Enjoyment of Music, Ess. Listening Ed. 4th Ed. Combined Chapters 30 & 31 - Beethoven

1. CHAPTERS 30 & 31
BEETHOVEN
Copyright © 2020 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.

2. Ludwig Van
Beethoven
(1770-1827)

3. The Sonata in the Classical Era, Part
2

4. Beethoven
• Represents turning point from Classicism to
Romanticism
• Burst bonds of formalism and control of
Classicism
• Most controversial-Classicist or
Romanticist?
• Music very emotional, very dramatic &
powerful
• Bears personality of creator
• Very much a “Romantic” quality

5. Beethoven: A Musical Giant
• Born in Bonn, Germany.
• Lived during the social changes toward democracy in France
and America.
• Studied with Haydn who encouraged him.
• Went to Vienna, which was a cultural center, to make his
living as composer.
• Father-singer in Kapelle of Archbishop-Elector of Cologne;
abusive alcoholic, tried to make him into Mozart
• Loner, never married, cared only for music, untidy
• One serious love affair (Distant Beloved)
• Perfectionist, very particular with music

6. • Beethoven was principal breadwinner by the
time he was a teenager.
• Began to go deaf in his late 20’s, which
caused him intense grief.
• Wrote Heiligenstadt Testament (basically a
suicide note) to his brothers when he realized
there was no cure for his deafness, but
decided to live.
• Widely recognized during his lifetime as the
greatest composer of instrumental music.
When he died in 1827, at age 56, declared a
national hero.
• Suffered chronic poor health, deafness, and a
custody battle over a nephew during last 15
years of life.
Beethoven

7. Three compositional periods
• First: early career
• Second: middle career, more
“Romantic”
• Third: late career,
introspective, chromatic
harmonies
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

8. Beethoven’s Music-->Romanticism
• He increased the number of instruments in the orchestra.
• He expanded the dynamic range of the orchestra to ppp and
fff.
• The development sections of his compositions were long,
elaborate, and complex.
• In some compositions, he left no pauses between some of the
movements.

9. Beethoven’s Music--Romanticism
• He played larger pianos that created more sound.
• He developed the Classical Forms and expanded
them.
• He added a chorus to the final movement of his 9th
symphony, “Ode to Joy.”
• His works were longer; he labored over them,
revising them over and over.
• The end of his life (1827) marks the beginning of the
Romantic Period in Music.

10. • Kept chronicle for
posterity of the
evolution of thematic
material which shows
the inner struggle to
realize the final form
• “…like bloody record
of a tremendous
inner battle.”
The Sketchbook

11. Ludwig van Beethoven
Other Compositions
• Piano Sonatas
– C# minor-- “Moonlight”
– C minor-”Pathetique”
– D minor-- “Tempest”
– F minor-- “Appassionata”
• Piano Concerto #5
in E-flat major--
“Emperor”
• Missa Solemnis-Mass in C
• Fidelio--an opera
• String quartets
• 9 symphonies
– No. 3 in E-flat major
--”Eroica”
– No. 6 in F major--
“Pastoral”
– No. 9 in D minor--
includes chorus
singing “Ode to Joy”

12. • Larger and more robust
than the harpsichord
• Keys activate hammers
that strike strings
• Full range of dynamics
• Pianos became very
popular instruments for
the home; all “educated”
women could play.
The Keyboard Instruments:
The Piano

13. Keyboard Instruments: The Piano
• Piano
– 1st constructed about 1709
– Soundboard underneath strings amplifies
sound
– 88 keys
– Grand vs upright
– Three pedals(damper, soft pedal, sostenuto)
– Very versatile

14. The Sonata in the Classical Era
I. The Sonata in the Classical Era
A. Sonata: instrumental work for one solo
instrument or duos
1. three or four contrasting movements:
multimovement cycle
2. more intimate expression
3. Mozart and Beethoven piano sonatas most significant
B. Classical-era sonata
1. important genre for amateurs
2. concert works for composer-performers
3. Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas span
compositional output

15. • Three or four contrasting
movements
– fast-slow-fast
– fast-slow-moderate-fast
The Sonata in the Classical Era
The Movements of the Sonata

16. • Title given after
Beethoven's death
• Dedicated to
Countess Giuletta
Guicciardi
– Once thought to be
Beethoven's
"Immortal Beloved”
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C-sharp Minor,
Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight)
(Listening Guide)

17. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–
1827), Part 4
C.Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata
1. Moonlight: first style period (1801)
2. title given by German poet, Ludwig
Rellstab shortly after Beethoven’s death
3. Beethoven dedicated sonata to his
pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi
4. sonata quasi una fantasia (“fantasy-like
sonata”), three movements
a. dreamy first movement: evokes emotional
expressiveness of Romantic era
i. elements of sonata-allegro form, no opposition of
themes or keys

18. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–
1827), Part 5
b. second movement: scherzo and trio (quick-paced dance,
variant of the minuet)
c. third movement: sonata-allegro form, dramatic writing
5. Beethoven, “Surely I have written better
things.”
D.Listening Guide 19: Beethoven: Piano
Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2
(Moonlight), I (1801)
1. Adagio sostenuto; modified song form
a. two strophes separated by development section
b. delicate singing melody, expressive minor key
c. continuous triplet pattern in accompaniment
d. ethereal mood, soft dynamic

19. Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C-sharp Minor,
Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight)
First Movement (Listening Guide)
• Breaks with conventional formal
molds
• Retains the three-movement format
• I: Adagio sostenuto
• II: Allegretto
• III: Presto agitato
• Remains one of the most beloved
works of the Classical repertory

20. • Elements of a development section
• Delicate singing melody
• Continuous triplet patter
• Modified song form
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C-sharp Minor,
Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight)
First Movement (Listening Guide)

21. Sonata in C# Minor
“Moonlight”
• Movement I

22. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–
1827), Part 6

23. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–
1827), Part 7

24. • Fidelio-only opera
• Compared its writing to the
bearing of a child
• 1805-revised several times
to 1814
• Difficulty setting text
• “Rescue” opera based on
events of French
Revolution
• Leonore-main heroine
• Last act celebration of
heroism &
humanitarianism
Fidelio

25. Fidelio & Vocal Music
• Fidelio-Overture went through several stages
• Three named “Leonora”
• “Fidelio” overture is fourth version; most preferred by
Beethoven
• Not at ease with vocal music
– Song cycle-An die ferne Geliebte(To a Distant Beloved
– Song settings of poet Goethe
– Oratorio-Christ on the Mount of Olives
• Missa Solemnis-monumental work, includes soloists,
choral group, “Ode To Joy”
• Written for enthronement of student Archduke Rudolph
as Archbishop of Olmutz, finished too late for the occasion

26. “Beethoven the Hero”, Part 1
I. “Beethoven the Hero”
A.Hailed as genius in his lifetime
B. Transitional: careful balance of
convention and “strategic
disruptions”
C. Grounded in Classical traditions,
emerging Romantic sensibilities

27. “Beethoven the Hero”, Part 2

28. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 1
II. Beethoven’s Symphonies
A. Symphony: ideal medium to address his
public
1. first two: reflect style of Haydn and Mozart
2. Third: Eroica (Heroic), originally dedicated to
Napoleon
a. personal narrative, individual heroism
b. expanded possibilities of the genre
3. Fifth: model of the genre
4. Ninth: Choral Symphony
1. vocal soloists and chorus
2. text: Friedrich von Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,”
expression of universal brotherhood

29. • Nine symphonies
– I. C Major
– II. D Major
– III. E-Major(Eroica)
– IV. B Major
– V. C minor
– VI. F Major(Pastorale)
– VII. A Major
– VIII. F Major(Humorous)
– IX. F Minor(Choral)
Beethoven

30. • First dedicated to Napoleon,
then changed after
Bonaparte declared himself
Emperor
• “Sinfonia Eroica…composed
to celebrate the memory of a
great man”
• Unprecedented length
• Called “wild fantasy” at first
performance
Symphony No. 3- “Eroica”

31. • Symphony #6 in F
“Pastorale”
– 5 movements, each
bearing descriptive
title
– Program content-
“an expression of
feeling rather than
a graphic depiction”
Symphony No. 6- “Pastoral”

32. Symphony No. 9- “Choral”
• Movement 4-sets Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” for
chorus & quartet
• Considered poem as early as 1792
• Text-ideals of brotherhood of man through
love, love of God
• Does various different musical techniques
with “Joy” theme

33. Symphony No. 5 in C Minor
• Most tightly knit motivically of all compositions
• Opening four note motive appears in every movement
• Origins-Fate knocking at door, letter V in Morse Code(not
invented yet)
• Along with recurrence of a portion of “Scherzo” in Finale-
makes work “cyclic”
• Not break between movements III & IV

34. Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony no. 5 in C Minor
• A symphony in 4 movements:
– 1st--sonata form
– 2nd--variations on 2 themes (loud and soft)
– 3rd— “Rocket” theme; ternary form (ABA’); on the
return, A is varied
– 4th--sonata form; material from 3rd movement
comes back; extended coda

35. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 2
B. The Fifth Symphony
1. best-known symphony
2. standard four-movement cycle
3. cyclical form: unified whole
a. opening four-note motive permeates all four movements
4. conflict and struggle, victorious ending
C. Listening Guide 20: Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C
Minor, Op. 67 (1807–8)
1. movement 1: Allegro con brio; sonata-allegro form, C
minor
a. exposition:
i. theme 1: based on four-note rhythmic motive (short-short-short-long)

36. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 4
i. horn call introduces theme 2
ii. theme 2: lyrical, heard against four-note
motive
b. development: begins with horn call
c. recapitulation:
i. explosive return to theme 1
ii. oboe cadenza introduces theme 2
iii. theme 2: in C major
d. extended coda; movement ends in C
minor

37. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 5
2.movement 2: Andante con moto; theme
and variations (two themes), A-flat major
a. two contrasting themes
b. flowing triple meter
c. theme 1: heard first in low strings
d. theme 2: built on four-note motive
3.movement 3: Allegro; scherzo and trio (A–
B–A′), C minor
a. scherzo: rocket theme in low strings
b. four-note rhythmic motive in horns, ff

38. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 6
c. trio theme: C major
d. fugal passage in double basses
e. return of scherzo: varied orchestration
f. transition to fourth movement: timpani
rhythm, four-note motive
4.movement 4: Allegro; sonata-allegro form,
C major
a. added instruments; piccolo, contrabassoon,
trombones
b. forceful dynamics: fp effects

39. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 7
c. theme 1: heroic opening, triumphant, C
major triad
d.theme 2: energetic, G major
e.development: brief recurrence of scherzo
f. extended coda; long final cadence

40. Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony no. 5 in C Minor
• Simple theme (short-short-short-LONG)
– Two pitches
– Monophonic texture
– Simple theme is transformed in multiple ways throughout the
movement and the entire symphony.
• Dynamics: from extremely loud to extremely soft; sometimes
rapid shifts between
– Especially between 3rd and 4th movements
– 3rd movement very soft leads to 4th movement very loud

41. Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony no. 5 in C Minor
• Timbre: orchestra is larger in the 4th
movement, adding piccolo, contrabassoon
(very high and very low instruments
respectively), and the trombone.
– Oboe has an unusual solo in 1st movement.
– Double basses have a prominent, difficult passage
in the 3rd movement (B section).

42. Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony no. 5 in C Minor
• Form: cyclic--movements are linked in tangible
and distinctive way.
– The theme in its various permutations is present
in all 4 movements.
– An extended passage in the 3rd movement comes
back in the 4th.

43. • Rhythmic idea “three shorts and a long” dominates entire work
The Fifth Symphony

44. Symphony No. 5 in C Minor
• Movement I
• Movement II
• Movements II & III

45. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 8

46. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 9

47. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 10

48. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 11

49. • Dies of jaundice &
cholera during
thunderstorm
• Biggest revolutionist
next to Bach during
lifetime
• Considered biggest
music revolutionary
of all-time
Beethoven

50. Beethoven’s Symphonies, Part 3

51. Appreciating Beethoven’s Music
• Contrast-filled with dynamic contrasts, rough/smooth,
loud/soft, etc.; soft passage interrupted by sforzando
chord; rage section ceases abruptly, gentle melody takes
over
• Motive development-showcase of developing short simple
musical ideas
• Sense of drive- “inevitability,” music seems to be heading
toward final destination; has “this too shall pass”
moments; continuation of musical journey
• Personality-sounded like no one else at the time, unique,
fiery spirit, sense of musical logic

52. Credits
• This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for “The Enjoyment of Music, 4th Edition, Chapter 30: Personalizing the
Conversation: Beethoven and the Classical Sonata”
• For more resources, please visit https://digital.wwnorton.com/enjmusic4ess

53. Credits
• This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for “The Enjoyment of Music, 4th Edition, Chapter 31: Disrupting the
Conversation: Beethoven and the Symphony in Transition”
• For more resources, please visit https://digital.wwnorton.com/enjmusic4ess