Experiencing Beethoven: A Listener's Companion

290 Pages·2016·5.377 MB·English

by  Geoffrey Block

EXPERIENCING BEETHOVEN
The Listener’s Companion
Gregg Akkerman, Series Editor
TitlesinTheListener’sCompanionprovidereaderswithadeeperunderstandingof
keymusicalgenresandtheworkofmajorartistsandcomposers.Aimedatnonspecial-
ists,eachvolumeexplainsinclearandaccessiblelanguagehowtolistentoworksfrom
particular artists, composers, and genres. Looking at both the context in which the
musicfirstappearedandhassincebeenheard,authorsexplorewithreaderstheenvi-
ronmentsinwhichkeymusicalworkswerewrittenandperformed.
ExperiencingBeethoven:AListener’sCompanion,byGeoffreyBlock
ExperiencingBillyJoel:AListener’sCompanion,byThomasMacFarlane
ExperiencingBroadwayMusic:AListener’sCompanion,byKatSherrell
ExperiencingDavidBowie:AListener’sCompanion,byIanChapman
ExperiencingJazz:AListener’sCompanion,byMichaelStephans
ExperiencingLedZeppelin:AListener’sCompanion,byGreggAkkerman
ExperiencingLeonardBernstein:AListener’sCompanion,byKennethLaFave
ExperiencingMozart:AListener’sCompanion,byDavidSchroeder
ExperiencingPeterGabriel:AListener’sCompanion,byDurrellBowman
ExperiencingtheRollingStones:AListener’sCompanion,byDavidMalvinni
ExperiencingRush:AListener’sCompanion,byDurrellBowman
ExperiencingSchumann:AListener’sCompanion,byDonaldSanders
ExperiencingStravinsky:AListener’sCompanion,byRobinMaconie
ExperiencingTchaikovsky:AListener’sCompanion,byDavidSchroeder
ExperiencingVerdi:AListener'sCompanion,byDonaldSanders
ExperiencingtheViolinConcerto:AListener’sCompanion,byFrancoSciannameo
EXPERIENCING BEETHOVEN
A Listener’s Companion
Geoffrey Block
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
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Names:Block,GeoffreyHolden,1948-author.
Title:ExperiencingBeethoven:alistener'scompanion/GeoffreyBlock.
Description:Lanham:Rowman&Littlefield,[2017]|Series:Thelistener'scompanion|Includes
bibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2016018116(print)|LCCN2016018457(ebook)|ISBN9781442245457
(cloth:alk.paper)|ISBN9781442245464(electronic)
Subjects:LCSH:Beethoven,Ludwigvan,1770-1827—Criticismandinterpretation
Classification:LCCML410.B42B49132017(print)|LCCML410.B42(ebook)|DDC780.92—
dc23LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016018116
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof
AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaper
forPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
For Andrew—
Treasured colleague
Friend to me and Jacqueline
Honorary uncle to Jessamyn and Eliza

CONTENTS
Timeline ix
Introduction:“WhyBeethoven?” xv
1 “TheSpiritofMozart”(1770–1792) 1
2 “FromtheHandsofHaydn”(1792–1801) 17
3 The“Heroic”Style(1802–1806) 45
4 Fidelio:Beethoven’sOneandOnlyOpera(1805–1806and
1814) 75
5 SymphonicAlternativestotheHeroicStyle(1808–1814) 97
6 BeethovenandSong 135
7 TheLatePianoMusic(1816–1824) 155
8 Daiku:TheBigNinth(1824) 185
9 TheStringQuartetinC-SharpMinor,Op.131(1826) 211
Notes 237
Glossary 239
SelectedBibliography 251
SelectedDiscography 257
Index 261
AbouttheAuthor 269
vii

TIMELINE
1770 BaptizedinBonnonDecember17andmostlikelybornon
December16,thefirstsurvivingchildofJohannvan
Beethoven(ca.1740–1792),acourtsinger,andMaria
Magdalena(1746–1787).Twobrothersalsosurvive,Caspar
Carl(born1774)andJohann(born1776).
1773 DeathofBeethoven’sgrandfather,alsonamedLudwig,
KapellmeistertotheelectorMaxFriedrich.
1778 Firstpublicappearanceasaperformer.
1779 ChristianGottlobNeefe,Beethoven,majorcomposition
teacher,arrivesinBonn.Beethovenbeginshisstudieswith
Neefetwoyearslater.
1782 Firstmusicalpublication,thePianoVariationsonaMarchby
Dressler,WoO63.
1783 PublicationofthethreeElectorSonatasforpiano,WoO47.
1784 DeathofElectorMaxFriedrichandappointmentofElector
MaximilianFranz,brotherofEmperorJosephII.Beethoven
joinsthepayrollascourtorganist.
1785 Composesthethreepianoquartets,WoO36.
1787 TravelstoVienna.MeetsandhopestostudywithMozartbut
returnstoBonntoseehisdyingmother,whodiesonJuly17.
1789 PlaysviolainthecourtorchestraandpetitionsMaximilian
Franzforhalfofhisfather’ssalary.
ix