Cello Sonatas No. 1 and No. 2 (Opus 5) were written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1796, while he was in Berlin. While there, Beethoven met the King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm II, an ardent music-lover and keen cellist. Although the sonatas are dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm II, Ferdinand Ries tells us that Beethoven "played several times at the court, where he also played the two cello sonatas, opus 5, composed for Duport (the King's first cellist) and himself". Although Jean-Pierre Duport was one of the King's teachers, it is now thought to have been his brother Jean-Louis Duport who had the honor of premiering these sonatas.[citation needed]

Date of composition 1796 in Berlin, Germany
Type Sonata
Tonality G Minor
Catalogue Op. 5
Approx. duration 25 minutes
Instruments Cello
Piano
Autotranslations beta Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonate pour violoncelle n°2 en sol mineur, Op. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata per violoncello n. 2 in sol minore, Op. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonate Nr. 2 für Violoncello g-moll, Op. 5