Posted on 04/09/2021 4:45:16 PM PDT by SamAdams76
The Scherzo is better, but not by much, and of course that's a matter of taste, but when you're a music professor you can lean on your taste š .
In any case, the Allegretto has been the most popular movement of the 7th since its inception. When I was studying music critics in college about a half century ago, I remember an article in the Atheneum that was a review of the premiere of the 7th in London, where the critic looked down his nose at "the dilettanti," meaning the audience, because it compelled the orchestra to play the second movement twice.
Maybe headphones will be the way to go, at least for particular recordings. I’ve been in a silent ‘rebellion’ of headphones vs listening with uncovered ears.
Maybe it’s a rebellion w/o a good cause, just like when Steven Stills sang that ‘they’ almost made him cut his hair.
Next Stimulus Check from Uncle Joe, and I might be experimentin’ with those headphones.
Five years ago you commented on this FR vanity.
The Source of Beethoven's Musical Genius: His Greater Dignity as a Man
It's on what America's greatest pundit, H. L. Mencken, said about Beethoven.nbsp; His essay fits his subject.nbsp; Cheers.
That 10th one pretty much killed him.
Well, I’m not a professor, but I am a musician, LOL.
Perhaps “the dilettanti” insisted upon a full encore because it IS GOOD. :-)
I guess I’ll never line up with “Music Critics” though, as they hated the premieres of “Carmen” and “La Traviata”, my two favorite operas.
(((Of course, the premiere of “La Traviata” featured a 300 pound soprano who was supposedly dying from consumption, which may have stretched the audience’s patience a bit. )))
To those who want to deep dive into Beethoven’s symphonies try the affordable full set. “Beethoven: The Complete Symphony Collection by the London Symphony & Josef Krips” is priced reasonably.
The 9 Symphonies of Beethoven are considered the high bar for all composers to be measured against in symphony artistry. I love Mahler’s work and lots of concert works that are not symphonies but this group of works could be a foundation for a new appreciation of music for many.
LOL
Lee, I listened again just now to the end of the 5th and I agree with your assessment. It’s got to be my favorite because the end is so triumphant — as you say with “angry joy”.
What’s remarkable about the piece is you never know when it’s going to end. Suddenly Beethoven shifts to soft music, then builds up the fortissimo again. The tension he builds up and releases is the same feeling you get when you’re working hard and feeling the toil. Then suddenly you make a sale!
My favorite is the 6th - the Pastoral.
You have found the essence of that piece, with it’s many constructions of Coda.
In my opinion, Ode to Joy is the greatest piece of music of all time. I never get tired of hearing it. The fact that some of Beethoven’s magical music was composed when he was deaf is even more amazing.
You won't get any argument from me there. 49 years ago I played hookey from high school to see the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy perform Brahms' Violin Concerto and Beethoven's 7th. I still think they are the best concerto and symphony ever, with Bruch's concerto and Brahms' 4th both getting the silver medal.
Splitting the difference between the Allegretto and the Scherzo is, as I put it in my class when discussing the best tempo for Mozart's 40th, like two chefs debating over the amount of tarragon to put in the au jus for the lamb roast, while everyone else is doing drive-bys for chicken nuggets.
LOL...FOOD ANALOGIES!
And, as Shakespeare would say,
“If MUSIC be the FOOD of love, play on!”
:-)
Over 50 years ago, I played hooky from high school, bought some flowers, got on the Subway to Logan Airport, and greeted the Maharishi Maheesh Yogi as he came through the gate. I greeted him with the flowers and a kiss.
Little did I know that that kiss was filmed and shown on the 6:00PM NEWS that evening as I sat eating supper with my family.
WAS I EVER GROUNDED!
BTW...I grew up going to Symphony Hall and have heard some great conductors, but I envy anyone who was able to hear Eugene Ormandy!
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