Transcript beethoven - Rachel Oshley Eportfolio

Created by Rachel Oshley
Music 1010-049-F12
 Beethoven had two younger brothers Casper and
Johann.
 Beethoven's mother, Maria Magdalena van Beethoven,
she was a refined, and extremely moralistic woman.
 Beethoven’s father, Johann van Beethoven, was an
ordinary court singer better known for his drinking
than his musical ability.
 Beethoven’s grandfather was a great source of pride
and was Bonn's most prosperous and renowned
musician.
 Beethoven's father started teaching him music with
unusual strictness and violence that affected him for the
rest of his life.
 His father would beat him for each hesitation or mistake
he made. Nearly every day Beethoven was beaten, locked
up in the basement and deprived of sleep for extra hours of
practice.
 The instruments he studied with his father were the violin
and clavier as well as taking additional lessons from
organists.
 Beethoven was a talented musician from early on in his
years with a very creative imagination that would
ultimately lead him to become greater than any composer's
before or after him.
 Beethoven's first public recital was March 26, 1778 and was
arranged by his father. He was eager for his young son to soon be
recognized as a musical prodigy similar to Mozart. Beethoven
played remarkably but his performance received no press.
 Beethoven went to a Latin school named Tirocinium. Beethoven
struggled with school his entire life and was at best an average
student. Some biographers believe that he may have had mild
dyslexia. As Beethoven said, "Music comes to me more readily
than words."
 Only 10 years old, Beethoven quit school to study music full time
with Christian Gottlob Neefe, the Court Organist.
 Beethoven at age 12 published his first composition, a set of
piano variations on a theme by Dressler who was an ambiguous
classical composer.
 By 1784 Beethoven's father could no longer support his
family, so Ludwig van Beethoven officially asked to be an
Assistant Court Organist. Although he was young, his
request was established, and Beethoven was put on the
payroll of the court with a respectable salary.
 In an effort to continue his musical development, the court
sent Beethoven to Vienna to study with Mozart. Once there
Beethoven auditioned for Mozart and the great composer
remarked, "Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give
the world something to talk about." (Biography, online)
 Only a few weeks after he arrived in Vienna, Beethoven
had to rush home because his mother was very sick. She
died several months later, sending her son into a
depression that lasted several years. Remaining in Bonn,
Beethoven continued to build himself a reputation as the
most promising young court musician of the city.
 In Vienna, Beethoven committed himself with all his heart to the
study of music with the most renowned musicians of the age.
 Not yet known as a composer, Beethoven promptly established a
reputation as an expert pianist who was especially skilled at
improvisation.
 He won many patrons of high class citizens in Vienna, who gave
him lodging and funds, allowing Beethoven, in 1794, to cut ties
with the Electorate of Cologne.
 Beethoven made his public debut in Vienna on March 29, 1795.
There is debate over which of his early piano concerts he
performed that night but most scholars believe he played what is
identified as his "first" piano concerto in C Major. Before long,
Beethoven published a series of three piano trios as his "Opus 1,"
which was a huge accomplishment.
 Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 1 in C major at the Royal





Imperial Theater in Vienna on April 2, 1800.
The elegant and melodious symphony acknowledged him as one
of Europe's most famous composers.
Beethoven composed piece after piece marking him an adept
composer, like his Six String Quartets and The Creatures of
Prometheus in 1801.
In the meantime, Beethoven was having a hard time coming to
terms with a shocking and horrible fact. That one fact he tried a
great deal to conceal. He was going deaf.
By the turn of the century even with his rapidly progressing
deafness, Beethoven was persistent and composed at a furious
pace.
From 1803-1812 he composed an numerous amount of music
such as: an opera, two sextets, four solo concerti, four trios, four
overtures, five string quartets, five sets of piano variations, six
symphonies, six string sonatas, seven piano sonatas and
seventy-two songs. His incredible output of complex, original
and beautiful music for this period of his life is beyond compare
by any other composer in history.
 Despite his amazing production of beautiful music, Beethoven
was very lonely and often depressed all through his adult life.
 He was impatient, preoccupied, greedy and apprehensive to the
point of paranoia. Beethoven feuded with many people in his life
for a variety of reasons. With his crippling shyness and
unfortunate physical appearance, Beethoven never married nor
had children.
 Somehow, in spite of his chaotic private life, physical illness, and
complete deafness, Beethoven composed his utmost music near
the end of his life.
 His best late works include Missa Solemnis, a mass that debuted
in 1824 and String Quartet No. 14. Although Beethoven's Ninth
and final symphony which was completed in 1824, remains the
distinguished composer's most soaring triumph.
 Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. In the
autopsy it was discovered that the direct cause of death was
cirrhosis of the liver. In addition it provided clues to the
start of his deafness which was when he contracted typhus.
 Beethoven was a musical genius who was original and he
helped shape the symphony, sonata, quartet and concerto
by mixing instruments and vocals in new ways.
 His personal life was well-known by him becoming deaf
and still being able to compose some of his most
significant works during his last ten years of his life when
he was almost completely deaf.
 To this day he is considered one of the greatest composers
of all time.
 Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was written from 1804-1808. It is
one of his most popular and well known pieces. It is even
one of the most often performed symphonies.
 When Beethoven was in his mid thirties he started to work
on his 5th symphony. It took a while to complete this
symphony because he was involved with many other pieces
of music that he was writing such as Fidelio, Appassionato
piano sonata, three Razumovsky String Quartets, Violin
Concerto, Fourth Piano Concerto, Fourth Symphony, and
Mass in C all at the same time. He was also personally
dealing with an increased loss of hearing as well.
 The 5th Symphony was first presented at the Theater
an der Wein in Vienna. This concert only showcased
his work and he was the director.
 There are four movements in this symphony 1st
movement Allegro con brio, 2nd movement Andante
con moto, 3rd movement Scherzo Allegro and 4th
movement Allegro.
 I will just be focusing on the 3rd and 4th movements of
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony for the timed listening
guide.
 0.00There is a rise in melody from cellos and basses.






woodwinds and strings conclude the phrase.
0.12 Repeat of the melody with cellos and basses and repeat
of phrase with woodwinds and strings.
0.25 The horns come into play powerfully with short-shortshort-long note pattern. The repeat pattern is answered
after the horns by the strings and woodwinds
0.38 Melody restated by the cellos, basses, strings and
woodwinds then it intensifies and changes keys fast
1.11 The full orchestra joins in
1.49 Trio section A There is a scurrying of melody by cellos
and basses. Becomes a fugue and quickly goes to cadence.
2.03 repeat of trio section A
 2.18 trio section B fugue themes continues while the sound





builds eventually with full orchestra
2.45 music goes from woodwinds to pizzicato melody with
cellos and basses, leading back to scherzo
3.14 original melody returns but softly and the phrase is
answered by woodwinds only. Repeat melody is played by
bassoons and pizzicato cellos then answered by pizzicato
strings.
3.37 horn melodies appear but quieter and creepy. Both
themes combine and develop but the music is played softly
scherzo stops.
4.20 low held out string tone ominous and timpani repeats
notes
4.59 violins added, melody rises in pitch add changes from
minor to major. Rapid crescendo with sustained chord
leading to 4th movement without pause.
 0.00 theme 1 thrilling march like melody full orchestra with







trumpets
0.16 rising staccato notes with orchestra
0.31 descending melody0.38 Theme 2 forceful with horns
0.47 theme extended by violins, quick movement by
woodwinds, violins, and strings
1.02 theme three violins light, bouncy melody with shortshort-short-long pattern
1.28 theme 4 strings and woodwinds
1.56 repeat of exposition with wide mixed keys
3.50 theme three slow ascending flutes
 4.04 theme three countermelody low strings, contrabassoon,











strings then trombones finally whole orchestra
4.57 climax scherzo but with strings, clarinets and oboes then
crescendo
5.55 theme 1 again
6.31 theme two
6.58 theme three with fuller accompaniment
7.24 theme four but little different leading to the long coda
7.53 coda begins with theme three
8.16 staccato chords woodwinds imitate theme two
8.38 rapid piccolos ascending scales
8.48 theme two returns but with strings and piccolo trills and
scales temp picks up
9.16 fast return to theme four with violins, full orchestra joins in
then there is a crescendo
9.30 theme one full orchestra faster, long chord ending in note C
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mvbRe5JOWk
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAyUzxDB9eE&fe
ature=relmfu