Music Theory Online 2.4

Two interpretations of the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 81a, are offered. According to one interpretation (inspired by Bach’s Capriccio on the Departure of His Beloved Brother), the movement depicts Beethoven’s struggle against Rudolph’s intended departure. According to the second interpretation the movement depicts an internal struggle, and in particular, the vacillation between denial and acceptance characteristic of the psychology of loss.