Posted on 09/15/2020 1:12:30 PM PDT by C19fan
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony starts with an anguished opening theme — dun dun dun DUNNNN — and ends with a glorious, major-key melody. Since its 1808 premiere, audiences have interpreted that progression from struggle to victory as a metaphor for Beethoven’s personal resilience in the face of his oncoming deafness.
Or rather, that’s long been the popular read among wealthy white men who embraced Beethoven and turned his symphony into a symbol of their superiority and importance. For others — women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color — Beethoven’s symphony is predominantly a reminder of classical music’s history of exclusion and elitism. One New York City classical music fan wrote in the 1840s, for example, that he wished that “all women shall be gagged by officers duly licensed for the purpose before they’re allowed to enter a concert room.”
Today, some aspects of classical culture are still about policing who’s in and who’s out, and it all started with Beethoven’s Fifth. When you walk into a standard concert hall, there’s an established set of conventions and etiquette (“don’t cough!”; “don’t cheer!”; “dress appropriately!”) that’s more about demonstrating belonging than appreciating the music.
(Excerpt) Read more at vox.com ...
...- V
I am sure famous women pianist, for example, Helen Grimaud, feel so oppressed when they play a Beethoven piano concerto.
Well, DIT DIT DIT DUH...............
Yawn... Of course it is.
Doesn't Vox get tired of writing the same story over and over again? "For others — women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color — famous white icon of Western Civilization guy is bad."
Politicizing Beethoven. When will The Narrative ever end.
These freaks and perverts want to destroy Western Civilization, in toto.
And yet according to Ian Anderson every big riff in rock history is built on it.
Those who feel “excluded” can listen and learn like the rest of us!!!!
There’s enough classical music on YouTube—for free—that anyone can listen and come to appreciate it! It’s not like back in the “old days” where you needed to have access to records (e.g., Joe Biden) or CDs!!!!
This aint new. Musicology has been one of the best kept secrets in the Marxist intellectual movement for decades.
The Left are cultural vandals. In all things they seek the lowest-common-denominator and destruction of any established standards
The similarities to the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, China, etc… are so obvious.
Eff these people! You got an issue with Beethoven’s 5th or any other piece of music? Do us all a favor and don’t listen to it! I’m sick of this I don’t like it so you can’t listen to it I don’t like it so it has to go I don’t like it so nobody else can like it.
What is ironic the Soviets did not do this crap on existing works. Yeah there was a stifling of creativity but nobody questioned you if you listened to Beethoven, and read Cervantes.
Everyone at Vox is on some pretty heavy-duty drugs.
All classical music is racist. Out with Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. In with Cardi B, Snoop Doggie Dog and Sister Souljah.
Gotta ruin everything, don’t they.
OTOH, has anybody ever been stirred to joyful weeping by a piece of would-be music rap blasting from a passing teenager’s car the way that symphony can do?
Do we really have to answer that? They are classical rascists viewing anyone who is not them as barbarians.
The hidden, radical message - sympathy with the French revolution and rights of man, brotherhood, and political freedom.
A great documentary on this piece.
Tchaikovsky was probably one of the alphabet people.
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