because it's always been played that way

This has me searching for the score to see for myself.

At some point he had a problem with the second variation of Beethoven's Sonata Opus 111.. Verville thinks that the third variation in the second movement should be played in 9/16, not the 12/32 that pianists invariably use. This was heresy as far as most of the musical establishment was concerned. It's disappointing to see the great pianist Anton Kuerti arrogantly scoff at the idea. He says essentially, so every great pianist has been playing it wrong for 200 years? And who are you? Others are not so sure, like the pianist Arthur Ozolins, and the piano manufacturer and musician whom Verville called at 3 a.m. with this bombshell.

I think I'm with Kuerti on this one..

Link.