Beethoven

155 Posts
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Writing for His Love: Beethoven’s Variations WoO 70
The Italian composer Giovanni Paisiello (1740–1816) was the most popular opera composer at the end of the 18th century. Based in Naples, his operas caught the attention of all of Italy and, in addition to Naples, he wrote operas for
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Ludwig van Beethoven
A “Bagatelle” Tribute
Arguably, the first composer to write true piano music was Ludwig van Beethoven. To be sure, he had tremendous technical ability, and critics wrote, “He was attacking pianos with such force that during the performance, keys, hammers and strings would
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Beethoven the European
The Ninth, Celebrated in Leipzig, Paris, Milan and Vienna
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 Ludwig van Beethoven was a revolutionary man who lived and worked in tumultuous times as the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars greatly destabilised the European continent. For over
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What Does Your Favorite Beethoven Symphony Say About You?
Have you ever taken a Buzzfeed personality quiz? You know the kind I’m talking about. Which trending TV character are you? What cookie do you embody? What season are you, based on your bedroom design preferences? Obviously, those personality quizzes
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Refining Perfection
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”
Beethoven’s orchestra in 1804, when he conducted the first performance of his Symphony No. 3, and Mahler’s orchestra a century later were very different. Developments in string technology, in brass and woodwind instrument construction, and in the very sound and
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Seven Works Dedicated to Beethoven
Beethoven was famous for his curmudgeonly, antisocial personality. Of course, nowadays, we understand that his prickliness was, at least in part, due to his tinnitus and deafness, as well as the mental health struggles caused by his ever-deteriorating physical health.
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Death and Victory: Beethoven’s Egmont Overture
Beethoven’s incidental music for Goethe’s play Egmont included not only the overture but also songs and entr’acte music. It is only the overture that we are familiar with today. Beethoven was considering a number of projects, including an opera based
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The Double Lie: Beethoven’s Octet in E Flat Major
In November 1792, Beethoven was sent by his patron, the Archbishop-Elector of Bonn, to Vienna, where he would study with Haydn. To show his pupil’s progress, Haydn reported back to the Archbishop-Elector, sending examples of his work. Unfortunately, one of
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