Bartók, Beethoven and the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion

The first movement of Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (1937) has been noted for its Beethovenian use of sonata form and shares a number of features with the Waldstein Sonata. This article examines the relationship between the two composers and these two works. It attempts to establish whether Bartók borrowed gratefully from his predecessor in an attempt to 'synthesize' old and new, folk and art, or whether he misread Beethoven in the anxious process of carving a place for himself in the canon.