Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (composed in 1802) is often called The Tempest or Der Sturm in German.
The name, and the legend, comes from Anton Schindler, who for a period was the secretary of Beethoven. According to his recollection, when asked how to interpret this piano sonata, Beethoven replied, “Read [Shakespeare’s] The Tempest.”
The problem with Schindler and his accounts is that nobody knows if they are true or not. He was known to forge history and to come up with insider’s information that are doubtful. Beethoven himself never referred to this sonata as The Tempest and there are no other supporting evidence for the name.
It is true, however, that this music is stormy and tragic. The first movement changes tempo markings and keys several times. The second movement is one of the slowest for Beethoven. The third, the last movement, has a hypnotic theme that is disrupted by wild outbursts. One, if looks hard, can in deed associate with The Tempest.
