Triple Concerto in C major, op. 56

The concerto for piano, violin and cello was drafted around 1803–04 and published in 1807 with a dedication to Prince Lobkowitz. Beethoven's pupil Carl Czerny reported that the piano part was written with Archduke Rudolph in mind, which would explain why it is the least taxing of the three — the cello carries the exposed material, entering first in every movement and sitting high on the A string. There is no reliable record of a public premiere in Beethoven's lifetime. The finale is a polonaise, a fashionable gesture that keeps the work's weight deliberately light.