As part of the international celebrations this year and next year, in honor of Beethoven, the Schiller Institute is happy to inaugurate a new feature on our website. We will regularly post selections of Beethoven’s music with short discussions of the pieces.
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Op. 65, Ah Perfido!, which will it be: rage or enduring love? In his youth, Beethoven had been steeped in the Italian vocal tradition, often playing the continuo for visiting opera troupes and composing variations on popular operatic numbers. The concert aria “Ah, Perfido!” (Oh, Deceiver!), composed shortly after his […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy – Wind Quintet, Op. 16 Beethoven composed his delectable Opus 16 Wind Quintet in 1796, when he was riding a wave of public acclaim as a keyboard virtuoso and improviser. It’s likely that he modeled it on Mozart’s Quintet in E-flat, K. 452, also scored for piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy – A Call for Creatures of Prometheus. Ballet was a very popular entertainment in 18th century Vienna, and Beethoven composed his first ballet, the “Ritterballet” (Dance of the Knights) in 1791, while still in Bonn. Ten years later, he collaborated with the noted dancer and composer Salvatore Viganò on a ballet […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Out of ruins; bring forth a renaissance. “The Ruins of Athens” is the third of three plays written by August von Kotzebue for the opening of the lavish new theater in Pest (the first was “King Stephen”, and the second didn’t survive the censor’s knife). In the play, Athena wakes […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy – King Stephen Overture, Op. 117 In 1811, Beethoven was commissioned to provide music for two stage works written by the playwright August von Kotzebue. The occasion was the dedication of a new German-language theatre in Pest (part of today’s Budapest), built to alleviate the nationalist feelings incipient in Hungary and […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — the incomparable violin concerto in D major Beethoven composed his only violin concerto in 1806, specifically for the young violinist Franz Clement, whose playing was described as being of “indescribable tenderness”. The premier was chaotic, with Clement at one point interrupting the program to play one of his own compositions […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — the 1795 Horn Sextet Though published in 1810, the Horn Sextet was composed some time around 1795, when Beethoven was a newcomer to Vienna and popular taste was dominated by Haydn and the recently-deceased Mozart. Scored for two horns, two violins, viola and cello, the horn parts are so demanding […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy – Four hands are better than two, Op. 6 piano sonata With an opening theme that resembles the Fifth Symphony, Beethoven’s Opus 6 sonata for piano four hands is a rarely heard gem. Due to its brevity and relative ease of execution, it’s generally thought of as a work for piano […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — Three nations on Mars; Beethoven’s triple concerto. The space agencies of three different countries – the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates – have successfully arrived at Mars and begun a promising collaboration for the advancement of human knowledge and power. In that spirit, we have today’s selection: Beethoven’s […]
Beethoven: Sparks of Joy — the master’s climactic Op. 111 finishes his use of the sonata form. Although Beethoven would go on to compose other works for solo piano, the Opus 111 is Beethoven’s climactic finish to the sonata form. With the first movement, he reduces the C minor key to its bare elements (think […]