Beethoven and his 7th symphony

PowerPoint by John Lynn

Ludwig Van Beethoven does not have an authentic birth date but it is recorded that he was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church on December 17, 1770.

Beethoven was raised in a poverty stricken household consisting of seven children of whom only 3 sons survived, Ludwig, Casper and Nikolas, Ludwig the eldest.

Biography of Beethoven

Baptism Ceremony, St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, August 26, 1979. Photo by Henry Horenstein. Rhode Island Folklife Project Collection (AFC 1991/022:HH9).

Between the years 1774 and 1776, Johann (Ludwig’s father who was a court singer) began to teach Beethoven music and had an extreme desire to create another Mozart out of Beethoven. Johann spent many hours teaching Beethoven the clavier and violin. Beethoven also took additional lessons from organists around the city. If Beethoven made a mistake, Johann would beat him and deprive him of sleep in order to practice more.

Biography of Beethoven

Johann had put posters around town exploiting Beethoven’s talents claiming that he was six years old while he was actually seven.

On March 26, 1778 Beethoven performed his first public performance at Cologne. The performance was very good but it didn’t receive the press the way Johann had hoped for.

Biography of Beethoven

In a Latin grade school, Tirocinium, Beethoven realized that he had dyslexia and stated, “music come more readily than words.” At ten years old, Beethoven withdrew himself from school and surpassed his father’s musical talents. He began being taught by Christian Gottlob Neefe, who would become one of his most important teachers.

Biography of Beethoven

Christian Gottlob Neefe

http://raptusassociation.org/neefe_e.html

At age twelve, Beethoven’s first piece, 9 Variations in C Minor was published.

At the same time, things weren’t well at home. Johann wasn’t keeping his responsibilities at the courthouse because of his alcohol addiction. Beethoven had then become the father figure for his two younger brothers. On July 17, 1787 Beethoven’s mother, who Beethoven was very close to, was laid to rest.

Biography of Beethoven

Beethoven had begun studying with Mozart, which Mozart said to “Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give the world something to talk about.” Though he had high expectations from Mozart, Beethoven stayed in Bonn because of the deep depression that came over him after the death of his mother. Because Beethoven stayed, he was named the city’s court musician.

Biography of Beethoven

In 1792 Beethoven was ready to go back to Vienna. He received a grant to study music from Prince Elector. He took lessons with Haydyn, Albrechtsberger and Salieri. March 29, 1795 he gave his first public symphony No. 1 in C Major, and shortly after composed Opus 1, a Trio of Piano series. He had great success and became well off financially. Beethoven became one of Europe’s most celebrated composers and began composing more pieces. Beethoven’s “Six string Quartets” was published in 1801, which “demonstrated complete mastery of the difficult Viennese forms.”

Biography of Beethoven

Around 1801 while Beethoven was composing, he began to lose his hearing. He would hear a “roar” in his ears because he was suffering from Tinnitus. The cause of his hearing loss is unknown but could have been caused by lead poisoning, syphilis or typhus. He was also known for plunging his head into cold water to stay awake, which also could have caused deafness.

Biography of Beethoven

After performing his ninth symphony, Beethoven turned around to see his audience applauding and heard nothing. He grew depressed and had suicidal thoughts. He continued to perform until 1811 when he failed performing his own “Emperor” concerto, and never had a public performance after that.

Biography of Beethoven

Some of Beethoven’s greatest music was composed near the end of his life with complete deafness and physical complications. Missa Solemnis, String Quartet No. 14, Ninth Symphony, and Ode to Joy were some of his greatest pieces of work and most famous in music history.

Biography of Beethoven

Beethoven had died on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. An autopsy showed that the cause of death was post-hepatitis cirrhosis of the liver.

Ludwig Van Beethoven is widely known as one of the greatest composers of all time. He was a composer that was able to connect Classical and Romantic ages of Western music. He composed some of the greatest music while he was deaf. Many musicians still look up to him today.

Biography of Beethoven

Symphony No. 7 in Am Major op. 92, also known as “The Apotheosis of Dance” started being composed in 1809. The summer of 1812, Ludwig Van Beethoven completed the seventh out of his nine symphonies, Symphony No. 7 in A Major. At the time he was trying to improve his health while staying in the Bohemian town of Teplice. The piece is known to reflect Beethoven’s “unparalleled wisdom.” Beethoven was noted saying that is was one of his best works.

Symphony No. 7 in A major op. 92

The Seventh Symphony premiered at a concert for wounded soldiers that fought in the battle of Hanau. It was said to be one of Beethoven’s most successful concerts. The Viennese people had been going through time under Napoleon’s occupation of Vienna, and were awaiting victory over him. The Viennese loved the piece and embraced it for its beauty and uplifting energy the symphony brought to the city. Following the premiere, Beethoven performed the piece three more times in a matter of ten weeks after the premiere. According to a newspaper, they accounted that at one of the performances the audience’s “applause rose to the point of ecstasy.”

Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92

Through the symphony’s rhythm, there is a sense of dance, vitality, and celebration. The piece is broken down into three parts.

Part I – Vivace, starts with a slow introduction. Part II- Allegretto, is the most expressive. Part III – Presto meno assai, is a splendid triumph in

rendering the scherzo form. Part IV – Allegro con brio, is an immense joy from beginning

to the end.

Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony Click on link and follow music outline on

following slides. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DG7aTu

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0:04 – The song begins loudly with a combination from strings, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, and timpani as introduction and gradually descending with a solo clarinet and horn then to lead to the first theme.

0:55 – The first theme is played with a combination at the beginning. It’s so melodious and slow, giving the listener a feeling of relaxation.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

1:26 – The music starts exciting when the first theme development is being performed and it keeps lasting and descending when passing to the second theme. The flute, oboe, clarinet holds the note on top.

2:09 – Second Theme is established by violin, timpani, flute, and clarinet. It’s harmonious and repeats what it first did at the main sound of the symphony.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

2:40 – The violins and timpani keep the sound up at second theme development.

3:21 – Then a combination voice descends down to the scale to lead the transition to exposition. It is slow to keep the point to pass to the first theme.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Exposition 4:02 – Clarinets, flutes, and violins are played lightly as the

first theme. 4:55 – The symphony is led excitingly in passing to the

second theme. The violin often keeps the note on top to match with the other sound.

5:38 – Closing, cadence section follows the second theme, revives the first theme to provide closure.

6:20 – Exposition is Repeated

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

8:41 – Development (free-form) this is the part where it gets exciting!

10:42 – Recapitulation of the Exposition ( The whole section remains in the same key)

13:00 – Coda that follows the Recap, kind of a second development designed to finish off the work.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Second Development – Allegretto ( Themes and Variations) 14:18 – Introduction to the theme which is played very

softly, and you have to listen closely in order to hear it. 15:05 – First theme is played again, and descending to

transit to the variation. 15:47 – The sound is more airy in the First Theme Variation

1. 16:29 – And it keeps going in the First Theme Variation 2.

However, the violin ends this part with ascending to go to the second theme.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

17:14 – The timpani are performed as hit the main point to make the music more colorful. Then a combination sound go down and repeat to the First Theme Variation 3.

18:40 – First Theme Variation 3 is made deeply and lowly.

19:37 – The clarinets and flutes are the main instrument in the First Theme Variation 4 (Fugue). They are the key to make the atmosphere more beautiful, the all other merge the sound with them, but clarinets and flutes still play the main hit and leading to transit coda 1.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

20:29 – The violin rhythmically begin the important instrument at Coda 1. The sound is ascending with all instruments.

20:49 – The second theme is played again with keeping in high. The trumpet reenters briefly to hit the point for the symphony.

21:45 – Coda 2 is established lightly in combination and ascending sound but more soft to transit the other part.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Third Development (Presto: Assai meno presto) 22:37 – Scherzo AA BB is begun performing with violin is

the main to hit the last point. The sound descends slowly in order to make the symphony quieter. Suddenly, a combination reenters to the music such as the hit to get more attention from the listener.

24:55 – Trio, slower and broader than the scherzo part. It’s exciting part and descending gradually.

27:08 – Scherzo AB is played very lively.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

28:28 – Trio repeat in small sound, but quick. Violin repeats creating the main sound and its sound is descending to pass into the other part.

30:44 – Scherzo AB is repeated and ascending to lead to Coda.

31:54 – Coda is started with exciting sound and go down to create the hit for symphony.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Fourth Development (Allegro con brio) Exposition: 32:04 – The music turns over to the first theme. 32:45 – It keeps turning to the second theme in the colorful

sound. 32: 58 – Third theme is performed with the violin and horn.

It’s melodious but underscores the hit. 33:38 – A combination plays continuously for closing this

part, and it is kept in the high and exiting sound.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Exposition is repeated: 33:55 – First Theme is repeated but faster. 34:32 – Second Theme is turned over but more

quickly. 34:43 – The violin and horn still make the sound

flowing in high. 35:23 – The sound is kept in high and closing the

third theme.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Development: 35:41 – The sound is held on top. 35:59 – The combination keeps the

atmosphere in exciting for prepare turn to the variation.

36:54 – The sound is so lightly for a moment and it turn over on high voice again.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Recapitulation of Exposition: 37:11 – First theme is re-played but the sound is big. 37:34 – As the order, it turns to second theme in loud voice

too. 37:46 – the violin rhythmically displays the sound in the

high note, and descending slowly for closing the music, but it lasts a few minutes and ascending again.

38:31 – The sound from violin last very long in closing part. 38:47 – The combination of all instrument is re-performed

in interesting voice to ending the symphony.

Listening Guide: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

Dominique, P.. “Ludwig van Beethovens biography.” Ludwig van beethoven. Dominique Prevot, 2001. Web. 11 Jun 2012. http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

Gibbs, C.. Beethoven. N.p., 2006. Web. 11 Jun 2012. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId= 5481664.

Green, A.. Brief history of beethoven. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Jun 2012. http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/onestopbeethoven/a/beethovensympho.htm

“Ludwig Beethoven.” 2012. biography.com 11 Jun 2012, 06:00 http://www.biography.com/people/ludwig-van-beethoven-9204862

Munteanu, Iulian. “All about Beethoven.” Symphony No. 7. All About Beethoven, 8Jan. Web. 11 Jun 2012. http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/symphony7.html.

“Symphonies of Beethoven.” The Great Courses. The Teaching Company, LLC., n.d. Web. 11 Jun 2012. http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=730.

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