In 1823, Beethoven completed his last masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony (Chorus). This work creates his ideal world. In December 1826, Beethoven suffered from a severe cold, which caused pulmonary edema.
Ludwig van Beethoven
━━I want to hold the throat of fate
Ludwig van Beethoven (Ludwig van Beethoven) van Beethoven (1770-1827), one of Germany's greatest musicians. His ancestral home is the Netherlands (some say he is from Poland), and he was born into a civilian family in Bonn, Germany. He showed his musical talent very early and started performing on stage at the age of eight. In 1792, he went to Vienna for further study and made rapid progress in art. Beethoven believed in harmony and admired heroes, and created a large number of outstanding works full of the flavor of the times, such as: the symphonies "Hero" and "Destiny"; the overture "Egmont"; and the piano sonatas "Pathetique" and "Moonlight" , "The Tempest", "Passion" and more. He had a rough life and never established a family. He became deaf when he was twenty-six years old and became completely deaf in his later years. He could only talk to people through conversation books. But his lonely life did not make him silent or retreat. In the feudal restoration era when all progressive ideas were banned, he still adhered to the political belief of "freedom and equality" and worked hard for freedom and ideals through his speech and works. Scream and write the immortal masterpiece "Ninth Symphony". His works were influenced by the Enlightenment Movement of the 18th century and the German Sturm und Drang movement. They have distinctive personalities and have developed greatly compared with their predecessors. In terms of musical performance, he touched almost all musical genres at that time; he greatly improved the expressive power of the piano, giving it a symphonic dramatic effect; and made the symphony an important musical form that directly reflected social changes. Beethoven gathered the culmination of classical music and at the same time opened up the path for music in the Romantic period. He played a decisive role in the development of world music and was revered as the "Saint of Music".
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 16, 1770. His father was a tenor singer in the local palace choir, moody and alcoholic; his mother was a cook, kind-hearted and gentle. The hard life deprived Beethoven of the right to go to school. The musical talent he showed at an early age gave his father the desire to make him a music prodigy and become his cash cow. He did not hesitate to beat and scold him, forcing Beethoven to practice the harpsichord and violin endlessly from the age of 4. Beethoven made his debut on stage when he was 8 years old and achieved great success. He was regarded as the second Mozart. After that, he studied under the organist Nifu and began to study composition. Published his first work "Piano Variations" at the age of 11. At the age of 13, he joined the palace band and served as organist and clavichord. In 1787, he went to Vienna and began to study composition with Mozart, Haydn and others. In 1800, after his first victory, a bright future opened before Beethoven. But for three or four years, a terrible thing kept tormenting him, and Beethoven found that his ears had become deaf. For a musician, there is nothing more terrifying than being deaf. One can thus understand this heartbreaking anguish in the slow movements of his early piano sonatas.
Beethoven was always full of a fiery heart, but his enthusiasm was very unfortunate. He always alternately experienced hope and enthusiasm, disappointment and resistance, which undoubtedly became his source of inspiration. In 1801, Beethoven fell in love with Giulietta Guichardier, and he dedicated the "Moonlight Sonata" to her. But the naive and selfish Qili Aitai did not understand his noble soul. He married someone else in 1803. This was a desperate moment and he wrote a suicide note.
In 1803, he emerged from the gloom and wrote the bright and optimistic "Second Symphony". After that, more and better music continued to emerge from his pen. "Third Symphony" (Eroica), "Fifth Symphony" (Destiny), "Sixth Symphony" (Pastoral), as well as the beautiful and joyful Violin Concerto, and the colorful Piano Concertos and Sonatas .
In 1823, Beethoven completed his last masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony (Chorus). This work creates his ideal world. In December 1826, Beethoven suffered from a severe cold, which caused pulmonary edema.
On March 26, 1827, he left in a snowstorm. Never married. There was a funeral on the 29th, with 20,000 mourners, and the body was buried in St. Max Cemetery.
The composer only stayed on earth for 57 years and completed more than one hundred works in his lifetime. His major works include 9 symphonies; dozens of orchestral pieces ("Egmont Overture" is the most famous); 5 piano concertos, one violin concerto; 5 other concertos; and 32 piano sonatas (Passionate, Moonlight, Pathétique, Dawn, The Tempest, etc. are the most famous); 80 pieces of chamber music; 1 opera ("Fidelio"); 1 oratorio; 2 masses, etc.
Life Anecdotes
Childhood
Beethoven’s grandfather and father were both court singers. Most of the time, his father was drunk and never cared about the family harmony. He never even cared about whether the family had enough food and clothing. At first, the kind-hearted grandfather could save the family from too much suffering; in turn, his eldest grandson's musical talent also made the old man feel great comfort. But when little Beethoven was only four years old, his grandfather died. Beethoven's father often dragged his son to the keyboard, made him practice hard for many hours, and slapped him every time he made a mistake. Neighbors often heard the little child sobbing to sleep from fatigue and pain. Soon, Pfeifer, a traveling musician with little skill, came to this town and was taken to Beethoven's house. He and the old Beethoven often drank in a tavern outside until midnight, and then went home and dragged little Ludwig out of bed to start class. This class sometimes was not completed until dawn. In order to make him look like a child prodigy, his father lied about his age and took him out to perform a concert as a six-year-old when he was eight years old. But there is no child prodigy in the world who is nurtured. Although he spent a lot of time, the old Beethoven was never able to cultivate his son into another young Mozart. Compared with Mozart, Beethoven's childhood was too unfortunate. Mozart received a good education in his childhood. His practice time was pleasant and quiet, and he had a loving father and a beloved sister. This was not the case with Beethoven. Although his performance won the respect of his hometown people, he was not recognized worldwide. However, his travel performances are far from astonishing as Mozart.
Good Teacher
The father took the boy to one teacher after another, allowing him to learn different instruments and the art of composition. None of these teachers could be called good until he fell into the hands of Neefe, the court luthier and manager of the Bonn theater. This is a respected music teacher, friendly, well-educated young man. This was truly a blessing for Beethoven. Because although Bonn had the best schools in town—the kind that even good old Bach would happily send many of his children to—Beethoven’s father never thought it worthwhile to send Beethoven there to study. Even if it is only for two or three months, in his eyes, studying is not as profitable as studying music. For the first time in his life, young Beethoven found lessons enjoyable. Mr. Nephew was very kind to him and taught him not only music but many other things in the world. To pay for his tuition, Beethoven took his place as organist when Mr. Nieffe was busy or out of town. So when he had just turned fourteen, he was appointed assistant court organist and clavichord at the theatre. How proud was the hateful and unfortunate father when he saw that his son's music had finally made some money!
Visit
Mozart Around this time, he visited Vienna for the first time in his life to play for his most admired idol, Mozart. Mozart thought that the boy was just playing a virtuosic showpiece that he had long practiced for such occasions, and out of politeness he had to praise him politely but coldly. Young Beethoven got angry and asked Mozart to give him a theme, which he then improvised on with so much emotion and genius.
So come to me this afternoon and receive your Beethoven love. And his friends - and what good people they were - always forgave his violent quarrels and stayed with him to the end. His home life was miserable throughout: he never married. When he first came to Vienna, he proposed to a singer from his hometown, Magdalene Willman, but she refused because Beethoven was "too ugly." Later, he fell in love with several aristocratic women - lovely women with lovely names - he confided in them through music, but they accepted his music and rejected his love!
Master's Style
Eroica Symphony
Beethoven's heart was filled with the ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the French Bourgeois Revolution of 1789 and 1798. In 1802, General Bernadotte (1763-1844) served as the French ambassador in Vienna. Beethoven often visited his home and had close contacts with the people around him. In 1802, Beethoven visited Bernadotte's house. Next, he started writing the "Third Symphony" dedicated to Napoleon. In his mind, Napoleon was the hero who destroyed the autocracy and realized his ideals. In 1804, Beethoven completed the "Third Symphony". Just as he was preparing to dedicate it to Napoleon, the news of Napoleon's proclaimed emperor reached Vienna. When Beethoven learned the news from his student Liss (1784-1838), he angrily shouted: "He is just an ordinary person. Now he also wants to trample on human rights to fulfill his personal ambitions. He will ride on everyone's head and become a tyrant! "As he spoke, he walked to the table, tore up the dedication to Napoleon, threw it on the floor, and did not allow others to pick it up. After many days, Beethoven's anger gradually subsided, and he allowed this work to be made public. In December 1804, this symphony was performed for the first time at the court of Prince Robkowitz in Vienna. The first public performance at the Vienna Theater in April 1805 was conducted by Beethoven himself. It reads: "A new grand symphony in D-sharp major, composed by Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven, dedicated to His Royal Highness Prince Robkowitz. "The strange thing is that Beethoven did not say it was in E-flat major, but said it was in D-sharp major. When the score was published in October 1806, the title page printed: Eroica Symphony was written in memory of a great man. From then on, The "Third Symphony" is called the "Heroic Symphony"
Symphony of Destiny
The first four of Beethoven's "Symphony in C minor" (Op. 67). A note that is strong and heavy, like the sound of destiny knocking on the door, this work is called "Symphony of Destiny". Beethoven wrote it to his friend in November 1808. Wegler (1765-1848) already said in his letter: "I want to block the throat of fate, and it will never completely overwhelm me! "The sound of destiny knocking on the door" has already appeared in the third movement of "Piano Sonata in C minor" (Op. 10-1) composed in 1798, and later appeared in the "String Quartet in D major" (Op. 18-3) ) The third movement, the first movement of "Passionate Sonata" (Op. 57), the third "Leonora" Overture (Op. 72), "String Quartet in E flat major" (Op. 74) and a series of other In the work, it can be seen that defeating fate through struggle is Beethoven's consistent creative thought. The passion for struggle expressed in "Symphony of Destiny" has a strong appeal. During the "Symphony of Destiny", he was so frightened that he had to leave the table. An old guard of Napoleon couldn't help but jump up and shout: "This is the Emperor!" "Berlioz regarded the thrilling struggle scene in "Symphony of Destiny" as "Othello's terrible rage when he listened to Iago's slander and mistakenly believed that Desdemona was having an affair with someone. Schumann believes: "Although you hear this symphony often, it always has an unchanging power on you - just like the phenomena in nature that occur from time to time, always scare people."
"In May and June of 1830, Mendelssohn stayed in Weimar for two weeks, met with Goethe for the last time, and played for him famous works of ancient and modern times on the piano. Goethe listened to the first part of "Symphony of Destiny". He was so excited after the movement that he said: "This is so majestic and thrilling that it will almost shake the house down. I don’t know what will happen if many people play together. "In March 1841, Engels listened to the performance of "Symphony of Destiny". He praised this work in a letter to his sister and said: "If you don't know this wonderful thing, then you have heard nothing in your life. " He said that in the first movement he heard "the complete despair of sorrow, that melancholy pain"; in the second movement he heard "the tender melancholy of love"; and in the third, The "powerful, youthful, free joy expressed in the trumpet" in the fourth movement is so inspiring. Engels revealed the essence of "Symphony of Destiny" in just a few words.
The legend of "Moonlight"
"More than a hundred years ago, there was a musician named Beethoven in Germany. He composed many famous songs. There is a famous piano piece called "Moonlight". The legend goes like this: One autumn, Beethoven traveled to various places to perform and came to a small town by the Rhine River. One night, while walking on a quiet path, he heard the intermittent sound of a piano coming from a hut, playing his own music. Beethoven approached the hut, the sound of the piano suddenly stopped, and someone was talking in the house. One girl said: 'How difficult this piece is to play! I've only heard others play it a few times, but I can't remember how to play it. It would be great if I could hear how Beethoven played it himself! ’ One man said, ‘Yes, but the concert tickets are too expensive and we are too poor. ’ The girl quickly said: ‘Brother, don’t be sad, I just said it casually. ’ When Beethoven heard this, he opened the door and walked in gently. There was a candle burning in the hut, and under the weak candlelight, the man was making leather shoes. There was an old piano in front of the window, and sitting in front of it was a girl of sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a pretty face, but she was blind. When the shoemaker saw a stranger coming in, he stood up and asked, "Sir, who are you looking for?" Did you go to the wrong door? ’ Beethoven said: ‘No, I’m here to play a piece of music for this girl. ’ The girl quickly stood up and gave up her seat. Beethoven sat in front of the piano and played the piece that the blind girl had just played. The blind girl listened with rapt attention. After the song was over, she said excitedly: 'How skillfully you play! What deep feelings! You, are you Mr. Beethoven? ’ Beethoven didn’t answer. He asked the blind girl: ‘Do you like to hear it? Let me play you another song. ’ A gust of wind blew out the candle. The moonlight shines through the window, and everything in the hut seems to be covered with silver gauze. Beethoven looked at the poor brother and sister standing beside him, and pressed the keys in the quiet moonlight. The shoemaker listened quietly. He seemed to be facing the sea, and the moon was rising from where the water and the sky met. The sparkling sea surface was filled with silver light for a while. The moon rises higher and higher, passing through wisps of veil-like clouds. Suddenly, the wind blew on the sea and huge waves rolled up. The waves illuminated by the moon were shining brightly towards the shore one after another... The shoemaker looked at his sister, the moonlight was shining on her peaceful face and her wide-open eyes. She seemed to see it too, seeing a scene she had never seen before, the rough sea illuminated by the moonlight. The brother and sister were intoxicated by the beautiful sound of the piano. When they woke up, Beethoven had already left the hut. He rushed back to the inn and spent the whole night recording the "Moonlight Song" he had just improvised. "This is an article in the seventh volume of Chinese primary school textbooks in my country. It tells the story of Beethoven playing "Moonlight" for a blind girl.
This is indeed a beautiful legend. Beethoven's This piece (Op. 27 No. 2 - "Piano Sonata in #c minor") describes the moonlight on the sea, which originated from the German music critic Reierstab (1799-1860), the Russian pianist Anton Lu. Binstein (1829-1894) was very opposed to using "moonlight" to explain this piece. He said: "Moonlight in musical description should be thoughtful, contemplative, quiet, in short, a soft and bright mood.
The first movement of "#c Minor Sonata" is completely tragic from the first note to the last note (using the minor key to suggest it), a sky full of clouds, and a gloomy mood. The final movement is violent and passionate, expressing exactly the opposite of the gentle bright moon. Only the short second movement can be said to be a moment of moonlight. "In Germany, some people also call this song the "Garden Pavilion" sonata. A garden pavilion is a pavilion built under the shade of trees. Obviously, this title is also inaccurate for this sonata. It seems that the decisiveness expressed in this song It is not a clear landscape painting, but an inner gloomy mood. The author of "Beethoven's Biography" Thee (1817-1897) said that the first movement is "a girl praying for her sick father", which is better than anything else. "Moonlight" and "Garden Pavilion" are more appropriate. Beethoven composed this piece in 1801, when he was in love with Giulifata Guicciardi (1784-1856), and this piece was dedicated to her this year. Beethoven mentioned her in a letter to Wegler on November 16th: "She loves me and I love her. "But by the beginning of 1802, she had fallen in love with Count Robert Hallenberg and married him in 1803. Romain Rolland connected this song with Beethoven's lovelorn, saying, "The illusion can be maintained. Soon the sonata contained more pain and grief than love. Roland interpreted the first movement as melancholy, lamentation and crying. Russian musicologist Olibishev (1794-1858) believed that the first movement was the "deep sorrow" of lost love, like "dying fire". But in 1801, Beethoven and Guichardi were passionately in love. To say that this work is about the pain of lost love may not be consistent with the facts. Perhaps the Russian art critic Stasov (1824-1906) explained this work. His opinion is quite reasonable. After recalling Liszt's performance in Petersburg, he believed that this sonata is a complete tragedy. The first movement is full of thoughtful tenderness and a mental state that is sometimes full of dark premonitions. I had a similar impression when listening to Anton Rubinstein's performance: "...from far away, far away, as if a quiet voice suddenly rose from the depths of the invisible soul. Some of the sounds are melancholy, full of infinite melancholy; others are pensive, with a flood of memories and dark omens..." "#C Minor Sonata" is particularly famous for its title and legend of "Moonlight". Beethoven has Once he said: "People often talk about the "#C Minor Sonata", but I have written better things than this, such as the "#F Major Sonata" (Op. 78). "It can be seen that Beethoven himself was not very satisfied with "Moonlight".
Appassionata Sonata
Schindler once asked Beethoven about "Sonata in D minor" (Op. 31 no 2) and "Sonata in F minor" (Op. 57), Beethoven's answer was: "Please read Shakespeare's "The Tempest". "So the former was called "Tempest Sonata", while the latter was given the title "Passionate Sonata" by Hamburg music publisher Krantz (1789-1870). (Another saying is that the title "Passionate" was given by the German The title "Appassionate" was added by the pianist, violinist, composer and conductor (1824-1910), which seems to be unfounded. Beethoven did not approve it, but it is used for this heroic and imposing work. This majestic work is quite appropriate. After hearing the Russian composer and conductor Doblovin (1894-1953) perform this sonata in Moscow, Lenin once said: "I don't know what else to do." There is something better than the Passionate Sonata, and I would listen to it every day. This is brilliant, unprecedented music. I always think with perhaps childish boastfulness: What miracles people can create! "On October 30, 1870, Paris had been surrounded by the Prussian army for more than three months during the Franco-Prussian War. In the headquarters of Prussian King William in Versailles, the iron-blooded Prime Minister Bismarck was negotiating with Thiers, the head of the French bourgeois government. Conditions for the armistice. That night, Gertel, who had served as the German ambassador to Italy, played the "Passionate Sonata" for Bismarck on a dilapidated piano in Verhan. After listening to the last movement, Bismarck said: " This is the cry of struggle for an entire generation.
"He understood Beethoven's "enthusiasm" from the perspective of a bloodthirsty careerist. He once said: "If I can listen to this piece of music often, my courage will not dry up" because "Beethoven Best suited to my nerves." Beethoven said on June 29, 1801: "My art serves to improve the lot of poor people. "If Beethoven was known underground and heard that his music was being used by Bismarck, he must have been determined to die.
Beethoven's friend
Melzer (1772-1838) ), famous for inventing and manufacturing mechanical musical instruments. In the autumn of 1813, Beethoven wrote a war symphony for the universal piano (mechanical orchestra) invented by Meltzer, titled "Wellington's Victory" or "The Victory of Wellington". "Battle of Victoria" describes the scene where British general Wellington defeated Napoleon in the northern Spanish city of Victoria on June 21 of the same year. Meltzel once created today's universal weapon based on the invention of Winkel (1776-1826). Beethoven first used it and marked the speed of his works according to the number of beats it beats per minute. Beethoven's hearing aid was also made for him by Meltzel around 1810. When sending Meltzel on his trip, he wrote the most interesting canon to praise the creator of the metronome. This canon, which symbolizes the friendship between Beethoven and Meltzer, was later selected by Beethoven into his collection. The Eighth Symphony (Op. 93) becomes the theme of the second movement
The Seventh Symphony on the Ballet Stage
Wagner called Beethoven's "Seventh Symphony". (Operation No. 92) is "the ultimate form of dance", "the highest form of dance", and "the most wonderful embodiment of body movement in an ideal form". It is said that he once imagined using dance to express "Dance" with Liszt's piano accompaniment. "Seventh Symphony". Wagner's ideal was later realized by Russian dance drama director Massin. In 1938, he choreographed this symphony into a ballet to express an allegorical storyline-the creation and destruction of the world. : First Movement: Creation - Under the guidance of the creative spirit, the chaotic world becomes an orderly abode of plants and animals. Second Movement: The Earth - On the Earth. There is hatred and rape. A group of men and women mourn the murdered boy. Movement 3: The gods and goddesses in the sky are indifferent to the turmoil on the earth and still enjoy themselves. Movement 4: Liquor and destruction. People indulged in wine and debauchery, and God saw them imitate the joy of the upper world, and destroy the world with fire in anger. In May 1938, this dance drama was performed by Basil's Russian Ballet in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Ode to Joy and Choral Symphony
In January 1793, Fischenich, a friend of the German poet Schiller and a professor of law at the University of Bonn, wrote to Schiller’s wife, Schiller. Lottie said: "There was a young man... who had a great and lofty ambition to set Schiller's "Ode to Joy" into music, verse by verse. "This young man was Beethoven. He was living in Bonn at the time and was only 23 years old. Beethoven drafted the music for "Ode to Joy" in 1798 and 1812. The theme of "Ode to Joy" written in 1812, It was later used in the "Name Day Festival Overture in C major" (Op. 115) completed in October 1814. Beethoven composed the song "Mutual Love" and the end of the "Choral Symphony" for Bürger around 1795. The theme of "Ode to Joy" in the movement is closely related in tone and can be said to be the predecessor of the theme of "Ode to Joy". Later, Beethoven added it in his 1808 "Fantasia for Piano Chorus in C minor" (Op. 80). Using this tune as the theme to sing the chorus of Kuffner's "Piano Choral Fantasy" was an attempt to write the finale of the "Choral Symphony" in March 1824. In a letter to Probst, he said: "The finale of the "Choral Symphony" is written in the style of the "Piano Choral Fantasy", but the scale is much grander. "It can be seen from this that Beethoven's intention of composing the music for "Ode to Joy" began in 1793 and took 30 years of thinking before finally being completed in the "Choral Symphony".
The "Choral Symphony" was completed during the reactionary period after the Carlsbad Resolution when all free thought and democratic movements were brutally suppressed. When it was first performed at Vienna's Clenennator Theater in May 1824, the response from the audience was unprecedentedly enthusiastic. When Beethoven came on stage, he was applauded five times by the audience, so much so that the police had to intervene. But Beethoven, who was standing in the band with his back to the audience, could not hear anything. Fortunately, contralto singer Onger held his hand and turned around, and he "saw" the audience's cheers. The extraordinary emotions aroused by the first performance can be seen from the profound practical significance of singing joy, that is, singing freedom, at that time.
Le Sage Realm
Happily forgetting to eat
One day, Beethoven came to a restaurant for dinner. After ordering, he suddenly had an inspiration, so he picked up the recipe on the table and composed music on the back of it. After a while, he was completely immersed in the beautiful melody. When the waiter saw Beethoven's very engaged look, he didn't dare to disturb him, but planned to wait for a while before serving him food. About an hour later, the waiter finally came to Beethoven and said, "Sir, will the food be served?" Beethoven immediately paid for the meal as if he had just woken up from a dream. The waiter was as confused as a monk: "Sir, you haven't eaten yet!" "No! I'm sure I've already eaten." Beethoven couldn't listen to the waiter's repeated explanations, and he paid according to the price on the menu. After that, he grabbed the menu filled with musical notes and rushed out of the restaurant.
The day has come
In his later years, Beethoven once heard a friend playing his "Thirty-two Variations in C minor". After listening for a while, he asked: "Whose work is this?" "Yours." The friend replied. "Mine? Could I have written such a clumsy piece?" Then he added: "Ah, Beethoven was such a fool back then!" Goethe's words about Schiller are completely applicable to Beethoven: "Every week he Changing and growing. Every time I see him, I always feel that his knowledge, knowledge and insights have improved compared to the last time." At one time, Beethoven even wanted to destroy the song "Adelaide" he composed in his youth. ” and “Septet in E flat major” (Op. 20). This is by no means accidental. Like Beethoven, it can really be said that "it is only at fifty that one knows what is wrong in forty-nine."
Making opponents unable to plagiarize
Beethoven made friends with the Brauning family in Bonn when he was 18 years old (1788). The daughter of this family, Eleonore? /cagt;