Long dismissed as structurally and dramatically inferior to the famous piano sonatas by Beethoven, Schubert's piano sonatas were almost completely neglected for almost a century; now they are generally recognized as being among the most profound and important works of the genre. An important advocate for this music during the first half of the 20th century was the Austrian pianist Arthur Schnabel.
The ordering and numbering of them is a complex affair not least because of the many fragmentary sonatas and single movements - as is often the case with Schubert, there are easily as many incomplete or fragmentary works as there are whole, finished products. The greatest works of the series are undoubtedly the last three sonatas, massive and stunning achievements, all finished in September 1828, only two months before the composer died.
