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The music of Beethoven: the symphonies
The music of Beethoven: the symphonies
POSTED APRIL 15, 2020
In this, the 250th year since the birth of Beethoven, I'll do several posts on his music - perhaps the greatest ever written. This first post is an introduction to his symphonies.
Before beginning with his nine symphonies, an Atlantic article (link in sidebar "How to Listen to Classical Music and Enjoy It") has some useful tips - especially if you are not yet a fan of classical music:
Pay attention to the music. Classical music is enjoyed best when it is not an accompaniment to other activities. Listen in the dark if you must.
Listen for melody and rhythm, not lyrics. The pleasure is in following the iterations and variations on a melody. Find the main tune and listen to how it evolves, fragments, and spirals upward.
Name that emotion. "Since the pieces seldom have helpful names or lyrics, I find it's important to state to myself the emotion a piece is depicting. Ask yourself: what is this piece about? Is it full of laughter, yearning, nostalgia, bitterness, rage?"
Visualize. "Imagination is key...I close my eyes and try to imagine movement, or scenes."
Trust your taste. "As you'll quickly discover, tastes vary nearly as widely within classical music as the gap between fans of Frank Sinatra and horror rap. Trust your instincts."
Repetition, repetition, repetition. "More than with most music, classical takes time. In my experience, it's natural to expect the best pieces to take six or more listens to grasp."
If you are unfamiliar with the form and structure of the classical symphony, you can find an excellent, simple explanation of this four movement classical music form here.
Finally, there is a categorization that may help in understanding and enjoying Beethoven's music. His compositions are often categorized by periods - simply enough, the Early, the Middle and the Late. Corresponding to the phases of his life, the music from each period has its own distinctive features. Briefly (1):
Beethoven's Early Period, which lasted through 1802, was marked by Beethoven trying to find his place in Viennese musical society. This period saw him trying to emulate the sounds of his predecessors, Haydn and Mozart, while simultaneously trying to find his own musical voice.
His Middle Period from 1803 to 1814 is defined by his increasing use of Romantic era* musical gestures and ideas. The use of these new ideas and his changing attitude towards composition led to Beethoven changing his composition style. As Beethoven's success continued he began to notice that he was losing his hearing. It was this revelation and his currently successful state in Vienna that began to lead Beethoven down a more experimental route, ultimately changing his style of composition.
The Late Period from 1815 until his death in 1827 is defined by his ambition to write new sounding and more difficult music, and to incorporate more polyphonic styles of music from past composers like Bach and Handel into his music. The compositions that were produced in the late period were his most ambitious and were the most time consuming to write.
We'll start with his symphonies, each unique and magnificent in its own way. See sidebar for Classic FM's "Step-by-step guide to Beethoven's nine symphonies, which have selections from each symphony as well as brief introductory notes.
EARLY PERIOD
Beethoven's First and Second Symphonies are from his Early Period. As such, they are closer to the style of Mozart and Haydn than are Beethoven's later works.
Symphony No. 1 is in C Major ("Completely pure...innocence, simplicity, naïvety, children's talk")** and, even though it draws heavily on Beethoven's predecessors, it has elements of the "future Beethoven" in notes played with a "sudden, strong emphasis", the prominent, more independent use of wind instruments, quick volume changes, explosive energy and the occasional experiment.
Symphony No. 2 is in D major ("The key of triumph, of Hallejuahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing) and was written at a time when Beethoven began to realize that his increasing deafness may not be curable. Symphony No.2 gives us an "exceptionally bold and dramatic opening, lightning-quick strings and, in the second movement, some seriously mournful moments." There are plenty of signs that he was on the path to something different. Two examples: the third movement, "where tradition would normally place a courtly and graceful minuet and trio,...Beethoven presents us with a decidedly rustic scherzo. And then there is the finale’s coda. Why follow convention by finishing with a charming little endpiece, when there’s the opportunity to go out in a blaze of timpani- and trumpet-adorned triumph?"
MIDDLE PERIOD
With Symphony No. 3, Beethoven created a musical revolution. It represents a turning point not only in Beethoven's career, but also in the history of music, a stature shared by few other works. Written in the key of E major ("noisy shouts of joy, laughing pleasure and not yet complete, full delight"), the "Eroica" symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon. Beethoven scratched out the dedication once he realized the destruction being caused by Napoleon's armies and that Napoleon, rather than championing democracy, was setting himself up to be emperor. While grounded in the classical symphonic tradition, Symphony No. 3 stretched that tradition's boundaries of form, length, harmony, emotional and cultural content. With the first movement's crashing opening chords, the funeral march of the second movement, the energetic third movement that changes the tone of the piece completely, and the unusual variations of the final movement (2) - Beethoven made a statement that music would never be the same again.
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major ("cheerful love, clear conscience, hope aspiration for a better world") follows the monumental "Eroica" in chronology but not in style. The Fourth was placed closer to the more classical first two symphonies in the estimation of Beethoven's contemporaries. Beethoven returns to a slow introduction as he had in his first two symphonies and as were often found in the later symphonies of Haydn, his former teacher, and the symphony concludes with a dazzling "Allegro, ma non troppo that nods again to Haydn.(3)
Symphony No. 5 in C minor ("Declaration of love and at the same time the lament of unhappy love. All languishing, longing, sighing of the love-sick soul lies in this key") was written between 1804 and 1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music and a cornerstone of western music. The correspondence of the music with his life has been noted since its first performance. The struggle with "Fate" when it "knocks at the door," helped endorse the favored label for the entire middle period of Beethoven's career: Heroic. The Fifth Symphony, perhaps more than any of his other symphonies, seems to present a large-scale narrative. According to this view, a heroic life struggle is represented in the progression of emotions, from the famous opening in C minor to the triumphant C-major coda of the last movement. (4)
Composer Hector Berlioz on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
Composer Hector Berlioz on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
[The Fifth] "emanates directly and solely from the genius of Beethoven. It is his own intimate thought that is developed; and his secret sorrows, his pent-up rage, his dreams so full of melancholy oppression, his nocturnal visions and his bursts of enthusiasm furnish its entire subject, while the melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and orchestral forms are there delineated with essential novelty and individuality, endowing them also with considerable power and nobility."
Beethoven's Seventh Symphony
Beethoven's Seventh Symphony
Symphony No. 6 in F major ("Complaisance & Calm"), also called the "Pastoral," has an optimistic character as well as a sequence of scenes that the music attempts to capture: Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Country, Scene by a Brook, Merry Gathering of Country Folk, Thunderstorm, and Shepherd's Song - Happy Thankful Feelings After the Storm. According to his friends, Beethoven was always most at ease when vacationing in the countryside, where he could take long, solitary walks through the fields and woods. That is exactly the man captured in the Sixth Symphony.
LATE PERIOD
Symphony No. 7 in A major ("declarations of innocent love, satisfaction with one's state of affairs; hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God") is my personal favorite of all of Beethoven's works. Joyous and ebullient, with a haunting slow movement and a teasing, rousing finale, Beethoven's Seventh Symphony is an excellent place to begin enjoying classical music. It was immediately received with great enthusiasm in its first Vienna performances because of "the ambition of the first movement, beauty of the second, the breathlessness of the scherzo, and relentless energy of the finale." Beethoven himself called it "one of the happiest products of my poor talents."(5)
In the sidebar, there's a link to a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting.
Beethoven affectionately referred to Symphony No. 8 in F major ("Complaisance & Calm") as "my little symphony in F". The symphony is short (just 26 minutes) and unusual (e.g., it has no slow movement). And, in the words of The Guardian's music critic one of the "most compelling symphonies of the nineteenth century....Beethoven is trying to make a symphony in which textural, rhythmic, orchestral and harmonic invention take the place of the expressive intensity." In its dynamic extremes and "its warped musical mechanisms, [Symphony No. 8] sounds more like a proto-Stravinskian orchestral scherzo than an early romantic orchestral movement."
And so we come to Beethoven's greatest work. His Symphony No. 9 in D minor has meant many things to many people. In the words of author Harvey Sachs, the symphony "belongs to each person who... attempts to listen to it attentively." In his book The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824, Sachs describes Beethoven's only vocal symphony as a statement of freedom and as a "declaration in favor of universal brotherhood" - an opinion with which I wholeheartedly agree. How can anyone hear the words of "Ode to Joy" without granting that Beethoven may actually have been getting at just that? I'll close with this from an NPR analysis:
The famous choral finale of the Ninth Symphony is based on Schiller's Ode to Joy, written at a time of revolution. Those words and Beethoven's music call for humankind to kneel before the creator over the stars, but for answers to turn to one another. In the Ninth Symphony Beethoven proclaims that as comrades, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, we could unite to celebrate Joy, the beautiful God-engendered daughter of Elysium. And that path to peace is bestowed not from above but from within us and among us in universal brotherhood here on Earth. Man, help yourself.
RELATED POSTS
Beethoven: Inner Turmoil, Beliefs, and Creativity
References and Notes
(1) "Beethoven's Three Compositional Periods: The Early Period...The Middle Period...The Late Period"
(2) Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major, Op. 55 (NPR)
(3) Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major, Op. 60 (NPR)
(4) Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 (NPR)
(5) Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 (NPR)
*What is commonly referred to as classical music was actually created in several distinct styles and eras: the Baroque, the Classical, the Romantic and the Modern. Beethoven overlapped the Classical and Romantic periods, and some credit him as being the first of the Romantic era composers. CMuse describes the difference: "The Romantic period moved away from the elegance and measured control of the classical period towards increasingly larger and complex music in an effort to more fully express the great range of human emotions....Classical music was highly expressive and communicative but the romantic composers drew perhaps an even greater focus on the human condition and the struggle of the spirit."
**All descriptions of the "character" of the keys are from A History of Key Characteristics in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries.
The music of Beethoven: the piano sonatas
The music of Beethoven: the piano sonatas
POSTED JUNE 8, 2020
This is the 250th year since Beethoven's birth. In celebration, I'll be posting occasionally on his music. This post is about his thirty-two piano sonatas*. Classic FM notes that there "isn’t a weak one among them, and some are among the most important pieces he ever wrote. They contain every emotion Beethoven was capable of expressing."
Beethoven first made his mark in Vienna as a pianist renowned for his improvisations. The piano sonata was a form that he returned to time and time again, composing thirty two over a span of 30 years from about 1793 to 1822. At least half count as “early” Beethoven, with only a few from his middle “heroic” period and a series of “late” sonatas that ended about five years before his death.** His sonatas are closely linked to the development of the piano***, reflecting the increasing range and power of the instruments at his disposal.
The piano sonatas show how Beethoven liked to do composition experiments with piano first. If his compositional ideas worked with piano then he would find ways to incorporate these ideas into other ensembles, namely his string quartets and symphonies.
Early Period
The "early period" piano sonatas show a continuing growth in Beethoven's compositional skills as he began to move away from the classical era of Haydn and Mozart. Among them are his two most famous sonatas - "Pathétique" (No. 8) and "Moonlight" (No. 14).
Because of its great emotional range and its tragic and expressive nature, "Pathétique" has been called Beethoven's "first truly timeless composition." The piece also features extreme dynamics and pitch and requires some virtuosity in its playing.
"The Moonlight Sonata" [sidebar] was dedicated to his pupil Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. For some Beethoven scholars, she is one possible candidate for his "immortal beloved." As the movements progress, the tempo becomes faster and faster culminating in the stormy third movement. Pianist and music critic Charles Rosen wrote that with its "unbridled...representation of emotion...even today, two hundred years later, its ferocity is astonishing.”
Two other sonatas from this period that also demonstrate the range of emotions expressed by Beethoven are the ebullient, irrepressible Sonata No.4 in E-flat major and the powerful and profoundly sorrowful second movement of Sonata No. 7.
Middle Period
Beethoven's compositions in his middle period are defined by an increasing use of Romantic era musical gestures and ideas. His middle period is also called the "heroic" because a lot of the music from this period expresses the struggles of heroic figures. The period was kicked off by his Third Symphony - the "Eroica" composed in 1803-1804. The two most famous piano sonatas from the middle period are the "Waldstein" (Sonata No. 21) and the "Appassionata" (Sonata No. 23).
The Waldstein Sonata [sidebar] was composed shortly after the Third Symphony and was the most difficult piece of piano music that Beethoven had written up until then. French admirers of the work nicknamed it "L'Aurore" because of its light and serene aesthetic. The movements of the sonata can be interpreted as different moments of a day. The first movement is a pleasant yet noisy and roaring day while the second movement is the ardent dawn of a new day.
Alternating between minor and major keys the "Appassionata" Sonata [sidebar] ends tragically, one of the few works by Beethoven to do so. The highly emotional nature of this work has led to a lot of speculation as to what this composition is about. Pianist Anastasia Huppmann says this about her interpretation of the work: "Full of sound and raw emotional fury, I vacillate between the sublime and the carnal; as if the composer himself is speaking to me through the tones of the keys and the ominous dynamics featured throughout. While I experience a sensation of majesty within the undertones, there is undoubtedly a sense of anger throughout the piece..."
Late Period
The Late Period from 1815 until his death in 1827 is defined by Beethoven's ambition to write new sounding and more difficult music, and to incorporate more polyphonic styles of music from past composers like Bach and Handel into his music. Beethoven's life had taken some turns for the worse when a gift arrived from a London-based piano manufacturer.
The new piano - the biggest and strongest he had to that point - helped spark him out of the doldrums and into completing the most ambitious of all the sonatas, a monumental work known as the ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata. In four expansive movements, "it has at its heart an extended adagio which seems to contain all the sorrows of the world. The finale is a mighty fugue of enormous complexity, powered by Beethoven’s indomitable energy." There are a lot of ideas in the great Ninth Symphony that probably originated in this piano sonata.
Piano Sonata No. 30 [sidebar] is one of the loveliest of all of Beethoven's works. Serene, almost other worldly, Sonata No. 30 has been described as "20 minutes of the most sustained musical rapture you could imagine." The final third movement emerges from the two short movements that precede it like a person emerging from a forest in a fog that is just about to lift. The third movement has "a chorale-like theme (and variations) that covers all of the ground between Bach and Chopin before spinning itself into a delirium of ecstasy that subsides back into the theme with a blessed sense of homecoming."
Notes
*The classical sonata was a three movement work for a solo instrument. The most common layout was a fast first movement, a slow middle movement, and a fast, often dance-like, closing movement.
**Beethoven's compositions are often categorized by periods - simply enough, the Early, the Middle and the Late. Corresponding to the phases of his life, the music from each period has its own distinctive features.
***The modern piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) of Padua. He built the first pianoforte ("soft, loud") about 1700. Because of its expressive power and wider dynamic range, the piano had replaced earlier keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord by the late 18th century.
References:
"Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: John Suchet's guide to the music" (Classic FM)
"The History of the Piano" (Piano Keyboard Guide)
"Beethoven's Three Compositional Periods" (spinditty)
"Death and the Muse" (UK Guardian)
Instrumental Storytelling Reflection— “The moonlight sonata” by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Stonybrook.edu)
Best Beethoven Works: 10 Essential Pieces By The Great Composer (Udiscovermusic)
Explore Beethoven’s Complete Piano Sonatas (Udiscovermusic)
"The Waldstein Piano Sonata No 21 in C Major Op. 53" (All About Beethoven)
Wikipedia (various entries)
The music of Beethoven: the string quartets
The music of Beethoven: the string quartets
POSTED JULY 13, 2020
This is the 250th year since Beethoven's birth. In celebration, I have been posting occasionally on his music. This post is about Beethoven's sixteen string quartets, regarded by many as his greatest compositions. They are among the most intimate of his works and give audiences a peek into Beethoven’s genius during some of his most vulnerable times. While his predecessors like Mozart and Haydn wrote incredible string quartets as well, Beethoven had something new and exciting to offer in his string quartets. He added a new depth, variation, and complexity and took string quartets to a higher level, which was not always appreciated by the audiences of his time. [1]
This is the 250th year since Beethoven's birth. In celebration, I have been posting occasionally on his music. This post is about Beethoven's sixteen string quartets, regarded by many as his greatest compositions. They are among the most intimate of his works and give audiences a peek into Beethoven’s genius during some of his most vulnerable times. While his predecessors like Mozart and Haydn wrote incredible string quartets as well, Beethoven had something new and exciting to offer in his string quartets. He added a new depth, variation, and complexity and took string quartets to a higher level, which was not always appreciated by the audiences of his time. [1]
It was during the Classical period that chamber music developed most of the qualities seen in modern day string quartet* music. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) is considered the “Father of the String Quartet” with his works from the 1760s onward establishing the genre. During the Classical era, composers focused on balance and minimalism. Quartet music emphasized individual expression and communication among players, as opposed to rigid orchestral conducting and playing. Ever since Haydn’s day the string quartet has been considered a prestigious form and represents one of the true tests of the composer’s art. Many consider the string quartet to be the purest form of instrumental music. [2, 3]
Top 10 String Quartets (Gramophone) "Evolution of the string quartet from Haydn to Britten"
Beethoven's string quartets, like his symphonies and piano sonatas, are categorized as belonging to either his Early, Middle, or Late Periods. Like his symphonies and sonatas, there are differences in the compositions from each period.
Early Period
In 1794, Beethoven moved to Vienna for a second time. He studied there with the most eminent musicians of the age including Joseph Haydn and by 1800 had achieved critical acclaim both as a composer and a pianist. On April 2, 1800, Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 1 in C major at the Royal Imperial Theater in Vienna. The graceful and melodious symphony immediately established him as one of Europe's most celebrated composers. Beethoven then turned his attention to string quartets. [4]
"His Six String Quartets, published in 1801, demonstrate complete mastery of that most difficult and cherished of Viennese forms developed by Mozart and Haydn." Music critic John Suchet warns us not to "make the mistake of considering these Early Quartets to be ‘lightweight’ Beethoven....The completed versions are stunning, displaying a whole panoply of emotions." [4, 5]
String Quartet No.1 in F Major [sidebar] is considered the greatest work of the six early period quartets.
Middle Period
Around 1803, Beethoven was reported to have announced his intention to seek a “new way” forward in his music. Thus began his Middle Period. The five quartets from this time were composed between 1808 and 1810. Beethoven's deafness had progressed severely - he would be completely deaf by 1815, and Europe was reeling from the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). Beethoven's quartets from this time - the three dedicated to the Russian ambassador to Austria, Count Razumovsky (Quartets No. 7, 8, and 9), the “Harp” (No. 10), and the “Serioso” (No.11) - both reflect the external realities of the times, wracked as they were by the devastation of the Napoleonic wars, and "turn increasingly inward, to suggest the intimate struggles of a composer confronting the loss of the one sense, in which, he lamented, he should have been whole." [7]
String Quartet No. 9 in C major [sidebar] was the most well received of the Razumovsky Quartets, dedicated to the Russian ambassador. It remains the most frequently performed of the three.
Late Period
Fifteen years passed before Beethoven would turn again to String Quartets. In the intervening years, he had gone completely deaf, suffered serious illness, realized that his "Immortal Beloved" would never be his wife, and engaged in a lengthy legal dispute for the custody of his deceased brother's son. He had also completed some his most famous works including the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Symphonies, the Missa Solemnis, and the monumental Hammerklavier piano sonata.
Written in 1825-1826, his Late Period string quartets are the best of the genre. They were among the last of his works and considered by many to be the best works he ever composed. John Suchet sums up this Beethovean achievement:
The ultimate in Quartet writing, the ultimate in Beethoven. Aware that his life was running out, his deafness total, at odds with his nephew, drained physically and emotionally, his health alternating between bad and worse …And five utter masterpieces. They have no names, they are simply opp. 127, 130, 131, 132, 135...Simply? In sheer scale, length, and complexity they stand alone. [5]
Op. 131, Beethoven's String Quartet in C sharp minor, [sidebar] is arguably the zenith of Beethoven’s late quartets. “My opinion is that Op. 131 is as far as he went in terms of experimentation,” says violinist Philip Setzer, a founding member of the Emerson Quartet. Franz Schubert first heard this music a few days before his death in 1828. Schubert was overwhelmed and reportedly said: "After this, what is left for us to write?" [9]
Contemplating Beethoven’s Op. 131 & Its Inexhaustible Originality
Beethoven's string quartets have challenged ensembles for nearly two centuries. String quartet ensembles are perhaps the most accomplished in the world of chamber music. Less anonymous than the orchestra musicians, the members of the ensemble play as a team without a conductor. [10]
Using an example from Beethoven, Takács Quartet [sidebar] gives an insight into how their ensemble finds the balance between the individual space they each need, their individual ideas, and what is essentially a very intense group activity.
String Quartet No.1 in F Major is considered the greatest of the six Early Period Quartets due to its musical dynamism and powerful contrasts. The first movement's oft-repeated opening four note phrase is unforgettable. The lyrical, dramatic second movement was inspired by the tomb scene in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. [6]
All three of the Razumovsky quartets from the Middle Period are conceived on a larger scale than even the most noteworthy of their predecessors from any composer. String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, the third of the Razumovsky quartets, acquired the nickname Eroica because of its glorious, triumphant finale. It is "one of the most radiant works Beethoven ever composed." [8]
Op. 131, Beethoven's String Quartet #14 in C sharp minor, is a seven movement composition played without a break. In this complex and intricate work, Beethoven confronts “the deepest kinds of struggle that we all have on earth—and he takes us into another place.” From the melancholic first movement to the galloping. almost manic, final movement, it is a genuine masterpiece from a composer "experienced enough by now that he does exactly what he wants." [9]
Takács Quartet offer an innovative and revealing approach to enhance your experience of classical music with their performance of Allegro Vivace e Sempre Scherzando from Beethoven String Quartet, Opus 59, no. 1.
Notes
*A string quartet is a musical ensemble consisting of four string instruments – usually two violins, a viola and a cello - which follow four movements similar to the structure of a symphony. Typically, the first violin will play in a higher note range than the melody line, while the second violin will harmonize on the lower notes. [2]
References/Sources
[1] University of Michigan UMS blog ; [2] Portland Center Stage website ; [3] lumen website ; [4] Biography.com ; [5] Classic fm ; [6] All About Beethoven ; [7] Duke Performances ;
[8] Ear Sense ; [9] Strings Magazine ; [10] Medici TV
The music of Beethoven: the Heroic Period concertos
The music of Beethoven: the Heroic Period concertos
POSTED OCTOBER 7, 2020
The concerto is the ultimate showcase of musical virtuosity, where soloist and orchestra compete in a compelling musical dialogue. The soloist’s part is written to impress, to explore the bounds of technical ability, and often includes spectacular cadenzas and a cornucopia of extended techniques. [1]
The concerto is the ultimate showcase of musical virtuosity, where soloist and orchestra compete in a compelling musical dialogue. The soloist’s part is written to impress, to explore the bounds of technical ability, and often includes spectacular cadenzas and a cornucopia of extended techniques. [1]
The concerto is an instrumental composition with three movements in which a soloist is accompanied by an orchestra. It acquired its current form in the late Baroque era. The piano and the violin are the most commonly used solo instruments, and almost every composer from Bach to Shostakovich has produced works in the form. Today, the concerto remains one of the greatest crowd-pleasers among classical music audiences as a famous soloist demonstrates her virtuosity and dazzles with her technique in a constant dialogue with the orchestra.
The concerto is an instrumental composition with three movements in which a soloist is accompanied by an orchestra. It acquired its current form in the late Baroque era. The piano and the violin are the most commonly used solo instruments, and almost every composer from Bach to Shostakovich has produced works in the form. Today, the concerto remains one of the greatest crowd-pleasers among classical music audiences as a famous soloist demonstrates her virtuosity and dazzles with her technique in a constant dialogue with the orchestra.
Beethoven's Middle, or Heroic, Period is characterized by his increasing use of Romantic era musical gestures and ideas. The use of these new ideas and his changing attitude towards composition led to Beethoven changing his composition style. As Beethoven's success continued he began to notice that he was losing his hearing. It was this revelation and his currently successful state in Vienna that began to lead Beethoven down a more experimental route, ultimately changing his style of composition.
Despite Beethoven's increased hearing loss, his Middle Period (~1803 to ~1814) was his most productive. Works from Beethoven's Middle Period included Symphonies 3, 4, and 5; two of his most famous piano sonatas (“Waldstein” and “Appassionata”); the Razumovsky string quartets, his one opera “Fidelio,” three of his five piano concertos and his ONLY violin concerto.
Bach was among the first to compose violin concertos, with his Violin Concerto No.2 in E major his most famous. My favorite violin concerto is Tchaikovsky's in D major. It was considered “unplayable” by many of the top violinists of his time but has become one of the most admired. Julia Fischer's performance is among the best.
Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto (in D Major) [sidebar] has been canonized as one of the greatest in the repertoire, and a rite of passage for any violinist. A synthesis of Romantic lyricism and technical prowess that culminates in a fiery finale; featuring dazzling extended cadenzas and beautifully crafted melodies. [1]
Bach’s keyboard concertos were also among the first ever written – and they were written not for piano, but for harpsichord. The beautiful second movement of Mozart's piano concerto no. 21 is the famous theme from “Elvira Madigan.” Its wide recognition is in large part due to the Swedish film Elvira Madigan (1967), in which its lyrical second movement was featured and from which it derives its byname. Tchaikovky's Piano Concerto No. 1 is an instantly recognizable piece - “one of those pieces of music that everyone knows – even if they don’t realise it, like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.” [2,3]
Beethoven himself wrote five piano concertos.
“Supple, free, and lyrical,” his Concerto for Piano no.4 in G major [sidebar] has come to be regarded as one of Beethoven's greatest concertos. The orchestra is no longer reduced to the role of simple accompanist, its relationship with soloist but carefully balanced: the two confront one another, and engage in an expressive dialogue. The road to the romantic concerto was now well and truly cleared. His Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) [sidebar] has been called “arguably the greatest work for piano and orchestra ever written.” The nickname “Emperor” was given to the work after Beethoven's death and the idea of an emperor could not have been further from Beethoven's mind – the work was composed while Vienna was under siege from Napoleon's army. Yet if we consider this work the emperor of all piano concertos, it would be with good reason, for “its generous spirit, high energy and unique character of form put it on a level of its own.” [2,3,4]
Sources/references:
[1] U discover music [2] Classic FM [3] Britannica [4] U discover music
The music of Beethoven: the overtures
The music of Beethoven: the overtures
POSTED DECEMBER 5, 2020
Ludwig von Beethoven was born 250 years ago - on or about December 16, 1770 - in Bonn, Germany. Classical music stations have been celebrating his sestercentennial with special programming. One such is WQXR's "Beethoven Immortal", which will stream live from December 12 to 16. This post, the fifth and final in our series exploring Beethoven's music for his 250th anniversary, will look at his overtures.
Ludwig von Beethoven was born 250 years ago - on or about December 16, 1770 - in Bonn, Germany. Classical music stations have been celebrating his sestercentennial with special programming. One such is WQXR's "Beethoven Immortal", which will stream live from December 12 to 16. This post, the fifth and final in our series exploring Beethoven's music for his 250th anniversary, will look at his overtures.
An overture is an orchestral introduction to a longer work - for example an opera or ballet. An overture usually has melodies which are going to be heard during the opera or ballet. In this way it prepares the audience for what is to come. An overture can also be an independent composition, and the overtures of early Romantic Era composers were the forerunners of genres such as the symphonic poem.
Beethoven wrote music for his only ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, in 1801. The Creatures of Prometheus marked Beethoven’s introduction to the Viennese stage. Its swift, easy composition and immediate popular success in no way predicted that his major theatrical undertaking, the opera Fidelio, would take ten years to perfect. [1]
The ballet is an allegory based on the mythical story of Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus in order to create mankind from clay. In the ballet, Prometheus finds mankind in a state of ignorance and decides to introduce the ideas of science and art to them, largely based on Beethoven's own support of the Enlightenment movement. Prometheus introduces the humans to Apollo, the god of the arts, who commands various demigods to teach humans music, tragedy and comedy. The humans also meet with others who teach them dance. [2]
The Prometheus Overture conducted by Leonard Bernstein is in the sidebar.
As mentioned earlier, Beethoven struggled with his only opera, Fidelio, for almost ten years. His revisions produced three versions and included replacing part of the libretto. By the time Beethoven reached the final version, he had written four different overtures. Beethoven’s sketchbooks suggest that revision and struggle were central to his compositional process. [2]
Fidelio is the story of Leonore's attempt to free her husband Florestan, a political prisoner being held in 18th century Spain. Using the name "Fidelio", Leonore disguises herself as a boy and gets hired by the prison warden. As the warden's daughter falls in love with the disguised Fidelio/Leonore, the governor of the prison prepares to execute Florestan. (Full synopsis is in sidebar)
The Fidelio Overture played before performances of the opera was originally known as Leonore Overture No.4. A music video of the overture from a 2000 production of the opera at the Met is in the sidebar.
Besides the Prometheus Overture and the four Leonore Overtures, Beethoven wrote five other overtures. Two of the most popular are the Egmont and the Coriolan overtures, both written as incidental music for plays about historical figures. Here are links to performances of the Egmont Overture and the Coriolan Overture. The latter has an informative introduction that relates the Coriolan Overture to the life of Beethoven (the actual performance begins at the 5:25 point).
How fortunate we are to have been born after Beethoven! When one gets fed up with venal do-nothing politicians and angry know-nothing dividers and violence-prone zealots and haters, listening to the sublime and majestic compositions of this musical genius can recharge one's spirit. He believed in man's ultimate ability to triumph over adversity and to bring about a better world.
Happy Birthday, Maestro Beethoven!
References: [1] Chicago Symphony Orchestra program notes [2] Wikipedia [3] The Listeners' Club
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