First conceived in 1803/04 as the slow movement of the Piano Sonata in C major op. 53 (the “Waldstein” Sonata), the Andante turned out too long in Beethoven’s view and was replaced. Beethoven had it published as a standalone movement, presumably in 1805. The movement, marked “Grazioso con moto,” is characterised by a large variety of compositional techniques ranging from simple chord progressions to orchestral-like octave runs. Because of its particular popularity, this single movement was published as “Andante favori” in its second printing – a moniker that apparently harks back to Beethoven himself. Based on her preliminary research for the critical Complete Edition, Beethoven specialist Joanna Cobb Biermann has carefully revised the musical text of the Henle Urtext edition and updated the preface to reflect the latest scholarship.
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