A Discography of Beethoven's Chamber Music--Everything but the String Quartets

Abstract

Ludwig van Beethoven is such a universally revered composer that recordings of his works form a significant part of most classical recording collections. While many discographies of Beethoven's music have highlighted the numerous excellent recordings of his symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets, it is rare to find essays devoted to recordings of his chamber music for instrumental combinations other than the string quartet. This essay will provide a discography of currently available recordings of Beethoven's chamber music and endeavor to cover all instrumental chamber works except the string quartets. 1 Works are presented according to frequency of recording, beginning with the compositions most often recorded and ending with those that are recorded less often, followed by an overview of recordings that feature an assortment of Beethoven's chamber works. Thus, titles appear in the essay and the discography in this order: Piano Trios, Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments, Septet, String Trios, Cello Sonatas, Violin Sonatas, Horn Sonata, Collections.