This famous sonata in C minor is known to all music lovers as the Grande Sonate pathétique. For once Beethoven had given it this name himself, which is why pianists must do their best to capture the emotional (pathetisch) and passionate character of this exceptional work. Beethoven composed the Pathétique between 1797 and 1799 and dedicated it to his royal admirer and patron Prince Karl von Lichnowsky. This Urtext edition, one of our most successful ones, is based on the first printing from 1799 - we were not able to consult the composer's manuscript as this is lost.