Ludwig van Beethoven composed the Sonatina in G major op. 79 in 1809/1810, virtually as an afterthought to his work on larger piano compositions: the E flat major Piano Concerto, the Choral Fantasy, and the “Les Adieux” Sonata. Beethoven’s spirit is present in this composition too, even if it was not, perhaps, afforded an equally intensive degree of inspiration and artistic effort.

The “Presto alla tedesca” became famous because the motif of a third, like the call of a cuckoo, is taken throug...