12th Sonata, Op. 26, in A flat.
Andante con variazioni—Scherzo—Marcia funèbre—Rondo.
Dedicated to the Prince Carl von Lichnovsky.
This Sonata was announced for the first time on March 3rd, 1802. Two of the movements are in slow time—an Air with Variations, and a "Funeral March on the death of a hero." The March is said to have been written as a set-off to the popular one of that day in Paer's opera, Achilles.
It is not a lamentation, but rather a tragic elegiac picture set in an impressive frame. One feels the throb of brass, the blare of trumpets, the roll of muffled drums, the impressive pageantry of death. The opening Andante is beautiful, and in the variations the theme breathes as it were through a thin lovely veil. The technique looks backwards rather than forwards, and the movement ends with a calm phrase. The final Rondo bubbles with life ceaselessly until it disappears in a faint whisper.