Untitled Writing
For almost two
hundred years, musicians, historians and the general public have been debating
who Mozart’s successor was. Many composers have craved the position and many
have thought themselves to be worthy of a place on the same mantle as the great
Amadeus. Many have craved but few have been successful.
Well here is my ideas and theory. In my opinion Beethoven is the deserved
successor.
it is unfortunate that between 1809 and 1813 there were so many great composers
born. Many thought they had legitimate claims to be the heir of the musical
pantheon. Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Frederick Chopin Richard Wagner
all fall into this category. But Ludwig van Beethoven tops them all.
Born in Bonn in
seventeen seventy he was more of a contemporary of the great Amadeus. He
started his musical career as a virtuoso protégé as a pianist. As such he was
possibly the equal of Mozart.
Mozart was composing at an early age Beethoven was suffering at the hands of an
alcoholic father. Some believe that as the boy had been physically abused it
was a contributor to his later loss of hearing.
Beethoven however never wrote sickly sweet music as Mozart was able to Mozart's
so called Elvira Madigan concerto is a fine example this. The second movement
of the Clarinet concerto has it's moments also. The best from Beethoven comes
in the form of the second movement of the Emperor Concerto and the Symphony
number six the pastoral.
People say that Beethoven's moonlight sonata is his best work. This is a very
good work when we consider4 that man was deaf and on the verge.
Influences on his Work:
People say that you can not tell what an artist was thinking. This is
disputable, when you think of what was happening at the time of Beethoven.
We know for example that at first he sympathized with Bonaparte. He dedicated
the famous symphony number to the dictator then when Bonaparte crowned himself
Emperor. he became worse than the existing rulers of Europe Beethoven tore up
the dedication.
With all the military marching and marching songs the uniforms and the military
bands there can be no doubt that this had an effect on his music.
The Erocia has a march for the second movement granted it is a funeral march
but a march it is. The famous symphony number five was used to as a theme for
radio news in World War II.
The famous Emperor Concerto has fanfares and trumpet calls reminiscent of
militarist marches.
But then we come to the symphony number six when peace and calm prevail. There
was a lull in proceeding Napoleon was on a suicide mission to Moscow
and the rest of Europe was left in peace.
The music from here on still has the vigor and big ideas, but has become tamer,
even milder.
The culmination comes with very famous Symphony number nine. The number nine
was twenty three years in the making and a triumph both personally and
critically.
Sadly today people go over board trying to use choirs of thousands, forgetting
that when it was written an Orchestra's was smaller and choirs would consist of
no more than forty people. They use instruments that consisted of gut strings
and hair bows. The concert halls and places where this music was played were
better qualified acoustically.
We must also remember that the man was going deaf for much of his career. It
was a great achievement that he was able to compose at all. This alone should
place him on the pedestal in the musical pantheon above Mozart. We must also
take into consideration, the fact that Beethoven had fantasies about women
above his status. He may well even have flirted with these women. This also
shows that he achieved the one thing that Mozart coveted most of all. To be
seen as a collaborator if not an equal to his patrons. He taught these girls
music and piano. He was in contact with them regularly. Affairs in that case
are not out of the question. We also now have evidence through his letter to
'My Immortal beloved.'
Yes Beethoven was the successor and even the equal of the great Amadeus, of
this we have now have no doubt.