Beethoven: Early, Middle Late: Part 3

DAILY DOSE on BEETHOVEN (May 15, 2020)

Beethoven: Early, Middle Late: Part 3

The Fugue

During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach was the greatest master of fugal writing the world had ever known. After his death, the tastes of "The Enlightenment" enforced a simple kind of music, such as melody and accompaniment. As hard as it may be to believe, Bach's sons seldom composed fugues, or even played their father's music, which was considered out-of-style, even elitist.

In 1782, Baron von Swieten sought to rectify the situation, by holding regular salons for young musicians, including the then 26-years old Mozart, featuring the music of J.S. Bach and Handel. Mozart seized on the idea, and began to include fugal writing in his own work. The fugue became part of musical life once again. Beethoven's teacher Neefe, made sure that his young student played all the Preludes and Fugues in Bach's Well-tempered Clavier. At the age of 14, Beethoven composed this fugue in order to secure a post as assistant organist at a church in his native Bonn.

This does not really count as early Beethoven though. He had not yet found his own voice, though it's a good fugue.

We will use three different string quartets to demonstrate Beethoven's remarkable progress in his fugues. He developed his own unique approach, which allowed him to move in and out of strict fugal writing as he pleased- "sometimes rigorous-sometimes free" (though never lacking in rigor!) He integrated fugues into other forms such as the “sonata form” and “theme and variations”, in a way never before done.

1. Early: The six String Quartets No. 1-6, Op 18 (composed 1801), were Beethoven's first attempt at composing string quartets (though he had written some trios in preparation). We use here, the “Scherzo” movement from String Quartet No. 4, as played by the Harlem Quartet. As we might expect from a scherzo, it is playful.

https://youtu.be/IvH5GLaavJI?list=TLPQMTMwNTIwMjDljKqph-03nw

The video provides an advantage. You can both hear and see the fugal entrances. It opens with the second violin, as you will see, on the tones GGG CCC. Soon the viola enters at the interval of a fifth DDD GGG. The third voice is provided by the first violin, which starts on GGG CCC again, but an octave higher than before. Finally, the cello becomes the fourth voice on DDD GGG, but an octave lower than before. All of this might seem quite complex, but your mind is also complex, and and delight in this play!

At 1:55 Beethoven repeats the entire opening section. You have a second chance to follow it! At 3:37 he takes off in a different direction. At 4:25 it begins to freeze and prepare us for a change, which turns out to be a return to the opening at 5:52- EXCEPT- it is accompanied by new ideas, which also develop fugally. Beethoven, at just shy of 30 years old, already had a mastery of what is known as double counterpoint.

2. Middle: We presented the Grand Finale of String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3 the last of the three “Razumovsky” (composed 1808) on May 6th as "Beethoven's Wild and Woolly Fugue." It deserves to be heard again, in a different context: another performance, a visual of the quartet instead of the score, and as middle period.

https://youtu.be/g6j3lmyNjNU?list=RDg6j3lmyNjNU

Adding to the introductory comment made in in the video, is Beethoven’s comment: " Do not worry. This work is not composed for you, but for the future!"

3. Late: This was a difficult choice. Certain double fugal works, such as the Grosse Fuge, are so monumental that they need to be treated separately. While composing his The String Quartet No. 14 in C♯ minor, Op. 131, Beethoven remarked that composing a fugue was not difficult (for him!). He had composed many in his youth. Now, he said, this old form must become truly poetic. What!? The two movements we have just heard were not poetic?

The Op. 131 is part of the C Minor series. Take the opening 4 tones, G# B# C# A , and transpose them down a half-tone to G B C Ab. Rearrange them and you have C (Eb) G Ab B, the opening of Bach’s Musical Offering!

This time, no visual. Just follow the idea in this powerful presentation by the Quartetto Italiano. We have shifted emotional gears-big time!

https://youtu.be/gZOCx951Lcg