Watch out or he'll whack you with that toy piano.
TS
(Charles M. Schulz's favorite composer was actually Brahms.)
-Eric
dot - dot - dot - DASH!
TS
(for Victory, of course!)
Must one be an absolute idiot, pervert or commie to teach at a British University? This has to be one of the most ridiculous articles ever written. Beethoven's music was light years ahead on any of his contemporaries and to think that Mozart/Haydn's style could be exteneded forever it absurd. Music must change in order to remain alive. And to blame the hideous mess of atonalism on him is totally inappropriate.
Bach's music was totally ignored fifty years after his death. Thus, it wasn't even available as a model. As much as I love Haydn Beethoven blew his compositions away. He stands as a giant in his era.
No story is more tragic than that of Beethoven but had he been a happy light-hearted guy he likely would not have produced the greatest of his works. Life is sometimes NOT happy or even rational.
Say what you want, but ol' Ludwig ain't listening...
If Beethoven was so great, why doesn't he have his picture on a bubblegum card?
Anyone here ever try to play Pathetique or Moonlight Sonata?
I'm a horrible piano player but even people I know who have talent have a hard time with both. He was a brilliant composer as well as musician.
Party on Ludwig!
What's this guy talking about? Some would say his music is already better than that of Mozart precisely because it reflects his own struggles and doesn't sound like every other classical piece.
Ping list? I would love to be on a classical music ping list.
I'll even do the ping list, if no one else volunteers. But I'll have to admit to being more of a visual artist than a musician (although I love music), and someone may have to ping me first for the interesting articles.
This guy needs to get over the pretensious "music flows from the universe" thing. Should we be deprived of the Moonlight Sonata because this guy doesnt think it's mathematically correct?
1. Bach
2. Handel
3. Everybody else
"Immortal Beloved" does a great job of showcasing some of Beethoven's brilliant works.
AND, if you read Beethoven's own writing (like his will) you will see that he was fully aware of his personal isolation due to his deafness and a fear that the public would doubt his abilities if they knew he was deaf.
Auntie is offering free downloads of its Beethoven symphony series here (and from what little I have heard it is not half bad):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/beethoven/downloads.shtml
The 7 day licence for 1-4 has expired but you will be able to get 5-9. Ah, the joys of State-owned broadcasting.
Putting aside the operas, Motzart's pretty little pieces are as about as interesting to my mind, and about as stimulating to my heart, as watching grass grow. Give me Beethoven over that any day of the week. Even better is Hindemeth, some of Richard Strass, Samuel Barber, Walton, Benjamin Britten, and some of Dvorak.
And he didn't have any kids cause his instrument was baroque.
He isn't a hooligan. He's just misunderstood.
--Beethoven's mom.
Rather listen to Beethoven than emo!
I think the opinion of a musical amateur would be more appropriate. The guy seems not to understand Beethoven in particular nor musical history in general. Schoenberg and Weber and Webern etc. owe much more to Bach than to Beethoven; of course their work mostly stems from Brahams anyway.
On the other hand,before taking the author seriously, I would like to hear some of his music.
"A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic." ~ Jean Sibelius
Beethoven sucks!Does not!
Does too!
Not!
Does so!
Nuh-uh!
Uh-huh!
No way!
Way!
Dude!
Duuude!
There was a whole movie (and musical) devoted to how a famous central-European composer was a genius but egotistical and eccentric. That was Mozart. Apparently he caught it from Beethoven.