Last Period Of Beethoven's Musical Career example essay topic

Building on the genres, styles and conventions of the classical period, Beethoven's compositions were created to such a high standard of individualism, that it brought him unprecedented success compared to that of his contemporize; and with that success his music became models for later composers. In this assignment I intend to discuss some of the features of Beethoven's musical style, which contribute to what we all would identify as being 'Beethoven's music'. Beethoven wrote a prolific amount of music, 9 symphonies, 7 concertos (5 for piano), 32 piano sonatas etc throughout his musical career, a career that is traditionally divided into three periods. I intend therefore to discuss his musical style by selecting examples of his compositions from each of the three periods and identify how those composition developed / was influenced through that period of his life.

It was Beethoven's biographer Wilhelm von Lenz, who first divided Beethoven's musical career into three periods. Despite the fact that Beethoven had been composing music from the age of four, recognition of the first period only began when he completed 'Three Trios for Piano, Violin and Cello, Opus 1', in 1794, and ends about 1802, the year of the first public performance of the First Symphony and the Septet. In November 1792, Beethoven arrives in Vienna and starts taking lessons in counterpoint from the master himself, Haydn. The themes contained in his first three piano sonatas contained the musical tradition of Haydn to whom these pieces were dedicated; that of broken-chord patterns, excessive jumps, combinations of scales and turns, and rushing fingers, however, (Schmid-Gorg and Schmidt (ed), 1969, p. 17), state that, Beethoven 'soon noticed that Haydn, who was extremely busy, had overlooked various mistakes in his pupil's work'. This led Beethoven to go behind Haydn's back and seek his learning from another composer, Johann Schenk. This being the case, it is quite feasible that Beethoven's compositions were more likened to the musical style of that time as apposed to being directly influenced by Haydn who showed very little interest in his pupil.

Despite his three piano sonatas being reminiscent of haydn's work, Beethoven was able to, even at this early stage of his career, start to carve his individualism in to his music; instead of the usual three movements, Beethoven's sonatas had four, and in his second and third sonatas, he changed the customary 'Minuet' to a more dynamic 'Scherzo', a change which would be reflected in all future compositions. Another individual feature to appear in his first three sonatas was the extensive use of the minor mode as well as bold modulations. 'In the first movement of the second sonata, for example, the second theme begins in the dominant minor, E, and immediately modulates, over a rising bass line, through G major and Bb major before settling down into the "proper" key of E major for the closing part of the exposition' (Grout and Palisca, 2001, p. 517). In a later sonata, that of Op. 7 in Eb (1797), Beethoven makes great use of eloquent pauses in the Largo section, contrasting that with repeated arpeggiation's in the third movement. Below is an example from Beethoven's sonata Op. 13 which was published in 1799. You can see from this example some of the harmonic characteristics of his early compositions, as well as his frequent use of octaves.

Note how he creates a thick, full texture in his writing of the piano part. (Beginning of Rondo, Allegro, the third movement of his Sonata, Op. 13) Piano sonatas composed by Muzio Clementi, an Italian pianist and composer, inspired Beethoven to at times, imitate his style of writing which incorporated unconventional modulations, abrupt changes of dynamics, textures and mood. The following example of Clementi's sonata Op. 34, No. 2 that he composed in 1795, gives us an indication of how his music influenced the way Beethoven wrote. (Muzio Clementi, Sonata Op. 34, No. 2) A B If you look at section 'A', you will notice that Clementi, (as does Beethoven), makes use of the major seventh, perfect and diminished fifth. You will also see how the main subject has been transformed in to the counter subject in the bass line before returning in the 'Largo's ection having been redeveloped (section 'B'), modulating to C major. Other significant works of this period were his 'First Symphony', composed in C major in 1800, and although it followed the same musical conventions of Haydn, it differed in respect of the fact that Beethoven wrote a Scherzo as the third movement instead of the usual minuet and it also featured long codas in the other movements.

His 'Second Symphony' in D major that he composed in 1802, was longer than previous symphonies. It contained very long codas that developed the main theme. What is now classed as Beethoven's second musical period of significance extends from 1803 to 1816. This period proved a very productive time for him having composed the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies between 1806 and 1808, working on both the Fourth and Fifth Symphony at the same time, with the first two movements of the Fifth Symphony finished before the Fourth Symphony had even been completed. He was now being acknowledged throughout Europe as the foremost pianist and composer for the piano of his time; and as a composer of many symphonies, he was now being recognised as being on a par with Haydn and Mozart. As cruel as it may seem, just as Beethoven had reached the higher echelons in his musical development, his hearing was starting to fail him.

We know this because Beethoven confessed to his friends at Bonn his worry of becoming deaf and, 'at Heiligenstadt in 1802, he wrote a famous text that expressed his disgust at the unfairness of life: that he, a musician, could become deaf was something he did not want to live through. But music made him carry on. And he wrote that he knew that he still had many other musical domains to explore, to discover, and to pass on' (lv beethoven web page). Knowing that his handicap was getting progressively worse and fearing the complete loss of his hearing, he threw himself into his greatest works producing some exceptional sonatas for piano (notably The Storm, opus 31).

One of his most well known symphonies was his Third Symphony Op. 55, also known as the 'Sinfonia Eroica' (Heroic Symphony). He had intended dedicating the symphony to Napoleon, his admired hero, having originally given it the title of 'Bonaparte', however upon hearing that Napoleon had had himself proclaimed Empower, he angrily scratched out the name on the score renaming it "Eroica". In addition to the Third Symphony, Beethoven composed his one and only oratorio, "Christ on the Mount of Olives", Op. 85 as well as concerning himself with many operatic projects. Beethoven started sketching the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies between 1803 and 1804.

It wouldn't be until 1806-1808 that the symphonies were completed in their respective orders. 'These symphonies were thus conceived in a time of stylistic change, and in their blending of old and new elements and in their very nature - three radically different symphonic approaches worked out almost simultaneously - they reflect the stylistic turbulence that existed then, particularly in relation to orchestral music' (Broyles, 1987, p. 174). The Rhythmic activity contained in the Fourth Symphony was probably far greater than was typical of the music in the eighteenth century. Motion was more varied, ranging from accelerando leading in to allegro in the first movement, however the structural use of rhythm is essentially symphonic with the accumulation of tensions and momentum through cadent ial drive and manipulation.

The example on the next page is an extract taken from the Fourth Symphony, which shows Beethoven's use of syncopation as a structural device. (Extract taken from Beethoven's Fourth Symphony) 'The second half of the exposition of the first movement consists of a series of syncopation that propel the movement with great intensity towards a particularly strong closing accent for the entire exposition at bar 177... the arrival of the closing accent is cancelled by syncopation that intrudes immediately, and the rhythmic imbalance propels the listener with even more force to an anticipated point when a powerful tonic and the proper metrical accent will converge: 176 The intensity and clarity of this point and the care and certainty with which Beethoven builds to it are fundamentally Classical and symphonic' (Broyles, 1987, p. 174-177). The Sixth Symphony (Pastoral) was composed straight after the Fifth Symphony and the two first appeared on the same program in December 1808. "Sinfonia Pastor ella" as it was known, is made up of five movements each depicting a scene from the life in the countryside, an environment Beethoven felt really at ease in. The Sixth Symphony followed the normal sequence of movements, however Beethoven inserted an extra movement 'Storm', to serve as a finale. In the coda of the Andante movement (Scene by the brook), Beethoven imitates the calling of birds such as the nightingale, quail and cuckoo by bringing together harmoniously the flute, oboe and clarinet.

(Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, Scene by the Brook) There is a striking resemblance between the slow movement of the Fourth Symphony and the slow movement of the Sixth. Both symphonies open with long, flowing melodies accompanied by distinct rhythmic counter motives. There is a general crescendo in both as the dynamic level, the instrumentation and rhythmic activity all increase. The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies were both completed by 1812.

The Seventh Symphony is similar to the Fourth in that it opens with a long slow introduction with modulations, which lead in to an Allegro dominated by the rhythmic figure The third movement is in the key of F major and although not labelled as such, is a scherzo. What makes this movement unusual, is the trio section which is in D major, recurs a second time as in the Fourth Symphony, which expands the movement to a five-part form (A B A B A). With the Seventh Symphony being so big in length, by comparison the Eighth Symphony reverts to a more standardised proportion, despite this however, it still contains the long codas and finales, which by now we have come to expect from Beethoven. The last period of Beethoven's musical career runs from 1816 to 1827, the year of his death. Up until now the years have been relatively peaceful and prosperous for Beethoven.

His music is being played regularly both in Vienna and also abroad. Beethoven however was starting to resign himself to a life of deafness as his hearing had now failed him totally and he had become reliant on the tones that existed only in his mind. His compositions started to contain more of a meditative character, a feeling of tranquility, passionate and calm. Family problems, ill health and apprehensions about poverty started to plague him, but still amongst all of this, he continued to compose. He wrote his last five piano sonatas between 1816 and 1821.

Missa Solemn is and Dia belli Variations were completed in 1822 and 1823 respectively and after many long years of labour, he completed the Ninth Symphony in 1824. At his death in 1827 he had been making plans for a Tenth Symphony and many other new works. In his late compositions, Beethoven deliberately worked out themes and motives to their utmost potential, and it is his variation techniques that epitomist his late style. He managed to achieve continuity in his music by intentionally blurring the divisions between phrases. A cadence falls on a weak beat, and having the uppermost voice sound the third or fifth scale degrees rather than the tonic may reduce its closing effect further. Beethoven commanded new sonorities in his last works.

The contrapuntal lines gave rise to unaccustomed sounds and effects. Such new sonorities are apparent in his Piano sonata Op. 110, the theme being divided between two violins in the fourth movement of the C# minor quartet. Although Beethoven did not start working seriously on his Ninth Symphony until 1817, references to a symphony in D minor appear in the Petter sketchbook of 1812. It appears therefore that whilst Beethoven was composing the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, he was already considering a D minor Symphony. Sketches from Beethoven would lead us to suggest that the idea of concluding a symphony with a vocal finale only occurred late in the compositional process. Even in June 1823, he apparently still had an instrumental finale in mind.

One of the curious ironies about how Beethoven's style developed came about in the latter part of his musical career whereby the further he pursued his musical vision in to new areas, the more he turned to the past for inspiration. Part of the reason for this may have been due to the isolation he felt both socially and professionally due to his profound deafness. The style with which Beethoven had grown up, the Classical idiom with its clear distinction between the sonata and the symphony branches, became less and less viable in the years after 1804. Beethoven was left with no choice but to turn away from certain Classical premises if his style was to develop further. In his early period of music writing, Beethoven clearly wrote in a classical style. After 1804 however, the changes appearing in Beethoven's compositions would lead us to believe that he was starting to go his own way, to the point of distancing himself from the Classical approach.

This is noticeable in the late Beethoven whose compositions are more tranquil and passionate, to the point of his music possibly embracing the period of Romanticism, however to what extent he does embrace Romanticism isn't really clear. Broyles, M. (1987) The Emergence and Evolution of Beethoven's Heroic Style New York: Excelsior Music Publishing Co. Edwards, O. (1972) The Age of Revolutions - Beethoven Bletchley: The Open University Press Grout, D. & Palisca, C. (1996) Study and Listening Guide for A History of Western Music London: W.W. Norton & Company Grout, D. & Palisca, C. (2001) A History of Western Music London: W.W. Norton & Company Schmidt-Gorg, J. & Schmidt, H. (1969) Ludwig Van Beethoven Germany: Georg Wester mann web (accessed 24.03. 03).