Le Beau - Sonata in D major, Op. 17 (Urtext Edition)

Luise Adolpha Le Beau (1850 – 1927) was a German composer. She studied with noted musicians Clara Schumann and Franz Lachner, but her primary instructor was Josef Gabriel Rheinberger. Like many other 19th-century female composers, Le Beau began her career in music as a pianist and later earned her living teaching, critiquing, and performing music.

Luise Adolpha Le Beau (1850 – 1927) was a German composer. She studied with noted musicians Clara Schumann and Franz Lachner, but her primary instructor was Josef Gabriel Rheinberger. Like many other 19th-century female composers, Le Beau began her career in music as a pianist and later earned her living teaching, critiquing, and performing music.

Le Beau's Cello Sonata was completed on 12 October 1878, with the first two movements being completed on 17 September and 23 September, respectively. It was published in Hamburg by August Cranz in March 1883. The first movement of the Sonata is reminiscent of early Brahms (i.e. Serenade, Op. 11), and the finale of Mendelssohn's Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 58. The slow movement is quite melancholy, with a reflective middle section reminiscent of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 58.

The cello and piano parts are equal in Le Beau's Cello Sonata. The piano part is not as challenging as Brahms or Mendelssohn, so an intermediate player would enjoy playing this work. The cello part is between grades 3 and 4 based on the ASTA syllabus. The cello part stays within the first 6 positions in the first two movements. The thumb is used on the middle harmonic in the finale. There is an F#5 near the end of the finale, approached by step.

Our edition is based exclusively on the autograph as it is more detailed and does not contain pitch, rhythm, slurring, and articulation errors that made their way into the publication. The original Barcarole is included in the appendix of our edition. We thank Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin for providing the sources.