BEETHOVEN: NINE VARIATIONS FOR KEYBOARD
ON A MARCH BY ERNST CHRISTOPH DRESSLER, WoO 63

Christian Gottlob Neefe flourished as the Baroque was giving way to the Classical period. These Twelve Sonatas represent important steps in this transition, each having a uniquely individual character and showing a mixture of styles. Neefe is remembered today as Beethoven’s first main teacher in Bonn, the Dressler Variations being young Ludwig’s first published composition.

SUSAN KAGAN
Susan Kagan, a pianist, author, and educator, has explored the music of composers associated with Beethoven and his milieu. She holds a Ph.D from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; her dissertation on the music of Archduke Rudolph, Beethoven’s composition student for more than two decades, was published by Pendragon Press in 1988.