Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Part 3 (Coursera)

Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Part 3 (Coursera)

Welcome to Part 3 of Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas! I'm delighted to launch another set of new lectures of this course as Part 3. As before, this class is meant for people of all levels of experience with Beethoven's music (including no experience at all!).

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Remember that you are able to watch the lectures as many times as you like, at whatever pace is comfortable for you.
As I’ve done with the first two sets of Beethoven lectures, I look forward to meeting with students—online and in person, in various cities. The dates and locations will be posted in the Announcements and Events section, as part of the course content. So please remember to check back there for details.
In these four new lectures, we will explore the following sonatas:
• Sonata Op. 10, No. 1
• Sonata Op. 22
• Sonata Op. 31, No. 2
• Sonata Opp. 78, 79, 81a

Syllabus

WEEK 1
We are glad that you have joined us for Part 3 of Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas course, taught by Curtis faculty member and extraordinary concert artist, Jonathan Biss! This course is considered Part 3, with new and separate sets of lectures. Specifically, in Part 3 we will cover Beethoven's Piano Sonatas Op. 10, No. 1, Op. 22, Op. 31, No. 2 and Opp. 78, 79 and 81a. As with the other two Beethoven courses, it is not necessary to have taken the previous Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas courses. We know you will be perfectly comfortable to start learning with Part 3, if you wish and go from here. There is always the option to go back to Parts 1 and 2 at any time. Between these two courses, there exists a large amount of additional resources and learning that might be helpful as you embark on Part 3. We certainly encourage you to take Parts 1 and 2, if you have not just yet. In the meantime, enjoy the class: Part 3 of Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas.

WEEK 2
Op. 10 No. 1

WEEK 3
Op. 22

WEEK 4
op. 31 no. 2

WEEK 5
opp. 78, 79 and 81a

WEEK 6
Listening to the Sonatas
To supplement your learning during the course, enjoy free access to several of the Jonathan's Beethoven Sonatas recordings.

WEEK 7
Your Thoughts Welcome

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

20世纪西方音乐 Western Music in the 20th Century (Coursera) Coursera
Peking University

20世纪西方音乐 Western Music in the 20th Century (Coursera)

课程所涉不仅涵盖古典音乐如新古典主义、表现主义、民族主义等流派,也对爵士乐、摇滚乐与流行音乐在20世纪的风格情状投以深切关注;在将包括中国音乐在内的世界各国民族民间音乐纳入20世纪大背景予以研究探索之同时,关于大型综合艺术品例如歌剧、音乐剧、电影音乐的考察与分析,也设为专题,绝无偏废。

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting (Coursera) Coursera
The Museum of Modern Art

In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting (Coursera)

Want to know how some of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists made abstract paintings? This course offers an in-depth, hands-on look at the materials, techniques, and thinking of seven New York School artists, including Willem de Kooning, Yayoi Kusama, Agnes Martin, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, and Mark Rothko. Through studio demonstrations and gallery walkthroughs, you’ll form a deeper understanding of what a studio practice means and how ideas develop from close looking, and you’ll gain a sensitivity to the physical qualities of paint.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Composição: Escrevendo a letra (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Composição: Escrevendo a letra (Coursera)

Existe um compositor dentro de você, rondando, indagando se é o momento certo de se revelar. Agora é. Este curso é um convite para deixar que o compositor que existe dentro de você saia ao sol. Tudo que você precisa é de um "sim" e você estará subindo aquela montanha com ventania e se maravilhando com a vista.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Creativity And Entrepreneurship (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Creativity And Entrepreneurship (Coursera)

Creativity & Entrepreneurship will help you tap into your inner creativity and learn how to leverage it for career development or business innovation. Presented by Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship founder Panos Panay, this course features interviews with world renown entrepreneurs, innovators, songwriters, producers, creative directors, educators, performers, visual artists and chefs as they discuss parallels between the creative and entrepreneurial journeys.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Explore Management Concepts through Metaphor and Music (Coursera) Coursera
University of London

Explore Management Concepts through Metaphor and Music (Coursera)

How can exploring and analysing music and metaphors help us to better understand management, work organisations, working lives, and ultimately ourselves too? As you set out on your journey through this innovative course, the answers to these questions will be revealed. Through the lens of metaphor and music, you will be introduced to core managerial and organisational concepts and theories. You will explore issues related to, for example: organisational and work design; motivation and productivity; employee voice; careers; and management and leadership styles.

Nov 16th 2026
3 Weeks
Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop (Coursera) Coursera
California Institute of the Arts

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop (Coursera)

Why just write poems when you can write better ones? This course is built on the notion that the most exciting writing begins after the first draft. It is specifically for folks who believe that writing poems just to express oneself is like using the Internet just for email. After all, poetry can change the way you and your readers think of the world and its inhabitants; it can break new ground for language; turn a blank sheet of paper into a teeming concert of voices and music.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Music Business Foundations (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Music Business Foundations (Coursera)

This course has been developed to provide students with the latest instruction on the best way for creators, consumers, and facilitators to navigate the resurgence of one of the world’s most exciting industries: the music business. Three things are clear about today’s music industry: The consumption of music is expanding at the greatest rate in history and from the most portals ever imagined, the cost of producing music is decreasing, and the number of artists creating and seeking to expose their work and develop careers through the Internet has increased dramatically.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Electronic Music Performance Techniques (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Electronic Music Performance Techniques (Coursera)

From the Moog analog synthesizers in the 1960s to the contemporary usage of computers, performance controllers, and mobile devices, Electronic Digital Instruments (EDIs) have long been capable of offering artists a new range of musical expression. In this one-of-a-kind course, you'll learn the essential skills you need to perform on an EDI.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
The Music of the Beatles (Coursera) Coursera
University of Rochester

The Music of the Beatles (Coursera)

The Music of the Beatles will track the musical development of the band, starting from the earliest days in Liverpool and Hamburg, moving through the excitement of Beatlemania, the rush of psychedelia, and the maturity of Abbey Road. While the focus will be on the music, we will also consider how recording techniques, the music business, the music of other artists, and the culture of the 1960s affected John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they created the Beatles repertory.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Fundamentals of Music Theory (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh

Fundamentals of Music Theory (Coursera)

This course will introduce students to the theory of music, providing them with the skills needed to read and write Western music notation, as well as to understand, analyse, and listen informedly. It will cover material such as pitEli Appleby-Donaldches and scales, intervals, clefs, rhythm, form, meter, phrases and cadences, and basic harmony.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks