Beethoven - World Music Network

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Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Beethoven’s
music
is
intensely
powerful, highly individual and entirely
ingenious. Throughout his life the
infamous composer struggled to
balance his immeasurable talent with
a tendency towards deep solitude
and a naturally dark and brooding
countenance. His work symbolizes
this wrestle between darkness and
light, and between sadness and joy.
His contemporary, the noted composer
Joseph Haydn, once observed of the
man, ‘There’s something bizarre and
sombre in your music because you’re
sombre and bizarre yourself.’
Beethoven was baptized in 1770 in
Bonn, Germany. As a teenager he
travelled to Vienna to study with the
virtuoso composer Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart. After barely two weeks in the
musical city Beethoven was forced to
return home to his mother, who had
become seriously ill. She died shortly
afterwards. As a result, at the age of
19, Beethoven became responsible for
the welfare of his father and siblings. At
the age of 22, he once again relocated
to Vienna. Despite such formative
family binds, he never got married or
had children of his own. Immersed
in his music-making, his works were
to become his family, his life and his
entire world. He explained, ‘I only live
within the music I write.’
Despite such unbending commitment
to his profession, he was rarely satisfied
with his compositions. He revised his
only opera, Fidelio, numerous times.
His own harsh taskmaster, when
creating a complex fugue or an intricate
sonata he was known not eat for two
or three days. In 1809, three noble
men of Vienna agreed to grant
Beethoven a lifelong salary. The
investment enabled Beethoven to
compose full-time and avoid giving
piano lessons to raise funds.
In an awful twist of fate, over the next
seven years Beethoven slowly became
deaf. Bit by bit, the silence crept in
and robbed the composer of his most
precious sense – his hearing. Despite his
impairment he continued to compose
until his death and went on to write
his last three piano sonatas, nine
string quartets and the epochal ninth
symphony. The almost ironic tragedy
of the situation did not escape the
composer, who confided in a personal
letter in 1801, ‘I find it impossible to say
to people: I am deaf. If I had any other
profession it would be easier, but in my
profession it is a terrible handicap.’
Beethoven died in March 1827. A crowd
of ten thousand people attended his
funeral, and his coffin was carried by
fellow composers and musicians.
Beethoven’s skill lay in transforming
simple techniques into grand musical
gestures. His use of the trill, a rapid
alternation of two notes, is one
example of this approach. Beethoven
employed the ornament to bring his
music to characteristic halts and to
segue from one movement to another.
Some famous instances of this
technique can be heard at the end of
his last piano sonata and in his violin
concerto. Beethoven, the restless
genius, legendary composer and king
of the trills, lives on through his music.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
La musique de Beethoven est intense,
puissante,
très
personnelle
et
totalement géniale. Durant toute sa
vie, le célèbre compositeur lutta pour
équilibrer son immense talent avec
un goût profond pour la solitude et
un visage naturellement sombre et
maussade. Ses travaux symbolisent
son combat entre l’ombre et la lumière,
entre la tristesse et la joie. Son
contemporain, le compositeur Joseph
Haydn, lui disait: «Il y a quelque chose
de bizarre et de sombre dans votre
musique parce que vous êtes vousmême triste et bizarre».
Beethoven fut baptisé en 1770 à
Bonn, en Allemagne. Adolescent, il
se rendit à Vienne pour étudier avec
le compositeur virtuose, Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart. Deux semaines à
peine après son arrivée, il dut retourner
auprès de sa mère, tombée gravement
malade et qui mourut peu après. Ainsi,
à 19 ans, Beethoven devint responsable
de son père et de sa fratrie. A 22 ans,
il déménagea de nouveau à Vienne.
En dépit de ces liens familiaux,
il ne se maria jamais et n’eut
pas
d’enfants.
Vivant
immergé
dans sa musique, ses œuvres
sont devenues sa famille, sa
vie et tout son monde. Il l’expliqua un
jour: «Je ne vis qu’avec la musique que
j’écris».
Malgré cet engagement indéfectible,
Beethoven était rarement satisfait
de ses compositions. Il reprit son
unique opéra, Fidelio, à plusieurs
reprises. Lorsqu’il créait une fugue
ou une sonate complexes, il oubliait
de manger pendant deux ou trois
jours. En 1809, trois nobles de Vienne
convinrent de lui octroyer un salaire à
vie. L’investissement de ces mécènes
permit à Beethoven de composer à
temps plein et d’éviter d’avoir à gagner
sa vie en donnant des leçons de piano.
Par un affreux coup du sort, au cours
des sept années suivantes, Beethoven
devint sourd. Peu à peu, le silence
le gagna et lui vola son sens le plus
précieux - l’audition. Malgré cette
déficience, il continua de composer
jusqu’à sa mort et d’écrire ses trois
dernières sonates pour piano, neuf
quatuors à cordes et la neuvième
symphonie. Le caractère tragique
et presqu’ironique de cette situation
n’échappa pas au compositeur, qui
confiait dans une lettre en 1801,
«il m’est impossible de dire aux gens
que je suis sourd. Dans toute autre
profession, les choses seraient plus
faciles, mais dans la mienne, la surdité
est un handicap terrible».
Beethoven est mort en mars 1827.
Dix mille personnes assistèrent à ses
funérailles, durant lesquelles ses amis
compositeurs et musiciens portèrent
son cercueil.
L’art de Beethoven réside dans
la transformation de techniques
simples en grands gestes musicaux.
Son utilisation du trille (alternance
rapide de deux notes) l’illustre.
Beethoven
employait
l’ornement
pour apporter à sa musique des
suspensions
caractéristiques
et
enchaîner un mouvement à l’autre.
Quelques exemples célèbres de cette
technique peuvent être entendus à la
fin de sa dernière sonate pour piano
et dans son concerto pour violon.
Beethoven, génie inquiet, compositeur
légendaire et roi des trilles continue de
vivre par sa musique.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
La música de Beethoven es intensa y
poderosa, tremendamente personal
y totalmente ingeniosa. El célebre
compositor
luchó
trágicamente
durante toda su vida por equilibrar su
inmensurable talento, con su tendencia
a la más profunda de las soledades y
con su natural semblante oscuro y
melancólico. Su obra simboliza esta
lucha entre la luz y la oscuridad, entre
la alegría y la tristeza. Tanto es así que,
en una ocasión, el reputado compositor
Joseph Haydn, contemporáneo suyo,
llegó a observar sobre él: ‘Hay algo
bizarro y sombrío en tu música porque
tú mismo eres bizarro y sombrío’.
Beethoven fue bautizado en Bonn,
Alemania, en 1770. Durante su
adolescencia viajó a Viena para estudiar
junto al virtuoso compositor Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart. Sin embargo, apenas
dos semanas después de su llegada
a la ciudad musical, Beethoven se
vio obligado a volver a casa junto
a su madre, que había enfermado
gravemente. Esta moriría poco tiempo
después, dejando a Beethoven, a la
temprana edad de 19 años, a cargo de
su padre y de sus hermanos. A los 22
años volvió a mudarse a Viena. A pesar
de la experiencia obtenida como cabeza
de familia, no llegó nunca a casarse ni
a tener descendencia. Inmerso en su
proceso de creación, su obra acabó
convirtiéndose en su familia, en su vida
y en todo su mundo. Él mismo lo explicó
en una ocasión: ‘Solo sé vivir a través
de mi música’.
A pesar de su firme compromiso
con su carrera, rara vez se sentía
satisfecho con sus composiciones;
revisó numerosas veces su única opera
escrita, Fidelio. Aseguran de él que
su nivel de autoexigencia era tal que,
cuando estaba inmerso en la creación
de una compleja fuga o una intrincada
sonata, a veces no comía en dos o
tres días. En 1809, tres nobles vieneses
acordaron conceder a Beethoven
un salario vitalicio. Esta inversión
permitió a Beethoven componer a
jornada completa, y evitar así tener
que dar clases de piano para ganarse
la vida.
Pero un terrible revés del destino
hizo que Beethoven fuera perdiendo
progresivamente la audición en los
siete años venideros. Poco a poco el
silencio fue haciendo mella en él, hasta
arrebatarle su más preciado sentido:
el oído. A pesar de este impedimento,
Beethoven siguió componiendo hasta
la fecha de su muerte y escribió sus
tres últimas sonatas para piano,
nueve cuartetos de cuerda, y su
memorable novena sinfonía. El casi
irónico dramatismo de su situación no
escapaba al compositor, que llegó a
confesar en 1801 en una carta personal,
‘Me resulta imposible confesarlo a la
gente: Estoy sordo. Si desempeñara
cualquier otra profesión, sería más
fácil, pero para mi oficio esta es una
terrible enfermedad’.
Beethoven murió en marzo de 1827.
Una multitud de diez mil personas
asistió a su funeral, y compañeros
músicos de la época cargaron su ataúd.
La habilidad de Beethoven radicaba en
su capacidad para convertir simples
técnicas musicales en grandiosos
gestos; su ejecución del trino, una rápida
alteración entre dos notas, es un claro
ejemplo de ello. Beethoven empleaba
este ornamento musical para llevar su
música hasta bruscas interrupciones
muy características y para saltar de
un movimiento a otro. Se pueden ver
buenas muestras de esta técnica al
final de su última sonata para piano y
en su concierto para violín. Beethoven,
el infatigable genio, el legendario
compositor, el rey de los trinos, sigue
viviendo hoy a través de su música.
Bagatelle No. 6 in E flat major, Op.
126: Andante Amabile – Each one
of Beethoven’s Six Bagatelles, Op.
126 encapsulates the composer’s
complex and infamously stormy spirit
in miniature. In this work we hear a
vigorous Presto that tramples along
furiously. Next, in complete contrast
we hear sweet, broadly spread chords.
This piece was composed in 1825 and
is one of Beethoven’s last works for
the piano.
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92:
I. Poco Sostenuto – Beethoven wrote
a total of nine symphonies in his
lifetime and completely revolutionized
the genre. Symphony No. 7 in A major
opens with a majestic and expansive
introduction. Soon the slow and
sustained opening section gives way to
a joyful and bouncing Vivace episode.
Symphony No. 6, Op. 68: I. Allegro
Ma Non Troppo – Symphony No. 6
expresses the essence and splendor of
nineteenth-century Vienna. Beethoven
often visited idyllic countryside villages
such as Grinzing and Nussdorf. The
composer commented of his rural
inspiration, ‘How happy I am to be able
to walk among the shrubs, the trees,
the woods, the grass and the rocks! For
the woods, the trees and the rocks give
man the resonance he needs.’
Fidelio, Op. 72: Act I. Mir Ist So
Wunderbar – Beethoven’s only opera,
Fidelio tackles grand themes of love,
betrayal, sacrifice and heroism. The
story tells of a woman named Leonore,
who disguises herself as a man called
Fidelio in order to rescue her beloved
husband, Florestan, from death in a
political prison. In this scene four voices,
each with contrasting sentiments,
weave together in beautiful canon.
String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130: V.
Cavatina – Like so many of Beethoven’s
works, this Cavatina is rife with
contrasting textures and moods. The
music moves between a peaceful and
contemplative aria and anguished
abstract chamber music. Beethoven
marked the central section of the
score with the direction ‘beklemmt’,
meaning ‘oppressed’.
String Quartet No. 9, Op. 59, No. 3: IV.
Allegro Molto – Beethoven’s Opus 59
was written for Count Rasumowsky, an
esteemed Russian diplomat, minister to
the Viennese court and musical patron.
He owned a luxurious palace, where the
music was premiered by the influential
violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh and his
ensemble. It is said that Beethoven
retorted to Schuppanzigh, who dared to
criticize the tempestuous composer’s
instrumental writing, ‘Do you think that
I consider your miserable violin when
the spirit is talking to me?’ Indeed, this
movement is feverishly difficult to play
but tremendously pleasing to hear.
Septet in E flat major, Op. 20: III. Tempo
Di Menuetto – One of Beethoven’s
most popular works, this minuet was
premiered in 1800 at a private concert
for the patron Prince Schwarzenberg.
The ensemble is for clarinet, horn,
bassoon, violin, viola, violoncello
and double bass. The movement
illuminates Beethoven’s profound skill
at instrumentation. The composer
manipulates the instruments to
reveal a wonderfully vast spectrum of
colourful sounds, contrasting textures
and sensitive timbres.
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 2, No. 2:
IV. Rondo Grazioso – Beethoven’s
piano sonatas are so fundamental
to the classical repertoire that they
have been nicknamed by some the
‘New Testament’ of piano music
(whilst Bach’s seminal work, ‘The
Well-Tempered Clavier’, makes up
the ‘Old Testament’). This Rondo is
the first of three sonatas dedicated
to the composer Joseph Haydn. The
music is elegant, gallant and witty in
character. The innocent Rondo theme
is contrasted by a minor episode that
features hammering triplet figures.
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15: III. Rondo.
Allegro Scherzando – The buoyant music
on this track spotlights Beethoven’s
character as a soloist; the music was
performed at a concert organized
by Joseph Haydn in Vienna in 1795.
Beethoven delighted his audience with an
exuberant and humorous performance.
This movement includes a Charlestonlike episode that is played with a joyous
‘ballroom piano’ sound. Listening to this
work retrospectively, listeners can even
observe a hint at early jazz music.
Bagatelle No. 10 in E flat major, Op.
119: Allegramente – Beethoven’s
Eleven Bagatelles, Op. 119, were
partially intended as an instruction
book for musical study. This brief
movement serves as a beautiful
footnote to this varied collection of
some of Beethoven’s finest works.
Albert Hosp is an award-winning radio
broadcaster from Vienna. In his youth
he studied a multitude of musical
instruments and styles including violin,
conducting and jazz theory. Since the
1980s he has worked as a presenter and
producer for Ö1, a cultural radio channel
broadcast by the Austrian corporation
ORF. Albert’s radio programs regularly
feature in-depth interviews with worldclass musicians, discussion and analysis
of classical music and a focus on world
music. Albert curates Austria’s largest
world music festival, Glatt & Vrkehrt
and is a panel member of the World
Music Charts Europe. Albert is also a
professional choir master, singer and
speaker working mostly in the field of
contemporary music.
01 John Lill (Piano) Bagatelle No. 6 in E flat
major, Op. 126: Andante Amabile
from the album BEETHOVEN – BAGATELLES COMPLETE
(CHAN9201) (Beethoven) Public Domain. Licensed from
Chandos.
02 Anima Eterna, Jos Van Immerseel
(Conductor) Symphony No. 7 in A major,
Op. 92: I. Poco Sostenuto
from the album THE NINE SYMPHONIES AND OVERTURES
(ZZT080402.6) (Beethoven) Public Domain. Licensed from
Zig Zag Ter.
03 Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, Roger
Norrington (Conductor) Symphony No. 6, Op.
68: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
from the album BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor
& No. 6 in F Major (093.086.000) (Beethoven) Public
Domain. Licensed from Hänssler Classic.
04 Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Michael Halasz
(Conductor), Edith Lienbacher (Marzelline),
Inga Nielson (Leonore), Kurt Moll (Rocco),
Herwig Pecoraro (Jaquino) Fidelio, Op. 72:
Act I. Mir Ist So Wunderbar
from the album BEETHOVEN: FIDELIO (NAXOS 8.66007071) (Beethoven) Public Domain. Licensed from Select
Music and Video Distribution Ltd.
05 Leipzig String Quartet String Quartet No. 13,
Op. 130: V. Cavatina
from the album LEIPZIGER STREICHQUARTETT
(MDG3070851-2) (Beethoven) Public Domain. Licensed
from MDG.
06 Kodaly Quartet String Quartet No. 9, Op. 59,
No. 3: IV. Allegro Molto
from the album BEETHOVEN: STRING QUARTETS OP.
59, NO. 3, ‘RASUMOVSKY’ AND OP. 127 (NAXOS8.550563)
(Beethoven) Public Domain. Licensed from Select Music
and Video Distribution Ltd.
07 The Gaudier Ensemble Septet in E flat major,
Op. 20: III. Tempo Di Menuetto
from the album BEETHOVEN: SEPTET AND SEXTET
(CDA66513) (Beethoven) Public Domain.
Licensed from Hyperion.
10 John Lill (piano) Bagatelle No. 10 in E flat
major, Op. 119: Allegramente
from the album BEETHOVEN – BAGATELLES COMPLETE
(CHAN9201) (Beethoven) Public Domain.
Licensed from Chandos.
08 Jenö Jandö (piano) Piano Sonata No. 2, Op.
2, No. 2: IV. Rondo Grazioso
from the album BEETHOVEN: PIANO SONATAS NOS
1–3, OP. 2 (NAXOS8.550150) (Beethoven) Public Domain.
Licensed from Select Music and Video Distribution Ltd.
09 Cappella Istropolitana, Barry Wordsworth
(Conductor), Stefan Vladar (Piano) Piano
Concerto No. 1, Op. 15: III. Rondo. Allegro
Scherzando
from the album BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1/
RONDO IN B FLAT MAJOR (NAXOS8.550190) (Beethoven)
Public Domain. Licensed from Select Music and Video
Distribution Ltd.
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