Category: Ludwig Van Beethoven

Symphony no.7 in A major. Opus 92, second movement by Ludwig van Beethoven.
This four-part symphony by German classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven was completed in 1812 in Teplice when the composer was regaining his health. The symphony is arranged for strings, woodwinds (2 oboes, 2 clarinet), brass (2 bassoons, horns and trumpets), and percussion (timpani) and divided into four movements – Poco Sostenuto – “Vivace, Allegretto, Presto, and Allegro con brio” (Beethoven).

The second movement contrasts sharply from the first, as the second movement’s flow and theme is much more expressive than the first.

This expressiveness comes in form of subtle elegance mingled with a hint of sadness, though it still maintains its dance-like rhythm. The second movement acts as the antithesis to the somewhat glorious mood of the first and also in consideration with its tempo. The movement is ‘slow’ compared to the first, though the movement is in Allegreto form; meaning, it is to be played in a lively manner. The transition from the first movement is punctuated by its sad theme, yet the mood is counterbalanced with the Allegreto form.
The ostinato in the piece is prevalent in the whole movement, acting as a support for the main theme played in succession by the brass and string sections. As evident in most of Beethoven’s works, there are parts in the movement that the theme starts from a quiet and small accentuation into a strong and sudden emphasis. The dance-like rhythm of the first movement is maintained through the Allegretto tempo while maintaining its tonal change from the first. Work Cited Symphony no. 7, A Major, op. 92, Second Movement. By Ludwig van Beethoven. Cond. Carlos Kleiber. Perf. Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Vienna, 200

Symphony no.7 in A major. Opus 92, second movement by Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann.
Ludwig van Beethoven faced hearing problems which he noticed at about age 26. He accepted at age 32 that he would possibly become completely deaf. He tried to suppress the problem by using headphones though by age 50, he could hardly hear any sound. This however did not deter him from writing his 9th and final symphony (Hosler, 2009).

His career was badly affected as he surged into depression and became embarrassed that he would lose his auditory sense though he was a composer. Both the music of the romantic period and other art forms of the period focused on bringing out the expression of intense feelings and emotions.

Both aspects were ruled by the depiction of beauty, strangeness and sublimity. Both music types are nourished by and closely linked to other forms of art such as poetry and drama. Classical music is dominated by the aspect of sound building and universality whereas romantic music is predominated by sound feeling and individualism. Ideals of order, control and equilibrium are associated with classical music while romanticism is deep in passion, movement, fantasy and imagination. Question 2 (Robert Schumann)
Robert Schumann intensified his composition after marrying Clara who led him into orchestral music and chamber works in an effort to expand his style. As a result, his love for the piano facilitated a good combination with symphonic orchestration which enabled him to produce the “Piano Concerto in A Minor”. Robert had seven children with Clara and this created a new dimension of composition in that they started composing songs for children and those about children such as “Child Falling Asleep” (Schneider, 2002).
Johannes Brahms is the composer of the famous Intermezzo and Cantata Rinaldo in addition to his first published work on sonata in C major. Fredric Chopin is the composer of the famous Revolutionary Etude and Opus in addition to writing about lovers who part in his popular Les Adieux (library. thinkquest. org, n. d). Richard Wagner wrote about ten operas which are today regularly performed in opera houses. He also invented the leitmotiv which is a form of signature tune for events, persons, physical objects and emotions.
The orchestra pit and orchestration invented by Richard brought new aspects in the sound properties of the theatre. Composers and other music professionals have gained a lot of knowledge and have been inspired by the harmony, melodic structure and the great orchestration present in Wagner’s inventions. The inventions have been a source of dynamism in the world of music (Roy, n. d). References Hosler, H. (2009). Medical Mystery Behind Beethoven. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://lifebridgeblogs.
blogspot. com/2009/11/medical-mystery-behind-beethoven. html library. thinkquest. org. (n. d). The Romantic Era Composers. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://library. thinkquest. org/15413/history/history-rom-comp. htm Roy, E. (n. d). Wagner the Innovator. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www. bikwil. com/Vintage10/Wagner-Innovator. html Schneider, E. (2002). Robert and Clara Schumann – a biography. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www. essortment. com/all/robertclarasch_rjya. htm

Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann

Ludwig van Beethoven.
Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the greatest composers of all time. The four symphonies, namely the Eroica (third symphony), the fifth, the Patorale (sixth symphony), and the ninth symphony; an opera entitled Fidelio, and the Missa solemnis, his religious musical composition are some of his most celebrated masterpieces (Burnham 29; Pestelli and Cross 217; Lane). He was also recognized as a gifted concert pianist. He has had a huge influence on the history of music.

He earned for composers their new found freedom of self expression. The composers who came before him wrote music for purposes of religious services, teaching, and entertainment (Burnham 29; Cooper 1; Pestelli and Cross217; Lane). When he came into the scene, his patrons heard his composition for its own sake. Hence, he made music become more independent of religious, teaching, and social functions. Ludwig van Beethoven composed some of the greatest music the world has ever heard. The life of a musical genius

Born in the city of Bonn in Germany on the 16th day of December in the year 1770, Beethoven displayed musical talent while he was still young, and was taught to play the piano and violin by his father, who was a singer (Cooper 1; Pestelli and Cross 217; Lane). In 1787, Beethoven’s gentle and loving mother died. After that, his father was often drunk and had a bad temper. He sought relief from his troubled domestic life and found it when he tutored the Von Bruening children. The Von Bruening matriarch was a fine and cultured lady who introduced him to influential people of Bonn.
In the year 1787, he also went to the state of Vienna in Austria, and well-known composer Wolfgang Mozart heard him play the piano. Upon hearing him play, Mozart remarked that Beethoven will offer the world a kind of music worth listening to. About this time, Beethoven became acquainted to Court Ferdinand Waldstein who later became his friend. Waldstein also supported his musical career (Burnham 29; Cooper 41; Pestelli and Cross 231; Lane). In 1792, Beethoven earned the praise of another famous composer in the person of Joseph Haydn for one of his compositions (Burnham 142; Cooper 41; Pestelli and Cross 23; Lane).
Haydn even persuaded him to visit the state of Vienna. Later that year, the ruler of Cologne sent him to the state of Vienna (Burnham 142; Cooper 41; Pestelli and Cross 231; Lane). There, he was received into the homes of many of the state’s aristocrats. Apart from his short trips, Vienna was home for him for the rest of his life. A lot of great composers then including Mozart and Haydn were regarded as employees by those who paid money for their music (Burnham 29; Cooper 200; Pestelli and Cross 217; Lane). On the other hand, Beethoven’s his music equated royalty and wealth.
He was paid by his patrons. His listeners compensated him as a friend rather than as someone hired to write music (Burnham 142; Cooper 41; Pestelli and Cross 231; Lane). It was in 1790’s when he started to grow deaf (Burnham 142; Cooper 319; Pestelli and Cross 240; Lane). Around the 1800’s, this growing deafness changed his behavior. He had constantly been conceited, independent, and rather weird. But as he grew deaf, he turned out to be more distrustful and short-tempered. He completely lost his hearing during the last years prior to his death.
Nonetheless, as many people believe, even as he lost his hearing, it did not get in the way his composing. But then, his deafness lessened his typical social life, which made him suffer deeply (Burnham 142; Cooper 319; Pestelli and Cross 240; Lane). His life dealt with added sourness brought about by his miserable relationship with his siblings Johann and Karl, who also lived in Vienna (Burnham 142; Cooper 1; Pestelli and Cross 218; Lane). The two quarreled with Beethoven almost constantly. Some scholars writing about his life charge his two siblings for the trouble although Beethoven himself was very hard to deal with.
In 1815, his brother Karl left a nine year old son when he died. Karl’s son became Beethoven’s ward, but theirs was a relationship that has gone sour too. Beethoven did not have the disposition to father a young man. His nephew rebelled against him which contributed further to his misery (Burnham 142; Cooper 1; Pestelli and Cross 218; Lane). It was in the year 1826 when he suffered from severe cold which progressed into pneumonia and eventually into dropsy (Burnham 142; Pestelli and Cross 244; Lane). He died on March 26, 1827 (Burnham 142; Cooper 319; Pestelli and Cross 217; Lane).
The music of a genius He was led by a basic optimism as well as a confidence in moral values in his lifetime. These at all times directed his musical compositions, even though unhappy moods and a bleak struggle commonly precede the happiness usually found at the end of his works (Burnham 29; Cooper 200; Pestelli and Cross 218; Lane). His sketchbooks revealed that he crafted his compositions with great precision, carefully reworking his themes and altering the form in which they played (Burnham 29; Cooper 319; Pestelli and Cross 218; Lane).
This process continued for several years before he was contented with the details as well as of the general structure of his ideas. Such careful craftsmanship seems most outstanding in the initial movement of the fifth symphony (Burnham 29; Cooper 78; Pestelli and Cross 218; Lane). Every note seems so perfect that it could not be written in any other way. Such musical compositions display his trust in the serious nature of his work as well as the immortality of his masterpieces – a novel idea then.
The first period of his career as a composer began in the later part of the 1780’s and continued until around the 1800 (Burnham 29; Cooper 78; Pestelli and Cross 231; Lane). At this point in his career, his music also display some dependencies on the composers who came before him, particularly Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Christian Gottlob Neefe, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Burnham 29; Cooper 78; Pestelli and Cross 231; Lane). Still, his music display distinctiveness in the careful way they were composed and their powerful melodies.
Beethoven’s piano sonatas are patterned after the works of the Italian composer Muzio Clementi (Burnham 142; Cooper 200; Pestelli and Cross 217; Lane). The second period of his career as a composer began in the 1800 and continued until the 1815 (Burnham 29; Lane). It was when he was most productive. During this period, he composed the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eight symphonies, a violin concerto, his two final piano concertos as well as several other chamber music. He also composed fourteen piano sonatas, together with the Appasionata, Waldstein, and Moonlight sonatas (Burnham 29).
His music has been common on most concert programs nowadays, although early in his own musical career, his compositions stirred a great deal of controversies. He significantly stretched and altered conventional music forms like the symphony. The power and might of these musical compositions puzzled some critics, who found many of his works difficult to understand. He revealed the model of great courage that he believed Napoleon embodied in his composition entitled Eroica (Burnham 29; Pestelli and Cross 217; Lane). Initially, his listeners could not identify with his work.
Then again, he lived long enough to witness the significant recognition of the power and goodness of his music. Fidelio was inspired by a tale of a wife’s dedication and bravery in saving her husband from unfair sentence (Lane). Here, Beethoven glorified the principles of freedom, valor, and dignity of a person prevailing over tyranny – ideals depicting the French revolution. It presented him more trouble as compared to any of his other musical compositions. It has undergone two revisions and four overtures or openings before the composer was finally pleased with the result.
He felt limited by the demands of writing music for the stage. He must have thought writing music for the stage did not suit his talent. Fidelio shows striking force, however, it was a special kind of opera, in which mood and meaning are articulated more through music rather than by means of action (Lane). The third period of his career as a composer consists of several key musical compositions. The Missa solemnis is one of his most touching religious works. His ninth symphony praises the model of human brotherhood which flourished during the later part of the 1700’s (Burnham 29).
In Beethoven’s final string quartets and piano sonatas, he fashioned a novel and individual world of expression. Such compositions bring a feeling of immense power as well as of puzzling complexity (Burnham 29). Still he gave his music a lyrical quality uttered with poignant simplicity. His compositions during the second period had great impact on the romantic composers from the early part of the 1800’s (Burnham 29). However, his compositions during the third period were not completely understood until later, in part since they were very difficult to execute.
In the sonatas and quartets he composed, he made an effort to incorporate complex musical structures and fugues, which are short themes copied or reiterated by different instruments in accordance to strict melodic rules (Burnham 29). Such compositions required completely new qualities of sound from the piano as well as from the string quartet. His works from this period had a significant impact on the composers from the 1900’s particularly Bela Bartok and Arnold Schnoberg (Cooper 319; Pestelli and Cross 244).
Ludwig van Beethoven is part of both the classical as well as to the romantic periods of music history (Burnham 142). As seen in his clever motifs or brief themes, Beethoven was a master of the classical music techniques. He searched the new and other mysterious qualities of tone that fascinated the romantic musicians. His composition evokes meanings without providing specification. Due to his unvarying feeling of mysterious significance, he was honored as one of the initiators of musical romanticism during the 1800’s (Burnham 142; Cooper; Pestelli and Cross 240).
It turned out to be fashionable to create or find tales which would describe this fashion by appending descriptive titles like “Pastoral” to some of his compositions (Burnham 142; Pestelli and Cross 240). The ninth symphony for instance seems to support the idea that his instrumental music was striving for some significant meaning, given that its final movement brings into play the words from an ode written by German author Friedrich Schiller (Burnham 142; Pestelli and Cross 240).
For the romantic composers from the early 1800’s together with Robert Schumann, this evocative yet indistinct property was the most striking element of the instrumental music of Beethoven (Burnham 142; Pestelli and Cross 240). But Richard Wagner and the other more realistic musician from the later part of that era consider such indistinct style to be a flaw (Burnham; Cooper; Pestelli and Cross; Lane). It caused them to veer away from symphonies, quartets, and sonatas and thus turned into the direction of program or descriptive music and the opera.
In the classical as well as in the romantic eras of music, though, it is recognized that Beethoven fittingly emerged as the composer who had initially exploited instrumental music’s the full potential. Beethoven had sustained great, individual masterpieces from the start until the end with a strong and highly diverse flow of emotions. However, the harmony of each piece of music did not depend on this emotional development nor did it rely on certain external course of action. The harmony permanently lies on the structure and interrelationship of the composition itself. Such was the classical and key element of his achievement.
In the veins of Mozart and Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven articulated emotion devoid of the surrendering proper balance. Nonetheless, the balance was more complicated and was achieved with great effort, since the emotion was deeper and stronger. Works Cited Burnham, Scott G. Beethoven Hero. New Jersey: Princeton University, 1995. Cooper, Barry. Beethoven. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Lane, William. “Beethoven: The Immortal. ” 16 January 2006. Ludwig van Beethoven. 31 July 2008 <http://www. lucare. com/immortal/index. html>. Pestelli, Giorgio and Eric Cross. The Age of Mozart and Beethoven. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Smells Like Fifth Symphony: A Dissertation On The Works Of Cobain And Beethoven.
Musical legends Kurt Cobain and Ludwig Van Beethoven may have lived in different timelines, played different kinds of music and had different musical influences but their passion and the workmanship that they have rendered to perfect their craft is so commendable that their masterpieces are still considered as one of the pillars of the music industry of today. Kurt Cobain as Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. On the other hand, Ludwig Van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770.
Both of them had families that had musical backgrounds, Cobain’s maternal uncle Chuck Fradenburg starred in a band called “The Beachcombers” while his Aunt Mari Earle played guitar and performed in bands throughout Grays Harbor County, and his great-uncle Delbert had a career as an Irish tenor; making an appearance in the 1930 film King of Jazz . On the other hand, Beethoven was a grandson of a musician named Lodewijk van Beethoven where he was named after as Lodewijk which was the Dutch cognate of Ludwig.
His grandfather was employed as a bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne, rising to become Kapellmeister (music director). Moreover, his grandfather had one son, Johann van Beethoven who worked as a tenor in the same musical establishment, was also giving lessons on piano and violin for additional income . With those musical genes encrypted in their DNA, it was no wonder that both of them made a mark in the music industry with their compositions. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Kurt Cobain’s Smells like Teen Spirit both catapulted them to superstar’s status and fame to say the least.

Even though the compositions of the two musical geniuses were 183 years apart, Smells like Teen Spirit was released on 1991 while Fifth Symphony was released on 1808, both had changed the way the music should be played in their various eras. The song “Smells like Teen Spirit” talked about teenage angst and not following the guidelines that the adults expect the teenagers to be. It was sort of a revolutionary anthem among teenagers at that time . On the contrary, experts believed that Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” was about fate knocking at the door or at the gate .
Among the other differences of the two pieces was the key of the song, Teen Spirit was written in the key of F minor while Fifth Symphony was written in C minor. Furthermore, instrumentation was one of the major differences among the two pieces; Fifth Symphony used flutes, clarinets, horns among others while Teen Spirit used heavy guitar distortions and drums. However, tempo was one of the resemblances of the two compositions. They both had transition between slow notes and faster notes and vice versa. Furthermore, they also had distinctive notes played mostly throughout the song.
One thing that could really connect the two musical geniuses was that Cobain loved to focus on the melodies of the songs and not the lyrics. Cobain said, why in the hell do journalists insist on coming up with a second-rate Freudian evaluation of my lyrics, when 90 percent of the time they’ve transcribed them incorrectly? With that kind of mentality, given the chance, Cobain’s musical idea could have worked well with the idea of Beethoven. It would like the mash-up between the classical music and rock music. For sure, the music industry would never be the same again.

Smells Like Fifth Symphony: A Dissertation On The Works Of Cobain And Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven Biography.
In the month of December 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born to Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Keverich in the town of Bonn. Ludwig was named after his grandfather, Kappellmeister, the most respected musician in Bonn. Ludwig van Beethoven was the eldest son, and had two younger brothers, Nikolaus Johann and Caspar Carl.
Beethoven’s father, Johann, taught his son to play instruments at a young age. He made Ludwig practice strenuously and most likely struck his son across the knuckles when Ludwig would make a error. Johann was an avid alcoholic and often woke the boy up in the night to play. Despite his father’s tiring persistence, the young Beethoven loved music and his extraordinary talent was manifest.
Some years before Ludwig’s birth, Johann van Beethoven had heard of the child prodigy Mozart who made a great profit from performing all over Europe. This inspired Johann to make money off of Ludwig, therefore, in March of 1778 seven-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven performed in Sternengasse. No one knows how Ludwig’s concert went; whether or not it went well or Johann’s emotions on the performance.

Not long after Beethoven’s concert, his father put him in school. Ludwig had difficulty making friends with his fellow classmates and was teased at school for his dark features, the schoolchildren calling him a Spaniard. Not long after, Johann van Beethoven pulled his son out of school to improve upon Ludwig’s musical talent in 1781. Beethoven soon surpassed his father, and Johann sought to find a suitable teacher. He stumbled upon Christian Gottlob Neefe, an accomplished composer and conductor who came to the town of Bonn because of its reputation of the arts.
Ludwig highly respected and admired his new teacher. Neefe taught Beethoven for 6 years, and then in March 1787 Ludwig was funded to travel to Vienna and meet the great musician Mozart. Very little is known about his encounter with the famed composer, but that Beethoven stayed in Vienna for two weeks. While in Vienna, Johann van Beethoven sent word that his wife had fallen ill. Ludwig left at once, and when he arrived in Bonn his mother’s sickness had turned fatal.
So in the month of July 1787, Maria Magdalena Keverich passed away. Ludwig van Beethoven was now head of the family. Beethoven’s father, Johann’s drinking worsened after the death of Maria Magdalena; leading to getting arrested after becoming seriously drunk in public. His actions caused him to be discharged from court service and further humiliating the family. Johann van Beethoven died the month of December in 1792.
Beethoven’s hearing was beginning to leave him in 1797. For some time he tried to keep it a secret, and meanwhile the great musician composed many complex pieces including Piano Sonata in C minor, the “Pathetique”, and his First Symphony. In 1801 Beethoven became piano teacher to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The social ranking between them was obvious, yet the two fell in love. Luwig even proposed marriage but Giulietta’s father would not hear of it.
Despite this rejection Ludwig van Beethoven composed “Moonlight Sonata” and dedicated it to the Countess. Beethoven had many doctors examine him and had been prescribed a lot of bizarre remedies, and then in the early months of 1802 a certain Dr. Johann Adam Schmidt advised Ludwig to move away from the dusty, bustling Vienna. The doctor had an acquaintance who happened to be the possessor of a cottage in the quaint village of Heiligenstadt.
There Beethoven could rest in solitude, with the company of a friend’s son, Ferdinand Ries. Ludwig also pieced together his Second Symphony and other compositions. On returning to Vienna after six months, Beethoven was employed at the Theater an der Wien as a composer-in-residence. Carl moved in with him, which was a high disadvantage hence Beethoven had never been close to his brothers.
The brothers’ living together must have caused a lot of friction between them, yet the Third Piano Concerto was completed along with Christus am Olberge, an oratorio. In the spring of 1806, Ludwig van Beethoven’s brother Carl was married to Johanna Reiss, and three months later their son Karl was born.
Over the course of those years Beethoven composed his Third Symphony, Eroica, his Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Symphony, and his Fourth Piano Concerto. During these years Beethoven also fell in love with a few more women. In 1810 he wrote Fur Elise and at the top of the page was found these words, “For Elise on 27 April to remind you of L. V. Bthvn.” It is believed that Elise is Therese Malfatti, since the piece of music had been found in her belongings forty-one years after her death.
Two years later, he wrote the legendary Immortal Beloved letters in a hotel located in Teplice. In the year of 1815, Beethoven’s brother Carl fell ill and passed away, leaving Ludwig the guardian of his five-year-old nephew Karl. For over three years, Beethoven fought against Johanna in court over the guardianship of Karl and won. Ludwig van Beethoven’s health was slowly declining the last eight years of his life. He had symptoms “and it concerned his digestive system.
He complained of bloated stomach, colic, diarrhoea, indigestion.” Despite his health issues along with his severe deafness, Beethoven composed “Hammerklavier” and several of the Piano Sonatas, Opp 109, 110, and 111, along with the Ninth Symphony and the Late Quartets. These pieces were considered to be the musician’s greatest body of work ever composed. Over this time, Beethoven started compiling his myriad of conversation books, in which he used to communicate with people. It is estimated to have been about 400 of these books, but only 136 have survived today.
In the year of 1826, Ludwig van Beethoven became fatally ill and had four surgeries, drawing fluid that had gathered in his stomach. On March 24th 1827, the acclaimed composer fell into a coma, and two days later he uttered his last breath. The world shall evermore remember this man and his music, the effect that he had on humankind. His music that has inspired and fascinated many people for generations after his death shall still do so, and forever be loved.

Ludwig van Beethoven Biography

The First Movement of Beethoven’s Sonata Op.31 No.1.
This sonata was composed around 1802, a point at which Beethoven experienced the crisis of encroaching deafness. From then on, the composer started to introduce innovative and bold ideas within classical framework in his musical composition to expand the expressiveness of his music. His novel approach was evident in his formal and harmonic arrangement in the first movement of Sonata Op.
31 No. 1. Distinctive harmonic departure from the classical sonata form convention fills the movement with drama.In classical sonata form convention, tonality is to be established in the first theme with no ambiguity so as to make contrast with the second theme, which is normally set in the dominant. In the first movement of Beethoven’s sonata Op. 31 No. 1, however, such clarity in tonality is to be questioned.
As shown in Fig. A, after stated in the tonic –G major, the first theme is repeated in full with tonicisation in F major in the exposition (mm. 10-21). The whole step down from G to F suggests a descending direction which would lead towards the “real” home key to the listeners.However, the immediate return of G major demolishes this expectation and confirms G as the home key, posing bold surprise in the very beginning of the music. The listeners are deceived in a sense that their expectation is not fulfilled. The tonicisation also creates tension which needs to be resolved by returning to G major.

The tonal ambiguity created by the tonicisation is innovative with respect to classical sonata form convention. Fig. A The second theme in the exposition is supposed to be in dominant in classical sonata style.In this piece, nevertheless, the composer placed the second theme in a more remote key area- the mediant (B-flat major). As shown in Fig. B, the arpeggiando passage in the transition (mm. 38-45) seems to establish the dominant- D major, preparing the use of the dominant in the second theme.
However, the listeners are once again tricked as the restatement of the first theme in G major quickly leads to a modulating passage, reinforcing the dominant of the mediant (B) The sudden shift to B major(m. 65) and the light character of the second theme (Fig . C) contrasts sharply with the weighty first theme in the home key.This arrangement is wakening as Beethoven tried to make his listeners believe he was using traditional harmony for the second theme by introducing the D major passage but dawn them with realization when he abruptly stated the theme in the mediant. Fig. B Fig. C Recapitulation in the classical sonata convention usually indicates double return i.
e. the return of home key and the return of themes. The second theme is supposed to be set in the home key, in this case, G major. However, the composer once again showed his determination in experiencing innovative harmonic writing in this movement.The second theme (Fig. D) in the recapitulation does not simply return to G major. Instead, it is set in E major (mm.
217-224), the submediant of the home key in the beginning, building a surprising elevation of both the key area and the lightness of the music. When the second theme returns to G major (m. 233), the listeners may as well consider it as the resolution of the tension created by the E major. Yet, the composer did not think along the same line. The tonicisation in b minor (Fig. E) (mm. 248-252) poses a question : Did the composer want a double return in the recapitulation or not?At the times of the composer, it is a norm to set the second theme in the recapitulation in the home key with clarity.
His innovative idea of suggesting harmonic ambiguity here most likely makes the listeners taken aback and excited. The listeners may be lured to find the exit of the maze created by the harmonic ambiguity. Fig. D Fig. E The perfect cadence of G major (Fig. F ) in mm. 254-255 suggests final return to G major after wandering in E major and b minor.
Nonetheless, the cadence is “deceptive” in the sense that it does not lead back to G major.Instead, it goes back to b minor again. Tricky he might be but the composer was not bold enough to end the second theme in the mediant minor key. He preserved the harmonic integrity by finally returning to the home key-G major (Fig. G) in the closing section of the second theme (mm. 265-275). Fig.
F Fig. G The return to the home key can be seen as a relief from the “dissonance” produced by the passages of second themes in E major and b minor. Yet, the tonality on G major is not distinctive enough to induce a home-returning emotion in the listeners.Therefore, the composer restated the opening of the first theme in G major and continues with arpeggiando passages (Fig. H) (mm. 288-295) establishing the dominant of the home key. The coda (mm.
295-324) consists only simple harmonies (Fig. I) of the tonic and dominant seventh, reassuring the listeners the sense of finally returning home. Fig . H Fig . I Employing remote keys and tonicisation seem not sufficient for the composer to display his ability to expand the expressiveness of his music. Thus, Beethoven employed the technique modal mixture through out the second theme in both exposition and recapitulation.For instance, the second theme in the exposition starts with B major harmony (mm.
65-69) (Fig. C). With a descending scale, the second theme swiftly changes to b minor (mm. 72-79) (Fig. J). It creates abrupt change in the mood from a sweet dance-like major passage to a stormy minor one. From measure 72, b minor persists throughout the second theme except occasional point of major harmony (mm.
82 and 99) (Fig. K) Fig. J Fig. K The same technique is more thoroughly employed in the second theme in the recapitulation. The first statement of the theme makes use of both E major and e minor harmony (Fig.D) while the closing section of the return of the second theme employs both G major and g minor harmony. (Fig.
G) The rapid changes from major to minor and vice versa dramatizes the passage of the second theme in both appearances and bring on conflicting emotions in the listeners. The conflicting musical gesture also suggests the personal trauma the composer was going through. Facing his encroaching deafness, Beethoven might probably have expressed his own emotional struggle and perplexity. The use of remote keys and modal mixture worked hand in hand to surprise and stirs the emotions the listeners.Apart from harmonic innovation, the composer made formal departure from the classical sonata convention. Usually the first theme is stated in full in the recapitulation to emphasize the feeling of double return. However, in this movement, the first theme in the exposition is stated twice while it is only stated once (Fig .
L) (mm. 192) in the recapitulation. The first theme materials are also used as transitional passage, preparing for the modulation in the second theme. Fig . L It can be attributed to the composer’s will to emphasize on the more expressive second theme.By shortening the first theme, the colorful second theme naturally stands out and plays a crucial part in expressing the innermost emotions of the composer and stirring the same sentiments in the listeners throughout the movement. Another interesting arrangement is the placement of the transition in the recapitulation.
In most conventional sonatas, the transitional materials are used to link the first theme and the second theme in this movement. This holds true in the exposition in this movement. However, such transition is nowhere to be seen between the first theme and the second theme in the recapitulation.Instead, the transition is placed after the second theme. (Fig. M) (mm. 278-294) The rapid change of key areas and the use of modal mixture in the second theme passages may account for the “displacement” of the transition.
The transition here functions as a tool to make the return of the home key smoother as it is characterized by its tonic harmony and bridge the second theme with the coda. Even the closing section of the second theme is distinctive with modal mixture, wandering between G major and its parallel minor. Without the transition, the abrupt return to G major established in the coda seem awkward.The tension built in the listeners can be relieved gradually by the tonic transition of considerable length and the coda. Thus, the position of the transition between the second theme and the coda can be justified as an innovative way to balance the dissonance (non-tonic passage) and the consonance (tonic passage). Fig. M To conclude, Beethoven made use of innovative harmonic and formal departure from sonata form convention to expand the expressiveness of his music and arouse sentiments in his listeners in the first movement of his Sonata OP.
31 No. 1.

The First Movement of Beethoven’s Sonata Op.31 No.1

Ludwig Van Beethoven and Mozart.
Nicole Caillaux April 7, 2011 Music Appreciation Prof. Caballero One of the most musically talented, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began at a very young age and passed at a young age. Mozart was incredibly talented; his music is still heard and played around the world today. Amadeus a movie portrayed on Mozart’s life through the eyes of a jealous rival Antonio Salieri has some facts as well as fiction to it. Amadeus was a very commendable movie portraying Mozart’s life. Though it had many facts there are some fiction moments in the movie.
Amadeus depicted the relationship between Mozart and Salieri as a jealous rivalry, when actually they were quite friendly and both appreciated the others work. In the movie Salieri is much older than Mozart when actually Mozart was older than Salieri. The movie begins with Salieri accusing himself of murdering Mozart and is taken to a mental institution. The actual cause of Mozart’s death was an illness not that he was poisoned by Salieri. Mozart had six children, but only two made it into adulthood.
In the movie Amadeus Mozart only had one child. When Mozart passed away his wife Constanze was not present at his funeral because she too was ill, although in the movie she was present with their son. Peter Shaffer the writer of Amadeus did an excellent job in illustrating Mozart’s life; the movie was full of drama and envy. Mozart was an extraordinary musician who will never be forgotten. Mozart wrote many admirable pieces, I have chosen Symphony No. 25 and Piano Concerto No. 21. Symphony No. 5 the first movement has a light tempo, while still at times sounding dark. The piece as a whole gives off a very stormy and full feeling. The dynamics range throughout from loud to soft and back to loud. Overall the piece is allegro with only the second movement being andante. As for the Piano Concerto No. 21 it begins quietly with a march then the tempo begins to brighten and a lyrical melody commences after, the soloist begins to play briefly, at that moment the orchestra joins again.

The piece as a whole is allegro, with the second movement being andante like symphony No. 25. Symphony No. 25 and Piano Concerto No. 21 are very different, while one sounds dark and stormy the other is brighter and cheery. Although both are very famous pieces, Symphony No. 25 was featured in the opening of Amadeus; both pieces show Mozart’s talent and flamboyant attitude. He is a true genius.

Ludwig Van Beethoven and Mozart