From the heart – may it return again – to the heart. Ludwig van Beethoven, as written on the autograph score In the last decade of his life, Beethoven turned his mind to composing an oratorio--a mass to celebrate the Archduke Rudolf's appointment to Archbishop. Rudolf, Beethoven's patron, student, and friend, commissioned the work, but … Continue reading From the Heart: Beethoven’s Great Question
Category: Beethoven
The Friday Symposium: Beethoven Swings
It should not be a surprise to any regular reader of this blog that I consider Beethoven's chamber works to be his most significant compositions, and his piano sonatas in particular to be among those where my connection to Beethoven is strongest. Beethoven's final piano sonatas are breathtaking in their beauty and inventiveness and, perhaps, … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: Beethoven Swings
Beethoven Unleashed
Here’s a sonata that will challenge pianists and that people will be able to play in 50 years. Ludwig van Beethoven Now that Beethoven was writing for himself, he undertook to compose a piano sonata of such incredible power and complexity that it can only be described as symphonic. What became his 29th sonata for … Continue reading Beethoven Unleashed
And Now We Will Talk to Each Other in Tones
What does a deaf composer write? Simply the greatest music ever composed. Had Beethoven stopped composing in 1812, he still would have found a place in the first rank of composers in history. But what Beethoven did between 1817 and 1827 is simply remarkable, even setting aside his disability. Looking back from our 21st century … Continue reading And Now We Will Talk to Each Other in Tones
The Friday Symposium: Beethoven Sells Out
The year 1812 began in the flower of spring for Beethoven--he was in love again. The identity of Beethoven's "immortal beloved" has been debated endlessly, including by Hollywood in the risable film that bears her sobriquet. For those unfamiliar with the story, following Beethoven's death, his executors found a set of letters Beethoven had written … Continue reading The Friday Symposium: Beethoven Sells Out
A Gertus History of Music 