Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D. 960, is widely regarded as his ultimate masterpiece for the keyboard and one of the most profound works in the entire Western canon. Completed in September 1828 - just two months before his death - the sonata feels less like a final struggle and more like a serene farewell to the world. It is characterized by its expansive proportions, lyrical wandering, and a sense of "heavenly length." The first movement is famous for its ethereal opening theme, which is periodically interrupted by a low, trilling G-flat in the bass - a haunting gesture that many listeners interpret as the distant knocking of death or a reminder of the abyss beneath the music's calm surface.
This edition is a reissue of music originally published by Breitkopf & Hartel, Leipzig.
