Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 47 ("Kreutzer Sonata")
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Editor: Clive Brown Instrumentation: Piano, Violin Work: Violin Sonata in A Major ("Kreutzer Sonata"), Op. 47 Binding: ISMN: 9790006568512 Size: 9.6 x 12.2 inches Pages: None Urtext / Critical Edition Description An autograph fragment of the Violin Sonata, Op. 47 is titled, in Beethoven's hand, "Sonata mulattica composta per il mulatto Brischdauer, gran pazzo e compositore mulattico" – meaning "Mulatto Sonata composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, great madman and mulatto composer". The genesis of the sonata, which was to become famous under the name "Kreutzer Sonata", is closely connected to a visit to Vienna by George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (1778–1860), a violinist with an Afro-Caribbean father and a European mother. in the language of that time, his descent made him a mulatto. Beethoven was apparently deeply impressed by Bridgetower's musicality and virtuosic abilities. However, when the sonata was published in 1805