Piano sonatas (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his 32 piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. Although originally not intended to be a meaningful whole, as a set they compose one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. Hans von Bülow called them "The New Testament" of the piano literature (Johann Sebastian Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier" being "The Old Testament").
Robert Birchall
Birchall enjoyed a collaboration with composer Ludwig van Beethoven, which began in May 1805 with the publication of Beethoven's Violin Sonata in A major (Op. 47). Birchall also published the original English editions of the piano adaption of "Wellington's Victory" (Op. 91), the Violin Sonata in G Major (Op. 96), the Piano Trio in B flat major (Op. 97), and Anton Diabelli's piano adaptation of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. He purchased the copyrights for these four works from Beethoven in 1815. During his later years, Birchall's correspondence with Beethoven also mentioned other possible projects, but these never came to fruition; this was partly a result of Beethoven's high fees and Birchall's declining health. In addition to Beethoven's works, Birchall printed various glees, country dance books, and Italian vocal works. He also published works by George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, including the first English edition of the "Well-Tempered Clavier" in 1810 edited by Samuel Wesley and Charles Frederick Horn. After Birchall's death, his employee Christopher Lonsdale took over the firm.