Part 12 (1/2)

Such inexhaustible fancy, such coherence of structure, such subtlety of transformation were unknown in former times, when development was often as lifeless as the perfunctory motions of an auto with tones; they are vast tonal edifices, exaination of man controlled by intellect can achieve Possibly Beethoven's greatest skill as a musical architect was shown in his treat cli hoe heretofore presented The end of previous co down, but in Beethoven there is usually a strong objective point towards which everything converges

Fully conscious as he was of the throbbing hue it was his mission to reveal, we may be sure that Beethoven spared no effort to enhance the expressive capabilities of e Certain aspects of his style in this respect are strikingly noticeable in every one of his representative works First, the marvellous rhyth rhythm of Haydn; in its stead we hear the heart-beat, now fast, no, of a living huer can the hearer in dreamy apathy beat time with his foot Second, his use of the fiercest dissonances to express the heights and depths of our stor should persuade us ly to a syment, than the fact that many of Beethoven's most individual cries (surely in his case the outward expression of what he heard within, those very outbursts which to-day ring longest in our consciousness) were considered at the tis of a ically, are a vital principle in inal than in his Promethean boldness in their use One of his favorite conceptions was that music should strike fire from the soul of man; it was not meant to lull the hearer into a drowsy revery, but to awaken his spiritual consciousness with a shock at tialvanic A third feature is his subtlety in expression, as is shown by the e of his work abounds The crescendos, often leading to a sudden drop to pianissi stretches of hushed suspense, the violent sforzandos on unimportant beats, the plasticity of periodic forave music its place as the supreme art of hu two forenius In place of the former nave Minuet, so characteristic of the formal manners of its time, he substituted a movement with a characteristic name--the Scherzo, which opened up entirely new possibilities No mere literary distinction betit and humor[135] can explain the power of Beethoven's Scherzos; only through his own experience of life can the hearer fathom their secrets The expression of real humor, akin to that spirit which is found in Cervantes, Swift, Mark Twain and Abrahaenuine contribution of Beethoven Deep thinkers alone are capable of huination so humane and sympathetic in its nature that it can perceive at the sas It can feel the pathos of a scene on life's stage and yet have an eye for the incongruities of the actors It is iination, the feel of kinshi+p with the universal human soul” Beethoven's Scherzos are as varied as life itself Who can forget the boisterous vitality of this movement in the Eroica, which quite sweeps us off our feet, the haunting mystery of the Scherzo of the Fifth Sy with touching pathos, in the Scherzo of the Ninth? Secondly, his conception of the Air and Variations was so different fro previously known that he may fairly be called its creator With him variations became poetic transformations, and the notable works in this form of Brahms, Tchaikowsky, Franck and d'Indy are only freer manifestations of Beethoven's method Upon two last features, his use of titles and his individualizing of the orchestral instruram music in its literal sense dates back several centuries, Beethoven--far estions or incidents, often inti iination We know froenerally had soiven the clue to his thoughts, but the titles, familiar to every one, which he did use, such as the _Heroic_ and _Pastoral_ Symont_ Overtures, those to several of the Sonatas, are full of ied in nofor its own sake

These works are the point of departure for the significant develop this path With Beethoven the orchestra began to assuer treated as s How eloquent is the e of the Horns in the Trio to the Scherzo of the _Heroic_! Berlioz coaht bethe wonders of Beethoven A striking tribute is that of Professor John K Paine ”In instrumental music Beethoven is pre-eminent, from all points of view, formally, aesthetically and spiritually Like Shakespeare's, his creations are distinguished by great diversity of character; each is a type by itself Beethoven is the least of a enuine poe to the true listener clearly and une however which cannot be translated into mere words”

[Footnote 135: The derivation of the word is worthy of note; itnot dry Humor is certainly the juice of human nature]

We are now in a position to approach intelligently, enthusiastically and reverently the h built upon the foundations of Haydn and Mozart, yet take us into an entirely neorld of power and fancy For illustrations we select the first movement of the _Third_ or _Heroic_ Symphony; the _Seventh Sonata in D major_ for Pianoforte; the _Fifth Symphony in C ard to the symphonies it is understood that the emphasis on certain ones and the omission of others implies no ultra-critical attitude Each of Beethoven's symphonies has its characteristic attributes and each is the work of a genius But just as in Nature so the nine symphonies we may say that their order of excellence as endorsed by the consensus of mankind would be as follows The First Symphony is so out his technique of expression It is closelycertain daring touches and though perfectly direct and sincere, is not ofadvance is hly distinctive of the genius of Beethoven: the exciting Prelude to the first hetto, one of the first slowScherzo (note the fantastic touches in the Trio) and the splendor of the last pages of the Finale, which can only be co colors and its last burst of glory The general style of the Second Syh raised to the highest pitch of eloquence In the Third Symphony the complete Beethoven steps forth It was his declaration of independence, and in this work, as he hian a completely new line of activity; it was also his own favorite a the symphonies[136] Heretofore there had been no such impassioned utterance as is revealed in the first movement of this Third Symphony and there have been few, if any, to equal it since The Fourth Sy work and shows Beethoven's inexhaustible variety of rand ly fro the happiest period of Beethoven's life and is related in its whole character to his emotions and aspirations at that ti in music The Fifth Symphony is undoubtedly the most popular of them all, in the true sense of the term[138] The reason for this verdict is the unparalleled cole work of the e appeal of the slow movement, the mystery, followed by the reckless display of spirit, in the Scherzo and the paean of rejoicing which rings through the Finale The Sixth or Pastoral, Beethoven's one excursion into the real based on natural phenomena, is of interest more as a point of departure for the work of his successors than for its intrinsic e The conception of the possibilities of musical description has so widened since Beethoven, and the facilities for orchestral color so increased, that this syh it has many characteristic beauties, sounds a bit old-fashi+oned The Seventh is one of the inal of them all, incomparable for its rhythner called it[139] If rhythm be the basis of hly alive frohth is the embodiment of Beethoven's (possibly)humor Never before had symphonic music played such pranks as are found here, especially in the Finale The Syed Scherzo[140]--the thirdmerely for contrast The Ninth Symphony, composed in the philosophic period of Beethoven's life, when he was attehts, is a vast work, the first three movements purely instrumental, and the Finale, for the first time in symphonic literature, a union of solo voices and chorus with the instrumental forces The text was taken from Schiller's ”Ode to Joy” The spirit of the poe appeal to Beethoven's humanitarian and derandeur of his conception But it is not carping criticis for a perfect realization through any earthlyfor the huht in terms of the instruments--and it is not to be denied that there are several passages in the Finale which consist ofNo one save believers in plenary inspiration can give to this Finale the whole-hearted admiration that is paid to the three instruold; especially the seraphic Adagio and the Gargantuan Scherzo with its de estimates, if the student is forced to select and cannot become equally familiar with all of the nine sy: the Fifth, the Third, the Seventh, the Eighth, the Fourth, the Ninth, the Second, the Sixth and the First See Supplement No 44

[Footnote 136: See Beethoven, Kerst-Krehbiel, p 45]

[Footnote 137: Read the appropriate essay in _Beethoven and His Nine Sye Grove]

[Footnote 138: Vox populi, vox Dei]

[Footnote 139: D'Indy, however, in his _Beethoven_ (p 61, English translation) dissents froly, it would seem to us For the basic rhythm of each movement is on a definite dance ular Irish jig (Beethoven at one ti very much interested in Irish folk-dances) with its typical three final notes, _eg_

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[Footnote 140: It ritten, to use Beethoven's oords, in an ”aufgeknopft” (unbuttoned) condition, _ie_, free, untraht-laced, swaddled in conventions]

We shall now make a few comments[141] on the first movement of the _Third_ or _Heroic Symphony_, merely to stimulate the hearer's interest, for the music may be trusted to make its own direct appeal

After two short, sonorous chords, which suro con brio, with its ele rhythlibly asserted that these notes of the tonic triad are the whole of the first theh the enerative basis for the entire , dramatic note of the theme is the C-sharp in measure five This theme in fact is a typical exaed with secondary melodic phrases in the first violins and flutes, its real close does not co_

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[Footnote 141: These are based in this work and in all Symphonic compositions on the full orchestral score (in the Peters edition); the student is therefore recommended to adopt this practise For in Beethoven and all orchestral writers the thought and expression are so integrally bound up with the tone color and idiom of the various instruments that when their works are reduced to another medium much of the eloquence is lost For those who cannot handle an orchestral score there are adequate arrangements for 2 hands, 4 hands and for 2 pianofortes in several standard editions Those who have an advanced pianoforte technique should certainly become familiar with the virtuoso-transcriptions of the Beethoven Symphonies by Franz Liszt]

After a varied repetition of the first e (measures 23-33)[142] which illustrates one of the most characteristic features in all Beethoven's work, _ie_, those sharp dislocations of the rhythm, indicated by the sforzando accents (_sf_) on beats usually _unaccented_ and often coupled with strong dissonances Although the basic rhythroups of two quarter notes or their equivalent, one half note, _eg_

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[Footnote 142: It is an excellent practise to nuer can we drift along in dreausts of a tornado There have been those who for the first time in their lives were jarred frohts When Beethoven's Symphonies were first played in Paris, it is reported that the operatic composer Boieldieu was much disconcerted, because, as he said, he liked ”musique qui me berce” The transition (measures 43-81) is a re ever more and more excitement and expectancy It contains _three_ subsidiary _,

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and fairly whirls us into the beautiful contemplative the modulations into rees of hushed pianissih a series of sforzandos, crescendos and titanic ejaculations to the overpowering dissonances in measure 145, which with the tonic chord close the Exposition in the dominant key The Develop and varied, but a perfect anic treat inevitably fro irresistibly onward to its objective goal Every modulatory, rhythmic and polyphonic device is ee; yet, notwithstanding the diversity of the material, we are held spellbound by the directness and coherence of the thought Such is Beethoven's passionate insistence on the right to speak out just what he felt that in one stupendous passage ( about our heads

At measure 282 a theme of ideal repose is interpolated--just the contrast needed after the preceding cataclysm The Development proper is renewed in measure 298 and after a repetition of the interpolated theme in measures 320-335 the rhythm of the first the us upward to a veritable table-land of sublih a series of decrescendo,mists, to an al but a pianissis From this hush there floats in upon us the rhythmic motive of the first theme; then, with a _ff_ chord of the doht back into the sunshi+ne of the un This portion with certain happy changes in modulation--note the beautiful variant on the horn in _,

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--preserves the custo in measures 549-550 with the same dissonances which closed the Exposition Then are declaimed by the full orchestra those two dramatic outbursts which usher in the Coda and which may be likened to ”Stop! Listen! the best is yet to come” The blunt, intentional disjunction of the har_

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Here we have a convincing illustration of Beethoven's individual conception that the Coda should be a second and final develop held in store, so that it beco piece of eloquence Observe how the reappearance of the interpolated theme balances the Coda with the Development proper and how the various rhythe Finally a series of bold, vibrato leaps in the first violins--based on the dos this impassioned movement to a close