No. 3 in D major, WoO 47-3

It adopts a larger structure than the previous two pieces, indicating an advancement in compositional skill. Written in an idiom that leverages the characteristics of keyboard instruments, the entire piece is filled with a brilliant splendor reminiscent of a piano concerto. Here, one can observe the influence of C. P. E. Bach's "galant style". It also incorporates a wealth of musical ideas, demonstrating a challenging and ambitious attitude towards existing forms, such as the expansion of transition sections and codettas, the attempt to use variation form in the slow movement, and the designation of the final movement as "Scherzando." The work is imbued with the youthful energy and ambition of the young Beethoven.

First Movement: Allegro

D major, 4/4 time. An innocent anacrusis descends into the mind. The warm thirds and the phrase ending (m. 4) sound like rolling bells, a cheerful laughter. Following an 8-bar main theme, a cheerful, conversational transition section, also 8 bars long, leads to the secondary theme in A major (m. 17ff). The first bar begins in a canonic style, then transitions into a brilliant, piano concerto-like passage. At the end of the transition (m. 37ff), a clever device to capture the audience's attention is the introduction of a variation of the main theme, shadowed in A minor, intertwined with the secondary theme. The development section (m. 50ff) begins in A major, unfolding virtuosic passages with dizzying modulations. In the recapitulation (m. 73ff), the main theme is shortened, leading directly into the secondary theme without a transition; however, the seemingly omitted transition section unexpectedly reappears after a concerto-like passage (m. 95ff). Even the recapitulation, which is close to a standard form, features a clever twist.

Second Movement: Menuetto sostenuto

A major, 3/4 time, variation form. A simple and elegant minuet serves as the theme, followed by six variations. All variations are classical figural variations, adhering to the harmonic progression of the theme. In Variation 1, the right hand is subdivided into 16th notes with graceful arpeggios; symmetrically, in Variation 2, the left hand is similarly subdivided, while the right hand plays the theme's melody. Variation 3 further subdivides the texture, based on triplets, and Variation 4 progresses to subdivisions of 32nd notes. While maintaining the same tempo as the theme might be difficult on modern pianos due to their heavier keys, it would have been entirely possible on the fortepiano of Beethoven's time. Therefore, this section should be played lightly, like dancing wind, as a musical expression rather than a display of virtuosity. Variation 5 shifts to A minor, resetting to a simpler rhythm centered on syncopation. Variation 6, befitting a final variation, has a bright and cheerful character.

Third Movement: Scherzando: Allegro, ma non troppo

D major, 2/4 time. It is unusual to label a finale as "Scherzando." The first half has the structure of a sonata form exposition, while the second half is a rondo form with a coda. The phrase structure is more elaborate than ever before, with a particularly interesting misalignment between the harmonic progression and phrase structure around the secondary theme, as if trying to conceal where the secondary theme begins. Is this a deliberate device, or is it due to Beethoven's natural inspiration as a master of improvisation? While it is clear that the main theme concludes at m. 16, the structure of the transition section, which begins in a canonic style from m. 17, is whimsical; the author interprets the 5 bars (4+1) as a cadenza-like transition. Consequently, the secondary theme is from m. 22 (4+4+6), and the codetta begins from m. 36. After the main theme returns following a 12-bar interlude from m. 58, the movement takes on the character of a rondo form. Could the trill appearing at m. 89 be a germ of his later sonatas?