Episode 6 - Beethoven the Romantic
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Program
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770 - 1827)
One of the most recognized composers of Western art music, Ludwig van Beethoven displayed his musical talents at a very young age. His extensive compositional output includes symphonies, chamber music, solo piano music, choral works, opera, and a litany of solo instrumental music (among others). His works were unprecedented in their individuality, dramatic power, and wide appeal, and in effect, he was responsible for fundamentally changing society’s concept of music and of composers. Beethoven’s career is typically divided into three periods: early, middle, and late. The previous episode of The Chronophone (episode 5) highlights one of his contributions to wind chamber music during his early period, the Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16. This early period reflects the murky line that “separates” the classical and romantic periods. Beethoven’s middle period is traditionally accepted to span 1802 to 1812. The works of this period comprise some of Beethoven’s most well-known, including his “Eroica” Symphony (as well as Symphonies no. 4-8), his “Waldstein” and “Appassionata” Sonatas (among others), and his Op. 59, Op. 74, and Op. 95 String Quartets. During this middle period Beethoven radically extends his musical language, commands a newfound technical virtuosity, and defies many of the expected “norms” of the times.
Beethoven’s late period (c.1813-1827) is undoubtedly the most complex. The corpus of work is marked not only by groundbreaking contributions to the classical “canon,” but also extreme emotional upheavals within the composer’s life (at this point he was almost completely deaf). In number, Beethoven composed less during this period than the previous two; however, the works of the period are so remarkable that they are among his most well-known and revered, including his Ninth Symphony, “Missa solemnis,” his “Hammerklavier” Sonata, and his Op. 127, 130, 131, 132, and 135 String Quartets. The music of this period firmly belongs to the romantic era, and as a result explores the polemic depths of musical expression.
The last few years of Beethoven’s life (1824-1927) were somewhat surprisingly devoted to a single compositional medium, the string quartet. Before this late collection of string quartets Beethoven had not touched the genre in almost fourteen years. In November 1822 Beethoven received a commission from Prince Nikolay Golitsïn of St. Petersburg for “one, two or three new quartets,” and as a result, Beethoven returned to the genre. He wrote his String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major between 1825-1826; it was the third, and final, piece commissioned by Golitsïn, and it premiered in its original form on March 21, 1826. In its original form it consists of six movements, including the monstrous Große Fuge as the finale. However, Beethoven’s publishers would not accept it in its original form—claiming the fugue was far too complex for performers and audiences alike—and persuaded Beethoven to replace it with a different, simpler finale. As such Beethoven’s Thirteenth Quartet was published with a new finale in 1827 as Op. 130 and the Große Fuge was published separately, also in 1827, as Op. 133. Beethoven never heard a performance of the quartet in its “new form” since it premiered about a month after his death.
The original six-movement form, which is featured in this episode, includes:
1. Adagio, ma non troppo-Allegro
2. Presto
3. Andante con moto, ma non troppo. Poco scherzoso
4. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai
5. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo
6. Große Fuge
The six-movement form was unusual among contemporary quartets, although not unprecedented for Beethoven as his A minor quartet—which was published as Quartet No. 15, Op. 132, but written before the B-flat Major quartet—has five movements. Manipulation of form is a distinct contribution of Beethoven’s late-period quartets. Throughout the six movements of the Thirteenth Quartet, Beethoven grapples with the expressive abilities of form and musical language, and in effect creates a musical world that is at the same rhetorically complex and stunningly compelling.
While the Große Fuge was nowhere near lauded at its premier—in fact it was met by unanimously disgruntled ears—today it is regarded as one of Beethoven’s most impressive technical feats. According to Brentano Quartet violinist Mark Steinberg, the Große Fuge “is one of the great artistic testaments to the human capacity for meaning in the face of the threat of chaos.” A feature undeniably enhanced by its placement in juxtaposition with the strikingly lyrical Cavatina movement. Although the fugue was typically the purview of Baroque composers, like J.S. Bach, it does not seem anachronistic in Beethoven’s hands. Rather, Beethoven transforms the form from a vehicle intended to highlight compositional prowess to a medium that explores intricate dualities, omnipresent within Beethoven’s “romantic” world.
Credits
Musicians
Violins: Zenas Hsu and Janny Joo
Viola: Daniel Orsen
Cello: Annie Jacobs-Perkins
Thank Yous
Host: Chris Voss
Principal Videographer: Scott Quade
Assistant Videographer: Chris DeSanty
Recording Engineer: Antonio Oliart Ros
Musicologist: Christina Dioguardi
Video Editor: Michael Schondek
Recording venue: GBH’s Fraser Recording Studio
Bibliography
Burkholder, J P., Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.
Kerman, Joseph. The Beethoven Quartets. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1966.
Kerman, Joseph, Alan Tyson, Scott G. Burnham, Douglas Johnson, and William Drabkin. “Beethoven, Ludwig van.” Grove Music Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40026.
Marliave, Joseph de. Beethoven’s Quartets. Translated by Hilda Andrews. New York: Dover Publications, 1961.
Steinberg, Mark. “Beethoven, Grosse Fuge.” Accessed 7 February 2021. https://www.brentanoquartet.com/notes/beethoven-grosse-fuge/.