ABSTRACT
Having arrived in Vienna in November 1792, Beethoven occupied himself during his first year with composing several substantial works under Haydn's tutelage, including an oboe concerto, and a new finale for his already existing B Flat Piano Concerto. Haydn left for England in January, and Beethoven began studying with Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, widely regarded then as the leading counterpoint specialist in Vienna, if not the whole of Europe. For piano sonatas, Mozart, Haydn, and Clementi had already produced many excellent examples, and he would not have wanted his own to be considered inferior to theirs. The dedication to Haydn confirms the warmth and respect that Beethoven held for his former teacher, and gives the lie to suggestions of animosity between them, although Beethoven did not go as far as describing himself as 'pupil of Haydn' as Haydn wished, according to Ferdinand Ries.
