The Grosse Fuge: Part 2—The Double Fugue

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DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (June 3, 2020)

In Part 1, we discussed the Overture to the Grosse Fuge. Even though it’s amazing, it is still missing something. It captures the change in a single theme, while the body of the Grosse Fuge is a double-fugue—so the change also has to lie in the interaction between two subjects. We don't want to be too literal, but ideas of anything from a marriage in trouble, to street protests over an atrocity, to relations between nations near war come to mind. When the pair of two fugal themes first appears at measure 30, on the word Fuga, there is a large degree of cacophony. It is safe to say that they seem not to be getting along.

Both the Finale of the Ninth Symphony, and the entire Grosse Fuge, are organized around a central double fugue. There are similarities, but again, they take opposite approaches.

Please listen to the attached audio, which addresses this: https://soundcloud.com/user-385773006/the-grosse-fuge-part-2-the-double-fugue

In the Ninth Symphony, the great choral double fugue does not break out until over half-way though the movement. One fugue subject derives from the Ode to Joy is Freude schoner Gotterfunken (Joy, the most beautiful of God's sparks). The other derives itself from what we termed the Greek chorus section—Seid umschlungen Millionen. (Be embraced, O ye millions!) Our overwhelming sense of it, is a dialogue between the creative individual and all of humanity (You may find that discussion in more detail in the May 1, 2020 post).

In the Ninth Symphony, both fugal ideas have been developing over time, and our minds eagerly anticipate where they might go. The emergence of that double-fugue is preceded by an incredible, drawn-out dissonance that makes us feel the answer is on the tip of our tongue. So that when the double-fugue arrives, though we did not anticipate it (it is after all, a creative discovery), in a way, we did! Our minds welcome it, and say Of course that reflects where all of this was heading. Our audio begins with that section of the Ninth Symphony, which follows the tradition, more or less, of a Bach double-fugue, where one idea is developed over time and then a second one introduced (Ft.1).

The Grosse Fuge though, follows more the approach of Handel; or of Mozart’s Requiem (Kyrie section), where the two fugue subjects are introduced together at the beginning. After the overture juxtaposes the changes in the first subject at measure 30, Beethoven marks Fuga, and both Fugue subjects are presented together. Not only that, Beethoven presents two clashing ideas! They need to change if they are to survive! They need to change both themselves and each other. Before they do though, they clash even more, and seem to come right to the brink! The necessary solution will lie in the principles established in 1648, by the Treaty of Westphalia.

You might ask, what does music have to do with a political treaty? The operative principle in that Treaty, which ended the 250 years of religious wars that ground up Europe since 1492, was “The Benefit of the Other." The idea of "looking out for number One", no longer worked. The Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 alone, wiped out 8 million people, including 20% of Germany's population. One’s own interests could not be maintained by subjugating others. The sovereignty of nations was established and made inviolable. Mutual assistance and making sure that other nations progressed as your own did, was discovered to be essential to your own well-being and survival. The double fugue of the Grosse Fuge grew exactly the same way.

The opening of the doble-fugue as presented today, seems like it could hardly be more cacaphonous. Tomorrow, we will experience brinksmanship.

Ft 1: Here we present a very good analysis of Bach's magnificent double (or perhaps triple) fugue in C# minor, from Book One of his Well-Tempered Clavier. It is the same fugue that we presented on May 1st, but with a helpful analysis.

The Grosse Fuge: Beethoven's most difficult work, made intelligible, fun, and even lovable!

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (June 2, 2020)

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Beethoven wrote over his Missa Solemnis: From the heart, it must return to the heart. We examined two sections of that great work (May 23 & 24 posts), and they proved his sentiment to be sincere. When his basic idea is made clear to us, everything falls into place.

The same is true of his most contrapuntally complex and intellectually advanced work, the Grosse Fuge (Great Fugue). When understood, and properly played, it moves both the heart and the mind. It is a life-changer. To do this, one has to get the idea of following the transformation and change, rather than identifying recurrences of fixed themes. Without that, it can be overwhelming, and there are still music professors today, who claim to find it unintelligible! We say that we can all do better than music professors, if we engage our hearts and minds!

Let us begin, by posing a challenge. The Grosse Fuge, and the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, are similar in many ways, though they often take opposite approaches to the same problem.

Here, we replay the short video from April 23rd, 2020, on the introduction to the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony.

Beethoven has, on numerous occasions, invited us into his creative workshop. Among them are the introduction to the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, the opening of the Grosse Fuge, and the beginning of the 4th movement of his Hammerklavier Sonata, Op.106”.

The Grosse Fuge opens with an Overtura (Overture) that invokes the principle of the introduction to the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, while following the "retrograde" pathway.

What makes it different, is the reversal of the time sequence. The introduction to the fourth movement of the "Ninth Symphony", reviews everything that has taken place up until that point, including the first 3 movements, and takes you right up to the discovery of the main theme—the Ode to Joy. It moves forward in time. The Overtura to the Grosse Fuge takes the opposite approach. It poses 4 drastically different versions of the main fugual subject, as if to ask the question, What kind of development could possibly account for that kind of change in a single theme?

Once one gets to know the piece a bit better, one realizes that those 4 different versions occur in the opposite order than they do in the piece. Versions 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the overture, are versions 4, 3, 2 and 1 in the entire piece. The overture ends, right where the double-fugue is ready to begin. Beethoven positions the changes in the theme backwards to how they occur in the piece. In a way, it is like a person looking backwards on their own life, from old age. Which of the four is the original form of this theme? Which is the real you? Or does the very process of change define what is the real you?

Each of us is a single, recognizable, unique individual for all of our lives. Yet, if we grow, intellectually, spiritually, and morally, we might look backwards, and not even recognize our earlier selves. But we might also see our earlier selves looking forward, and not liking everything about our future selves.

The issue then becomes change. Are the changes consistent with a life well lived? In this case, the theme, like the person, has to be recognizable as unique. We are the same unique physical being. Yet, when the changes are laid out in stark juxtaposition, as it does in the Overtura, we marvel at the question of what process of change made such wildly differing versions possible?

Besides re-posting the short video we ran on April 23rd, on the opening of the fourth movement of the "Ninth Symphony", we also provide an audio of the Overtura, to the Grosse Fuge.

This is not easy listening, but it is well worth the effort, and it will become clear as we proceed. If you sense that both of these excerpts represent the cognitive act of conceptualizing something new—a higher hypothesis that is both above and outside of the piece itself, then you are on the right track!

Opening of the 4th movement of Ninth Symphony:

Audio of Overtura: https://soundcloud.com/user-385773006/grosse-fuga-overtura

Beethoven as an (unknown) International Genius

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (June 1, 2020)

There is a Romantic notion of Beethoven as an internally driven, enraged, and mad genius. This illusion often obscures the real man who has a profound sense of responsibility to all mankind. Beethoven set folk songs from many nations, and took them into his heart, even when he set them in German. Here is his setting of the Ukrainian folksong Schöne Minka.

His variations on the song maintain its ethnic identity, while integrating it into a much larger world.

A Teenage Composer's Loving Vow, to Remain True to Beethoven: Part 2

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 31, 2020)

After writing the song Frage, or Question on the death of Beethoven, it took Felix Mendelssohn about six months to compose a major monument to Beethoven—his String Quartet No. 3 in A minor, Op.13.

We provide an audio that makes the comparison: https://soundcloud.com/user-385773006/a-teenage-composers-loving-vow-to-remain-true-to-beethoven-part-2

The first movement starts out with a slow theme that is reverential and sounds like Beethoven. A couple of minutes in, Mendelssohn plays the theme of ist es war? (Is it true?) from the song Frage. Compare it to Beethoven's Muss es sein? (must it be?) from String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135.

We then compares the opening of the first movement (after a short introduction) of Beethoven's Op. 132 (String Quartet No. 15, which is also in A minor), with the opening of the first movement of Mendelssohn's Op. 13 (again after a short intro). The connection is hard to miss.

Then listen to the recitative-like section that is the transition from the movements 4 to 5 in Beethoven's Op. 132, with the recitative-like section, that is the transition from movement 3 to movement 4 in Mendelssohn's Op. 13.

Then compare the fughetta from the second movement of Beethoven's String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, with the fughetta from the second movement of Mendelssohn's Op. 13.

It ends with the incredible transformation of the quick 4th movement into a synopsis of the entire process.

We provide the entire quartet with score, for those whose curiosity is sufficiently piqued!

Teenage Composer's Loving Vow to Remain True to Beethoven: Part 1

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 30, 2020)

Felix Mendelssohn was the grandson of the great philosopher and founder of the Jewish Enlightenment, Moses Mendelssohn (mentioned earlier in this series, on May 19th, 2020 in The Late Beethoven and the New Synagogue. Though the family was steeped in music, Felix and his sister Fanny, were way ahead of their time. Felix would play, with great enthusiasm, Beethoven's late String Quartets on the piano, for anyone who would listen. Most people, including his own father, found them to be incomprehensible. In 1825, he sent his sister Fanny a copy of Beethoven's monumental Hammerklavier Sonata. While it is often claimed that the first successful performance of this difficult work was by Franz Liszt in 1836, Felix often said, on being praised for his piano playing, "Wait 'til you hear my sister!" She may well have been the first to play it.

On the news of Beethoven's death, in 1827, Felix and Fanny composed a series of 12 songs, Op. 9. (3 were composed by Fanny and the rest by Felix. However, at the time, they were all published under Felix' name, because the family thought it was not proper for a woman to compose music.) One of them was called "Frage", or “Question”. For a long time the words were credited to a poet named Voss. Later, Felix' nephew insisted that Felix wrote both the music and the words. The poem goes as follows:

Ist es wahr? Ist es wahr?

Daß du stets dort in dem Laubgang,

An der Weinwand meiner harrst?

Und den Mondschein und die Sternlein

Auch nach mir befragst?

Ist es wahr? Sprich!

Was ich fühle, das begreift nur,

Die es mit fühlt,

Und die treu mir ewig,

Treu mir ewig, ewig bleibt.

Is it true? Is it true

that over there in the leafy walkway, you always

wait for me by the vine-draped wall?

And that with the moonlight and the little stars

you consult about me also?

Is it true? Speak!

What I feel, only one other grasps --

who feels with me

and stays ever faithful to me,

eternally faithful

The video includes the words in German only.

How do we know this is a tribute to Beethoven? We invite you to go back to the May 7th, 2020 post—“Beethoven's Sense of Humor”. We printed there, the enigma that opens the 4th movement of his String Quartet In F Major, Op. 135. Compare Beethoven's "Muss es Sein?" (Must it be?) to Mendelssohn's "Ist es war?" (Is it true?)

Also, does Ist es war? (Is it true?) simply mean: Is it true that Beethoven is dead? It does, but it also means more. Who

is eternally faithful: Mendelssohn to Beethoven, or Beethoven to Mendelssohn, or both? The song was but a preparatory exercise for Felix, for an entire string quartet—String Quartet, Op. 13, in A minor, which we will examine tomorrow.

Beethoven and Tragedy: The Coriolan Overture

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 29, 2020)

We have already talked about Beethoven's sense of the heroic; and the power and optimism expressed in his Third Symphony, his only opera Fidelio, and the Egmont Overture.

However, an important part of trying to create a positive outcome for society, involves the study of tragedy. This does not refer to the way in which people use the term today, such as a natural disaster, but what happens when the flaws in both a leader and a society result in failure, or worse, betrayal?

Heinrich Joseph von Collin wrote his play, Coriolan, in 1804, the year that Napoleon crowned himself as Emporer. That same year, Beethoven scratched out the dedication of his Third Symphony to Bonaparte, lamenting that now Napoleon would become just another tyrant, and trample on the rights of men. That same year, Schiller premiered his last play, Wilhelm Tell, celebrating the ancient triumph of ordinary Swiss people over the threat of subjugation by the Hapsburg Empire.

In the next year, 1805, the French army occupied Vienna, and many of the city's leaders left. Von Collin was an opponent of the French occupation, but also seems to have served as some sort of diplomatic liaison. In 1807, Coriolan was performed with a prelude composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Von Collin was a classicist, familiar not only with Shakespeare, but with the ancient Greeks and Romans. Von Collin's play is a Germanic rewrite of the ancient story of Gaius Marcius Corialanus, which Shakespeare also wrote about, in his play Coriolanus. We will use Shakespeare's play Coriolanus, supplemented by the historical writings of Livy and Plutarch, to give a brief account of this tragedy of a flawed military leader and a flawed Roman Republic.

Gaius Marcius Coriolanus was promoted to General after showing great personal courage in defeating the Volscians at the city of Corioli, and was given the honorary name Coriolanus. He made an effort to seek higher political office, but had a deep flaw, in that he DESPISED the ordinary people—the plebeians. That was not just Coriolanus. There was a severe overall divide in the Roman Empire between the plebeians and the patricians. He had to win their approval to be promoted, but he absolutely refused to obey the standard ritual of showing them his war wounds. Worse, he was a speculator, who hoarded grain even while the people starved. He insulted the people, calling them "crows pecking at eagles”. As a result, Coriolanus, the war hero, was exiled from Rome. His wounded ego was so enraged that he went to his old enemies, The Volscians, and offered to lead their army in an attack on Rome. They marched together. The Romans were so freaked out that as Coriolanus and the Volscians approached, they sent Coriolanus' mother (who had far too much influence on him), and his wife and children to talk him out of it. He relented. Thus, he became seen as a traitor by both the Romans AND the Volscians, who were at the gates of Rome. In Shakespeare’s play, he was murdered. In the Collin, he committed suicide.

If you read Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, you see the same problem within the Roman Republic: a huge rift between the people and those in power—the plebeians and the patricians. The patricians had no respect for the plebeians, and the plebeians were fickle, having had no sense of loyalty to the patricians. In 1804, this history would be resonating in people's minds, as the French Revolution descended into barbarism, with the "sans culottes" decapitating the aristocracy in droves, and as a great general, who promised to liberate the people, became a tyrant.

This performance of the Coriolan Overture is conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler, recorded in 1943, as Germany and the world experienced an even worse tragedy.

When Beethoven Becomes Hilarious!

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 28, 2020)

We have had several episodes on Beethoven's sense of humor. Today, we cross over into utter hilarity. Beethoven composed folk songs in many languages, including English, Italian, Danish, and Russian.

1. The first piece today is not a folk song but a setting of Goethe's The Flea from his Faust. Its part of 6 songs that he composed in 1809, op. 75, no. 3. It's in German. Here, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performs the song, with English subtitles.

2. One commenter reminded us of the song Ih nit di Nehma, from 23 Songs of Different Nationalities, WoO158a (1816/17). If you are wondering what language it is, it appears to be a Tyrolean dialect. Tyrol/Trentino straddles Austria and Italy. It is mountainous and apparently has a lot of regional dialects. We print here the closest thing we could find to a translation. Two things are clear a). There is a lot of yodeling. b). A woman is rejecting a man, and by the sound of her voice, he should not be too disappointed.

I nit di nehma

I like di nit nehma,

You top pike,

You can't come to me

You were much too bad for me;

And you wanna be my man

You urban aff,

What do you think of no

You foolish laff

You talked yodel,

What you need a woman

You have a soda

Koan juice more in body;

You're cute like a brue

And cute as a bird

what did a woman do to you.

The gannet from Passau

Is your contrase

You kier like a Spanau,

Now go and go

Stop your grumbling

I'm telling you

I give you a faunzen

You talketer bue.

Glossary

Talketer Jodel = foolish journeyman

You have = anyway

Contrase = image

You kier = you squeak

Faunzen = slap in the face

https://youtu.be/xtLla6a0Pts?list=TLPQMjcwNTIwMjCEWfdQJkQmzQ

3. L'amante Impazione (the Impatient Lover) Op 82, No. 3 and 4 (composed 1809), are in Italian. The lover seems a bit infantile. Beethoven captures this manic-depressive quality by setting it twice, once in a manic way, and once in a depressive way, using exactly the same words. Both are played here. Click on two separate videos to hear the two versions!

Che fa, che fa il mio bene?

Perché non viene?

Vedermi vuole languir

Così, così, così!

Oh come è lento nel corso il sole!

Ogni momento mi sembra un dì,

Che fa, che fa il mio bene?

Perchè, perché non viene?

Vedermi vuole languir

Così, così, così!

What is my darling doing?

Perhaps she will not come?

She likes to see me pine away

Like this, like this, like this

How slowly the sun runs its course,

Every second's like a day.

What is my darling doing?

Perhaps she will not come ....... ?

She likes to see me pine away

Like this, like this, like this.

Beethoven's great Sonata Mullatica

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 27, 2020)

Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47 in A major (premiered 1803), represents a great breakthrough in composition on many levels. It is noted for its technical difficulty, unusual length and emotional breath. Today, we will concentrate primarily on the first movement.

Beethoven met the great mulatto (of mixed black and white parentage) violinist and composer, George Bridgetower, in Vienna, and admired his musical capabilities. Bridgetower was born in Poland to a Polish mother and a father who laid claim to an African prince-hood, by way of Barbados. George had the best musical training, including training from a former Mozart student, Thomas Attwood. He composed and played in the world premieres of Haydn's symphonies in London, starting at the age of 11.

Beethoven dedicated this sonata to Bridgetower, and they performed its world premier on May 24th, 1803, as one of the early 8 A.M. morning concerts, at the Augarten Theater, run by Ignaz Schuppanzigh, who premiered most of Beethoven's string quartets. Despite the early hour, it was well attended, including by Prince Lichnowsky, who had introduced Schuppanzigh and Beethoven. Also in attendance are the British ambassador, and Prince Lobkowitz, another patron of Beethoven.

How daring was it for him to play with a man of partially African descent at the time? While liberal feelings ran high, the enlightened outlook of Mozart's patron, Emporer Joseph II is in retreat. The highly cultured Angelo Soliman (born 1721, from present-day Cameroon, Africa) was tutor to a prince, and friend to both Joseph II and Mozart. He was also a prominent Viennese Freemason and a symbol of interracial progress. Despite that, he met the most horrifying fate. Some hated the characterization of him as the Father of Masonic Thought. After his death in 1796, he was skinned, stuffed, decked out with ostrich feathers and beads, and displayed among stuffed animals as part of the cabinet of curiosities, in the Imperial Natural History Collection, as the "mummified moor." His stuffed body was on display in Vienna when Beethoven and Bridgetower premiered the sonata. So, it was not only daring, but probably dangerous. One cannot help but wonder if the extreme passion of the first movement, at least partially expresses Beethoven's anger over such blatant injustice towards darker-skinned people.

Beethoven marked for the first movement: Sonata per il Pianoforte ed uno violino obligato in uno stile molto concertante come d’un concerto—It was to be played, as if it were a violin concerto. Bridgetower's skills must have been prodigious. He sight-read the work, having had no time for rehearsal. Exactly how difficult is it? A present day musician writes: "As a violinist, it’s like fighting an octopus in a phone booth with a pencil." The violin has double stops, pizzicato double stops, cross-string bowing, and many other technical difficulties. Moreover, it is very passionate, and very different from any violin music anyone had ever before heard. The conceptual challenges matched the technical.

Beethoven gave it an ironic dedication: Sonata mulattica composta per il mulatto Brischdauer [Bridgetower], gran pazzo e compositore mulattico (Mulatto Sonata composed for the mulatto Brischdauer, great madman and mulatto composer).

What does that mean? He might be referring to the Sonata as mulatta because it was composed in such a hurry that he took a movement from another sonata, and used it as the third and final movement. Maybe not. Who is the great madman and mulatto composer: Bridgetower or Beethoven himself? It's a wild, roller-coaster ride of a piece, and Beethoven had to know that many would regard him as "mad" for composing it.

Unfortunately, the two had a falling out afterwards, supposedly over a woman, and Beethoven changed the dedication to Rodolphe Kreutzer. That is unfortunate. Kreutzer refused to play the work, and told Hector Berlioz that it was "outrageously unintelligible" and that Beethoven did not know how to wrote for violin. This great violin sonatas probably should’ve remained the Bridgetower Sonata!

TOLSTOY GETS IT WRONG, AGAIN!

You may recall Count Leo Tolstoy's objections to the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, as " Bad art". (Refer back to May 1 post).

We can relax that Tolstoy admired the Kreutzer Sonata. So much so, that he wrote a book by that name. However, in that book, the sonata whips up such passion in a man that he murders his wife. That’s not exactly what Beethoven had in mind. One wonders why Tolstoy continues to have such virulent reactions to Beethoven. The conclusion to be drawn is that Beethoven’s passions for humanity drew its share of foes.

We provide two very different performances of the first movement. The first is by the great Jewish Russian violinist, Leonid Kogan, who is accompanied by his daughter, Nina, on the piano. Please do not worry about the sound quality: just feel the energy, and ask yourself what the Hell is going on?!

For contrast, we provide this performance by Norbert Brainin and Gunther Ludwig from 1988. Although it is slower, it is no less fiery, although perhaps a bit more stately.

We tried to find recordings or scores by Bridgetower, who was a composer, but could not. If any readers have access, please post!

Photos: 1 and 2 George Bridgetower. 3: Angelo Soliman RIP

Beethoven Rarities No. 3

DAILY DOSE Of BEETHOVEN (May 26, 2020)

Beethoven wrote this short 3 part canon, titled: Freundschaft ist die Quelle wahrer Glückseligkeit (“Friendship is the Source of all true Happiness”, WoO164), in 1814. It is easy, and can be sung by anyone. It can be an excellent alternative to singing “happy birthday”, or as a celebration song for other social occasions!

Beethoven's Irony: Fidelio revisited

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 25, 2020)

In a good play, or opera, the author often lets the audience in on what is going on. For example, in Shakespeare's Richard III, Richard starts out by saying, I am determined to prove a villain. Who talks like that?

Shakespeare wants his audience to have an overview, in a way that none of the characters do: to be able to watch from above, as if from an eagle's nest. Instead of being fooled by Richard's seduction of Clarence, and Anne, we are free to contemplate why they fall for his tricks. He has already told us who he is.

The audience is given a different eagle's eye perspective in the vocal quartet, Mir ist so Wunderbar, from Beethoven's opera Fidelio.

Leonore, a married woman, disguises herself as a boy Fidelio. She takes a job in a prison as an assistant to the jailer Rocco, in order to free her wrongfully imprisoned husband Florestan. Jaquino, another jailer's assistant, is in love with Rocco's daughter Marzelline. She however, decides to dump Jaquino and falls for Fidelio, thinking he is a boy. Rocco thinks Fidelio may be a better "catch" for his daughter. Jaquino becomes enraged.

In the quartet, each of them sings exactly the same music, but at different times. Thus, it is a canon. They do not have the same words though. Each of them has a different perspective, and each is sure they are correct. Thus the words "Es ist klar (it is clear), are applied to completely different perspectives. The only ones for whom it really is clear, are you, the audience, smiling and watching from above.

We include a video that has a scrolling score, and identifies the canon.

Marzelline starts it out, singing the main melody, marked A in the video.

MARZELLINE

Mir ist so wunderbar,

Es engt das Herz mir ein;

Er liebt mich, es ist klar,

Ich werde glücklich sein.

I feel so wonderful,

my heart constricts ;

He loves me, it is clear,

How happy I will be.

Once this verse is completed, she repeats the words, with new music, identified as B in the video, and Leonore sings the opening melody A, but with these words ( Notice the rhymes in the original German):

LEONORE

Wie gross ist die Gefahr,

Wie schwach der Hoffnung Schein!

Sie liebt mich, es ist klar,

O namenlose Pein!

How great is the danger,

How weak is the hope!

She loves me, it is clear,

O nameless pain!

After this verse is complete, Leonore continues to sing in canon, i.e., she sings B, following Marzelline. Marzelline moves on to C, again repeating the same words for the third time. Rocco now sings his first verse, again on the same opening melody A.

ROCCO

Sie liebt ihn, es ist klar;

Ja, Mädchen, er wird dein.

Ein gutes, junges Paar,

Sie werden glücklich sein.

She loves him, it is clear;

Yes, girl, he will be yours.

A good, young couple,

How happy they will be.

Finally, Jaquino enters the fray, as always, on A, while Rocco moves to B, Lenore to C, and Marzelline to D.

JAQUINO

Mir sträubt sich schon das Haar,

Der Vater willigt ein;

Mir wird so wunderbar,

Mir fällt kein Mittel ein.

My hair, is standing on end,

Her father will consent;

I feel overwhelmed,

I can't find a solution.

The music, which started out clearly, and calmly, seems to grow more and more confused, and does not know where to go, even though Beethoven is sticking to a fairly strict canon. Why? He designed it that way!

Beethoven and the Divine Spark: Part B

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 24, 2020)

Words can scarcely capture what takes place in the Sanctus of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

As in his Mass in C, the opening Sanctus is a hushed and reverential Adagio, in contrast to most triumphant settings. The angels are not shouting from the heavens, they are whispering, in amazement. Frederic Chopin once said, "astounding news can be shouted from the rooftops, or whispered in the ear! It is still astounding news."

The recording offered here, comes from a very special occasion. The WWII bombing of Dresden by the allies, was brutal, and destroyed the Lutheran Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). The Communists left it as a pile of rubble—as a monument to the evils of capitalism. Reconstruction began in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This performance consecrated the re-opening of the church in 2005.

The opening single word Sanctus, which is first sung at 1:11, is a variation on the opening of the previous movement, on the single word Credo. (We believe). Everything is opposite to tradition! It is Adagio, hushed, and sung at first by soloists, not choir.

Like the Mass in C, it follows with a “forte, allegro” section, on the words, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Like the Mass in C, it follows with a “fugue” on the words, Osanna in excelsis at 3:44. So far everything follows the map of the Mass in C, though in much greater detail and richness.

At 4:14, Beethoven breaks with all previous tradition, though in a way that "fulfills the law, rather than overthrow it." There is now, a huge gap between God in the highest, and man. How does one bridge that gap?

This begins a Preludium, or Prelude to the Benedictus, that lasts for 34 measures. While striving to reach up, it constantly sinks, by half-tones. We gain the image that humanity cannot make it on its own. We require a gift, from a higher power, something outside of ourselves.

That divine outside intervention, takes place at 6:22, when a solo violin and flutes, start in the stratosphere, and descend, gently, to earth.

Is this a gift, from a higher power, that originates outside of us? Or, is it us summoning, that which already resides deep within each and every one of us? Or is it both?

The word “enthusiasm”, derives from the Greek The God within you. When we are listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we are enthusiastic. When we are pessimistic, we have barred that Spirit, even blasphemed against it. This idea is not uniquely Christian. It exists in every human culture.

The solo violin is often said to represent the Holy Spirit. We believe that is true. It floats above, beneath, inside, and outside of the human voices. Take it out, and the music would survive. It would be OK. The solo violin is not part of a four-voiced texture. It defines everything from both within, and without. It is sublime, and it persists! The simple words: Benedictus qui venit in Nomine Domine. Are repeated again and again. Why? Beethoven knows that repeating the words is not enough. He wants to let let it sink into everyone's heart. To do that, it has to be different each time! it has to grow and grow. Benedictus in nomine Domine is repeated many times, but always at a higher level.

Beethoven will not give up on your soul!

That constant change is driven by the Holy Spirit, as embodied in the solo violin. The change would not work without that divine guidance. Again, it is a religious notion, but again, it is not. It is the birth-rite of every human being.

At 14:28 the Hosanna fugue reappears, as required by the text. This time though, it does not end the movement. After a pause, the solo violin steps forth, and the movement ends with "Benedictus".

Beautiful!

Beethoven and Divine Spark Part A

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 23, 2020)

Today's presentation is challenging, but more than worth your time. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis is one of the most advanced musical compositions of all time. Yet the composer wrote over the score:

From the heart-may it go straight to the heart

If his idea is clear, then the music becomes intelligible, and lovable; and it does go straight to your heart.

We have already looked at Beethoven's love for the future in the grand finale of the Credo in his Missa Solemnis, and his notion of Gotterfunken (go to April 21, 2020 post)--the divine spark that exists in every human being, that drives that love, in the Ode to Joy movement of his Ninth Symphony. Now let us examine another part of his great Missa Solemnis--his setting of the ancient Sanctus, and his unique and breathtaking representation of that divine spark, or "Holy Spirit" in that movement. As with the Credo, we will treat the religious meaning, and philosophical/ poetic/ scientific meanings as coherent, and intelligible to anyone. But first, some background:

The Sanctus is known in Greek as an epinikios hymnos, or Victorious Hymn. The text of the Sanctus goes as follows:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus

Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua.

Osanna in excelsis.

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini:

Osanna in excelsis.

Which translates into:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Lord God of Hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord:

Hosanna in the highest.

That seems simple enough, but there are some subtleties to it. The first three lines come from the Old Testament, and they envision the Throne of God, surrounded by the highest angels, who sing forth His praises.

Holy, holy, holy,

Lord God of hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.

Sanctus means 'Holy", but it can also mean elevated, sublime, and pure, and it is also the Latin word for Saint. The next two lines:

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord

Are from the New Testament, and celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

The whole Sanctus is part of what Catholics and Orthodoxy call the Eucharist, and Protestants call ”Communion”. In the first three, the priest calls on the Holy Spirit to descend from Heaven and transform bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Jesus, so that the congregation may partake in the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is often depicted as a Dove descending from Heaven, as was the case in the Baptism of Jesus.

What does this mean?

Almost every musical setting treats the two sections of the text with a change between them. The first three lines are set for full chorus, and with a quality of victory to them. The forth line, Osanna in exclesis, is usually faster, and often set as a short fugue. Starting with the word Benedictus, it becomes, quiet, more personal, and is sung primarily by a vocal quartet. Since the line Hosanna in excelsis repeats in the poem, that music comes back and ends the Sanctus.

Think about what these musical settings are trying to show us about what the poem means: something one is unlikely to grasp from simply reciting it.

1. Early: Again, Beethoven only set the Mass twice. So, for an early version, we will use Mozart's setting from his Coronation Mass. That is legitimate, because it does follow the approach we just identified, as do most of the Sanctus settings of Haydn and Mozart. There is a quality though, in the greatest composers, such as Mozart, that if you had never heard anyone else, you might think it impossible to get any better! In this recording, the Benedictus begins at 2:10. The words are provided in the video

2. MIddle: In his 1808 Mass in C, the background of which we have already discussed, Beethoven takes a very different approach to Haydn and Mozart. His Sanctus is sung by the entire chorus, but starts Adagio, and is hushed and reverential. The recording features the score, to make it easier to follow. It breaks out into a forte on the second line Pleni sunt coeli etterra Gloris tua (1:40 in this recording.) At 2:17 the third line Hosanna in excelsis begins a fugue. After a pause, at 3:00. the long Benedictus section begins as a vocal quartet, that alternates with the full chorus. At 8:58, the fugal Hosanna, comes back and ends the movement.

Join us tomorrow, for the miracle in Beethoven's Miss Solemnis!

Beethoven's Passionate Commitment to the Future: Early, Middle, Late:

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 22, 2020)

Today, We compare Beethoven’s settings of the final lines of the Credo (We believe!) section in the Mass.

The first Council of Nicea took place in 325 A.D., and was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom. The Credo, emerged through the construction of the Nicene Creed, which established a unity of religion, poetic intention, scientific thinking, and Platonic philosophy. That unity is established through the rigorous use of metaphor. Contrary to some modern opinion, the recognition of Scripture as poetry does not suggest that it can be interpreted arbitrarily—as if it was just a matter of opinion. The opposite! It requires an even more rigorous level of thinking.

The final lines of the Credo are:

Et exspécto resurrectiónem mortuórum,

(And we await the resurrection of the dead,)

et vitam ventúri sǽculi. Amen

(and the life of the world to come. Amen)

It can have a literal religious meaning, in the sense of the Bible's, expression the idea of eternal life, of Heaven, of our immortality:

The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and

We shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and

This mortal must put on immortality. (I Corinthians 15:52-53)

However, to someone of a different faith, or even to an atheist, that passage can have profound meaning as a scientific idea, by suggesting that we actually do resurrect the dead by continuing their good works, by assuring that they did not sacrifice themselves in vain, and that: their works do follow them. The life of the world to come, may also refer to the future: that in our deeds today, we lay the basis for future generations. How many immigrants sacrificed so that their grandchildren might have a better life? Do we not resurrect them, when we give meaning to their sacrifice, by contributing to the future?

The word Amen is often repeated without understanding its meaning. It is translated as So Be It! not, so is it, or so will it become, or so should it be but, So Be It! This is the subjunctive mood, which expresses a commitment to bring a better future state into existence, as in Thy will BE done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven! Translations in other languages also employ the subjunctive mood.

These philosophical/poetic/scientific meanings, and the religious meaning are not contradictory. Metaphor is an idea that holds true in different realms.

Now, let us examine the settings.

1. Early: Since Beethoven only set the Mass twice, we will give our early example in a setting by his former teacher, Josef Haydn. That is legitimate. When preparing his first Mass in C, Beethoven studied the masses of Haydn in depth, and wrote to his sponsor:

May I just say that I will hand the mass over to you with great trepidation, as Your Serene Highness is accustomed to having the inimitable masterworks of the great Haydn performed.

Here is Haydn's setting from 1802. He was quite old at the time (Haydn was born in 1732 and was 70 years old the time, and very old by 18th century standard). Mozart had been dead for 11 years, and his pupil, Beethoven, was 30.

et vitam ventúri sǽculi. Amen

(and the life of the world to come. Amen)

Do not underestimate Haydn! He already recognized the necessity of setting this idea of the future as a fugue, as had Mozart! This is a story of love—of the highest form of love, agape. Haydn loved Mozart as a son, and Mozart said that he learned everything from "Papa Haydn." So that even as Mozart learned from Haydn, Haydn continued to learn from Mozart, long after his early death (after which, you could not mention Mozart to Haydn, without him bursting out into tears at the loss of such a beautiful soul). Reports of animosity between Beethoven and Haydn are misleading. Neither Haydn, Mozart, nor Beethoven ever stopped growing. They learned from one another! The progress over about a 75-year period, from Haydn, through Mozart, to late Beethoven, resembles a curve of exponential growth! (An example of the curve below in picture).

2. Middle: Beethoven's first setting of the Mass, the Mass in C major, Op. 86, premiered in 1808. It was commissioned by Prince Nicholaus Esterhazy II, the grandson of the Prince Esterhazy who had employed Haydn. The grandfather was hard enough to deal with. His grandson, by all accounts, was far worse.

Esterhazy treated Beethoven with total disrespect. The Esterhazy estate was huge, but Beethoven was quartered in a room that had not been prepared for human habitation. It was the Prince's custom, after a world premier, to gather everyone into his drawing room to discuss it. When Beethoven entered the ongoing discussion, the Prince sneered, and said , "My dear Beethoven, what is it that you have done, again?" The chorus director, Hummel, snickered, and Beethoven stormed out. He never devoted the Mass to Esterhazy, nor even gave him a copy. How bad was it? Esterhazy wrote to a friend: "Beethoven's music is unbearably ridiculous and detestable; I am not convinced it can ever be performed properly. I am angry and ashamed."

Could the music really have been that far off? Listen to Beethoven's glorious fugal setting of the same passage:

"et vitam ventúri sǽculi. Amen

(and the life of the world to come. Amen)

Could it be, that the Prince's reported 200 mistresses, and 100 illegitimate children somewhat soured his appreciation of Beethoven's love for future generations?

3. Late: After the 1815 Congress of Vienna, the political situation grew worse in Europe. Many works of Schiller and Beethoven were banned. Beethoven had to premier his “Missa Solemnis” in St Petersburg, Russia. It was not allowed to perform a mass outside of a church or cathedral in Austria. When it played in Vienna a year later, Beethoven had to present three movements as individual hymns. He could not call it a mass! (At the time, St. Petersburg may also have been the most musically qualified place to produce the work!)

In the “Missa Solemnis”, he composed the same passage as an enormous double fugue. One fugue subject is based on "et vitam ventúri sǽculi", and the other on "Amen-So Be It!"

Listen to this unfold. Ask yourself if the meaning could possibly be restricted to "finding one's personal reward in Heaven?" Does it not display a profound love for future generations?

We accompany the music with a video, of images of the bright future that many of our young people are building right now. We hope that it encourages many more, to throw off pessimism and join in this creative effort!

Beethoven-Early, Middle, Late: Adagio Cantabile

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 21, 2020)

Adagio refers to a slow tempo and cantabile means in it should sing. Today, we employ some of the less well known ones from his piano sonatas.

1. Early: Beethoven considered his Piano Sonata No. 11 in B♭ major, Op. 22, composed in 1800, to be his best to date. The Adagio con Molto Espressione from that sonata, is one of his more operatic piano movements. As a boy in Bonn, he often provided the harpsichord Continuo for opera, and thus learned Italian bel-canto very well. This movement starts out like a soprano aria, including cadenza-like passages, and leaps of two octaves from a chest register C to a high C. At other times it sounds more like a duet. The video below provides score, so that you may follow all of it.

2. Middle: Here we provide the Adagio from Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, (composed in 1801–02), often called "The Tempest” or Der Sturm in German. The Adagios from many of these middle-era sonatas often serve a more dramatic purpose. This sonata contains great thematic unity between its three movements. We will present the entire sonata in the future.

3. Late: The Adagio Sostenuto of Piano Sonata No. 29 in B♭ major, Op. 106, called Große Sonate für das Hammerklavier or Hammerklavier (completed in 1818), is massive, as is the entire sonata. It is one of the most passionate and soul-searching music ever composed. Many modern performers prefer a faster tempo. So, we reach back to the 1930s, for this great rendition by Arthur Schnabel.

Beethoven Rarities: Drei Equali for Four Trombones

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 20,2020)

Equali means for equal instruments. It is often for four trombones and usually for funeral music. Beethoven wrote three of them for his friend Franz Xaver Glöggl, in 1812 in Linz. Here is a recollection of the event as recorded in Thayer’s biography, Life of Ludwig van Beethoven:

”Franz Gloggl—later a music publisher in Vienna, then fifteen years old and still living in the house of his father, Franz Xaver Gloggl, in Linz—shortly before his death (1872) wrote down his reminiscences of Beethoven, placing them at the disposal of the author for use in this work.”

"Beethoven," he wrote, "was on intimate terms of friendship with my father, Kapellmeister of the cathedral in Linz, and when he was there in 1812, he was at our house every day and several times took meals with us. My father asked him for an equale for 6 trombones, as in his collection of old instruments he had a soprano and a quart trombone, whereas only alto, tenor and bass trombones were commonly used. Beethoven wanted to hear an equale such as was played at funerals in Linz, and one afternoon when Beethoven was expected to dine with us, my father appointed three trombone players and had them play an equale as desired, after which Beethoven sat down and composed one for 6 trombones, which my father had his trombonists play, etc.”.

They were later performed, with added words, for Beethoven’s own funeral in 1827.

The Late Beethoven and the New Synagogue

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 19, 2020)

We have recently presented a comparison of fugues from the three Beethoven's String Quartets: No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18; No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3; and No. 14 in C♯ minor, Op. 131. Whereas the first two were humorous, while the third expressed a profound sorrow. Today we take a closer look at it.

Beethoven, born in 1770, grew up in a time of great, sweeping change, and of great hope. In 1779, Gottfried Lessing wrote a play called Nathan the Wise, as a plea for religious tolerance. His character Nathan, the wise Jew, was based on the great Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, known as the German Socrates, whose influence founded the Haskalah, or Jewish Enlightenment. Moses' grandson, Felix, became a great composer, and as we shall see in a future episode, fan of Beethoven.

In 1782, the same year as Mozart was discovering Bach at the salon of Baron von Swieten, Mozart's patron, Emperor Joseph II, passed an Edict of Toleration, which removed many, but certainly not all of the restrictions on Jewish people within the Hapsburg Empire.

Beethoven, a great fighter for human freedom, accepted a commission from the Jewish community to compose music for the dedication of a new synagogue in Vienna. He was given copies of several Jewish prayers and hymns, including the Kol Nidre, so that he could steep himself in the spirit of the culture. For reasons unknown to us, the project was not carried out. But Beethoven took the music into his heart, and it very much affected his String Quartet Op. 131.

The included 5-minute audio, compares aspects of Op. 131 with the Kol Nidre, so you can judge for yourselves! Listeners who know more about this history than we do, we encourage you to please comment!

https://soundcloud.com/user-385773006/batns

A Beethoven Rarity: Music for Mandolin

A DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 18, 2020)

If you discusses Beethoven's music for the mandolin, some might raise an eyebrow and think the instrument too lowbrow.

Beethoven owned a fine Milanese mandolin though, and was friends with two accomplished mandolin players: his violin teacher, Wenzel Krumpholtz, and Josephine de Clary. He composed 6 pieces for them, four of which survive. None were published.

We present here the delightful Adagio for Mandolin and Harpsichord WoO 43b.

Mozart and Beethoven break the rules: Hum that Tune!

DAILY DOSES of BEETHOVEN (May 17, 2020)

Mozart was once widely denounced, after it was realized that the introduction to his String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K465, was not a typo. He meant it! The intro to this quartet, named the "Dissonant" Quartet (composed January 1785), prepares us for a seemingly self-evident theme in C major. (Joseph Haydn, to whom this quartet was dedicated, upon hearing it, immediately wrote the following to Mozart’s father, Leopold: “Before God, and as an honest man, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste, and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.”)

https://youtu.be/mjZylz3nCwQ

Beethoven took Mozart’s work a step further. He wished to show that discrete things, such as keys, scales, and melodies, derived from the complex domain of physics. He also understood that keys and scales are not self-evident. You do not start with a theme in a key. You start with the entire well-tempered system, and derive the theme and key from there. His String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3, the last of the three “Razmovsky” quartets (composed 1808), begins on the notes F# A C Eb—a diminished 7th, or double-Lydian interval. It defies keys. It exists only between them, and is deliberately ambiguous. Like Mozart, Beethoven arrives at a simple melody in C major, which might seem to be self-evident, if we had not distilled it from the universal 24 key system.

Beethoven and Peace

DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (May 16, 2020)

In 1960, at the height of the "Cold War", Soviet pianist Sviatoslav Richter played an all-Beethoven concert at New York City’s famous Carnegie Hall, some 70 years after Tchaikovsky opened that hall. It was a sensation.

Though extremely fast, to us, this performance of the Beethoven "Appassionata" Sonata, demonstrates an impassioned urgency: that two of the most cultured nations in the world, not annihilate one another.

We reproduce that live 1960 performance at Carnegie Hall here. Listen to the applause at the end of the work. The Americans clearly appreciate the subtle and sublime performance of the Russian pianist! Could that appreciation have translated to something beyond that evening’s performance?

Could classical music actually have played a role in avoiding a world war?

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