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’s Sense of Humor by Fred Haight No-one is quite sure what the story is behind Rage Over a Lost Penny. But Beethoven seems to be making fun of those who obsess over the trivial. Listen and tell us what you think!
Happy Veterans Day! – Beethoven – 5 Military Marches Notes by Margaret Scialdone Although not known as a composer of military band music, Beethoven composed a number of military marches, usually commissioned for special occasions. In honor of Veterans’ Day, we present five of Beethoven’s marches for military band, dating from 1787 to 1816.
The Third Symphony’s Finale: Creativity, and Heroic Humor Notes by Fred Haight In two recent episodes of Daily Doses of Beethoven, we examined the monumental first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”, which addresses the idea of a hero—a world-historic figure. We also heard his epic second movement, a Funeral March, expressing the loss […]
The Funeral March of the Third Symphony “Eroica” Notes by Fred Haight Previously, we presented the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “The Eroica” (Heroic). Today, we present the second movement, “The Funeral March”. What does a funeral march have to do with the joyous celebration of creativity and courage that we heard in […]
Beethoven and the Heroic Part 4: The Egmont Overture Notes by Fred Haight Part 4: The Egmont Overture The cause of human liberty and freedom led political discussion around the late 18th-early 19th century, and the poets Goethe and Schiller collaborated to tell the story of Switzerland’s fight for freedom. In his play Wilhelm Tell, […]
BEETHOVEN: CREATING THE FUTURE Notes by Margaret Scialdone Legend has it that during a rehearsal of one of his quartets, a violinist complained that the music was incomprehensible – to which Beethoven replied, “Oh, it is not for you, but for a later age”. The beautiful “Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel” (Evening Song under a Starry […]
Beethoven and the Heroic Part 3: Leonore’s Aria: A study in finding one’s courage. Notes by Fred Haight Leonore’s Aria An aria in opera, is like a soliloquy in a play. The actor shares his or her struggle with their innermost self, directly with you, the audience. Leonore gains great courage in this aria. To […]
Beethoven and the Heroic ; Part 2: Leonore Notes by Fred Haight Part 2: Leonore No-one ever portrayed a woman more heroically then Beethoven. His only opera, Fidelio, is about a woman named Leonore, who courageously disguises herself as a boy, goes into prison, risking her life, in order to rescue her husband, Florestan, who […]
Part 1: The Eroica Symphony Notes by Fred Haight Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica”: 1st mvt (Furtwängler) Beethoven lived in a time of great hope and optimism. The world was changing, and the future looked bright. The poet Friedrich Schiller, expressed this in “The Artists”: “How beautifully, O man, with your […]
Beethoven Piano Sonata “Pathetique” in C minor Notes by Fred Haight Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, in 3-PARTS (the second of the C-Minor Series) Part One: Why is this work called “Pathetic”? Beethoven’s electrifying Piano Sonata #8 in C minor, op.13, known as the “Pathetique”, was composed in 1798, when he was 28 years of age. It […]