Transcript Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer who
helped to bridge what would become known as the Classical and
Romantic eras in music. During his lifetime, he enjoyed a certain
amount of celebrity for his work. Today, he is highly regarded as one of
the most gifted composers in history, and his music continues to appear
in "popular" venues, thanks to its exposure in film, television and
advertising. The man himself is also widely recognized as a figure of
musical importance and has often been portrayed in biographical
context as well as parody. His acclaim even outside scholarly circles is
often attributed to the fact that he continued to compose in his later
years as he slowly lost his hearing. He most famously composed the
entirety of his Ninth Symphony (“Ode to Joy" -- one of the first
symphonies to incorporate a chorus) while completely deaf. Sawing off
the legs of his piano to bring the instrument closer to the floor allowed
him to feel its vibrations, since he could not hear the notes played. He
died from a long illness three years after the premiere of what would be
his last completed symphony.
The Muppets are no exception to
the public's recognition of
his immense output of
work. The Muppet Show’s
resident pianist, Rowlf the
Dog, was a proponent of
Beethoven's music, having
played a number of pieces in
concert -- usually to some
humorous effect. Sometimes
these performances were
accompanied by a Bust of
Beethoven which often sat
upon Rowlf‘s baby grand
piano making disparaging
remarks. The Bust also
appeared in the background
in a number of sketches.

In episode 324, the Bust stated
clearly that he was not Beethoven,
merely a bust of the composer.
However, in episode 405,
when Victor Borge plays
Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata"
and Fozzie thinks the pianist made a
mistake, the Bust assures him, "No,
that's the way I wrote it."

On three occasions,
Rowlf has also
performed a song
written about
Beethoven, “Eight Little
Notes." Its original
performance on The
Muppet Show has been
featured in home video
compilations and was
recorded for an album
released years later.

Beethoven wrote nine
symphonies, nine concertos ,
and a variety of other
orchestral music, ranging
from overtures and incidental
music for theatrical
productions to other
miscellaneous "occasional"
works, written for a particular
occasion. Of the concertos,
seven are widely known (one
violin concerto, five piano
concertos, and one triple
concerto for violin, piano, and
cello); the other two are an
unpublished early piano
concerto and an arrangement
of the Violin Concerto for
piano and orchestra.
Stanko Božanović
Nemanja Mitrović
Lazar Vasković