyear’s Guide to the Beethoven Piano Sonatas

This collection captures Stewart Goodyear’s essential insights into performing and interpreting nine of Beethoven’s sonatas for solo piano. These works form a pillar of The RCM Certificate Program and are integral to pianists’ development. Stewart will guide piano teachers through each of the sonatas in a series of short videos, discussing how teachers can use the sonatas to build their students’ competencies across four key areas: interpretation, technique, form and analysis, and knowledge of repertoire.

The first Beethoven sonata that many students encounter is this early work, composed in the 1790s, but not published until later in Beethoven’s life. The first movement, which appears in Celebration Series®, Sixth Edition: Piano Repertoire 8, can serve as an excellent introduction to sonata form. It also provides opportunities for students to develop their parallel thirds and classical-style ornamentation. The second movement, a lively Rondo in compound meter, puts students’ memorization skills to the test and allows them to experiment with articulation.

Introducing Sonata Form through the First Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Perfecting Parallel Thirds in the First Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Ornaments in the First Movement

Artistry

Rondo Form and Memorization in the Second Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Compound Meter in the Second Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Experimenting with Articulation in the Second Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Composed by a preteen Beethoven in the early 1780s, this early sonata was published without an opus number. The first movement appears in Celebration Series®, Sixth Edition: Piano Repertoire 9. Bridging the gap between Mozart’s early piano sonatas and the corpus of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, it introduces Level 9 students to many essential techniques and stylistic devices that will appear in Beethoven’s later sonatas.

A Bridge Between Mozart and Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas

Artistry, Repertoire

This was the first complete Beethoven sonata that Stewart performed as a teen. It continues to be a popular selection for Level 10 students, with the first two movements appearing in Celebration Series®, Sixth Edition: Piano Repertoire 10 (students may also choose to perform the second and third movements for their Level 10 exam). The first movement displays Beethoven’s innovative approach to sonata form. It also provides pianists with an opportunity to develop and refine their musical sense of humor and to tackle some formidable technical challenges. The second movement allows students to develop their voicing, while the third is a formidable toccata that prepares students for the epic fugues in some of Beethoven’s later sonatas.

Surprises and Sonata Form in the First Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Humor in the First Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Technique: Triplet Sixteenths and Crossing Hands in the First Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Where Do You Lean? Voicing in the Second Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Taking on the Toccata in the Third Movement

Artistry

Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata hardly needs an introduction. From the iconic Adagio sostenuto first movement through to the stormy Presto agitato finale, this legendary sonata is a cornerstone of the piano repertoire. The first movement is full of challenges, from the difficulty of devising a new interpretation of a classic work to unlocking the intricacies of pedaling. The second movement, a minuet and trio in D flat major, requires pianists to develop a color completely different from that in the first movement. The third movement presents formidable technical challenges to an ARCT-level student, yet features many connections to the earlier movements.

Stewart’s Secrets to Interpreting the First Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Pedaling on the Modern Piano

Artistry, Repertoire

Key, Color, and Meter in the Second Movement

Artistry, Repertoire

Connections Between the Movements

Artistry, Repertoire