BEETHOVEN

1. BEETHOVEN Created by Rachel Oshley Music 1010-049-F12

2. Born December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Germany

3. Family • 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.

4. Starting Out • 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.

5. Younger Years • 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 GottlobNeefe, 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.

6. 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.

7. Rise to Greatness • 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.

8. 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.

9. Later Years • 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 MissaSolemnis, 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.

10. In The End • 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.

11. Music History • Beethoven’s 5thSymphony 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.

12. The 5th Symphony was first presented at the Theater an derWein 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.

13. Timed Listening Guide 3rd Movement • 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-short-short-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

14. 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.

15. Timed Listening Guide 4th Movement • 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 short-short-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

16. 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

17. Music Links • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mvbRe5JOWk • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAyUzxDB9eE&feature=relmfu