omposer writes: "durchaus so ohne Trio, nur
ein Stueck" (exactly thus without Trio, only one piece). So the Minuets
were to be short; then the limit of length is prescribed; and, lastly,
an Intermezzo _without_ Trio is planned. The composer proposed, but
his [Greek: daimon] disposed; the Sonata in C minor finally appeared
in print with only an Adagio between the two quick movements.

Schindler, in reference to the proposal made by Hoffmeister to
Beethoven to edit a new edition of his pianoforte works, tells us that
had that project been carried out, the master, in order to get a
nearer approach to unity, would have reduced some of his earlier
sonatas from four movements to three. And he adds: "He would most
certainly have cut out the Scherzo Allegro from the highly pathetic
sonata for Pianoforte and Violin (Op. 30, No. 2; the first and third
have only three movements), a movement in complete opposition to the
character of the whole. He always objected to this movement, and, for
the reason just assigned, advised that it should be omitted. Had the
scheme been carried out, a small number of Scherzos, Allegros and
Menuets would have been 'dismissed.' In our circle, however,
objections were raised against this proposal; for among these
Scherzos, etc., each of us had his favourite, and did not like the
idea of its being removed from the place which it had long occupied.
The master, however, pointed to the three-movement sonatas--Op. 10 in
C minor, Op. 13, Op. 14, Op. 31 (Nos. 1 and 2), Op. 57, and others.
The last sonatas--Op. 106 and Op. 110--which contain more than three
movements must be judged in quite a different manner" (_Life of
Beethoven_, 3rd ed. vol. ii. pp. 215-16).

Schindler's statements have sometimes been called in question; the
above, however, bears on it the stamp of truth.

But how came it to pass that Beethoven's first four sonatas--Op. 2
(Nos. 1, 2, and 3) and Op. 7--have four movements? That is a question
easier to ask than to answer. Schindler's remark that he followed
custom is difficult to understand. In our introductory chapter we
spoke of twenty sonatas containing four movements written probably
about the middle of the eighteenth century, also of one of Wagenseil's
for clavier with violin accompaniment; yet among the known sonatas of
that period, these form a minority. Woelfl's Sonata in B flat (Op. 15)
has four movements: Allegro, Andante, Scherzo Allegro, and Finale
(theme and variations), but t