Kevin's Watch

You can't give too much praise to the guy who wrote some of the world's VERY best music AFTER he went deaf!

Among these pieces is a movement from a string quartet, called the Heileger Dankgesang. It's the 3rd movement of string quartet #15, Op 132 in A minor. The full title is Heileger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart, which means A holy song of thanks to God from a convalescent, in the Lydian mode. He wrote it after recovering from a pretty serious illness.

It has alternating sections. The first is a slow prayer type of thing. Very slow and beautiful and holy. The second is a song of joy at renewed health. The two sections change slightly each time, to keep you guessing. Total of about 15 glorious minutes. It's beautiful even if you don't know what it's about. And despite not believing in such things, I can still feel the emotion that he was writing about.

All interested parties can get it cheap on the Naxos label, Beethoven's String Quartets Vol. 7. (Naxos is a budget label, but fantastic performances that have won tons of awards and rave reviews. Incredibly good way to build a classical collection!)

The Ode to Joy is my favorite piece of music, in any genre, of all time!

Ah...Beethoven!

The seventh symphony is what got me hooked on listening to classical music. The great ninth, fiery fifth, and the powerful third.

What is better than riding in the car on a warm spring day, windows open and the sixth symphony playing on the stereo?

Fist and Faith has written about the string quartets, but how about also the piano sonatas. Beethoven was first known as a virtuoso piano player. Right now I'm listening to the Moonlight sonata. Beautiful.

That sounds great! I think I'll put on some Beethoven piano music my self, RIGHT NOW!
Moonlight Sonata. Perfect!

I like Beethoven but it is not a music for all occasions.

Fist&Faith hit the motherlode with this topic! Beethoven is my all-time favorite deaf guy!

Seriously, to my ears nothing else in music touches his nine symphonies. If an alien were to visit the Earth and ask for something that uniquely represented the genius of human creativity, something that stood for the highest artistic achievement of humanity, I'd direct said alien to Beethoven's symphonies. (Shakespeare and Picasso can wait in line!)

Obviously, I'm showing a bias in favor of Western European culture here, but, hey, what would the alien know?

I didn't come to Beethoven via any stuffy classroom lectures. I came to love his music on my own ground, on my own terms. Years ago, one bright sunny day, I had the Ninth Symphony on. I'd already listened to it a few times before, but I couldn't quite figure it out; the music was closed to my understanding, unfathomable. But on that day, somehow, the Ninth suddenly revealed itself to me: mighty structures sprang into view from nothingness, and I could see the colossal power behind the music driving it, hammering it home.

To me, the 1st Movement of Beethoven's Ninth is the single greatest 15 minutes of music ever written. It is a self-contained vision of creation and destruction. The rest of the symphony is awe-filled as well, but nothing even in the rest of Beethoven's works matches the epic fury of that opening movement.

This may sound odd, but when I think about Beethoven's Ninth, I also think about High Lord Mhoram as he was in The Power That Preserves, the state he was in when he was contemplating the marrowmeld sculpture. All the time, it was closed to his understanding, and then...I'll stop here, since I'm not supposed to reveal spoilers.

Anyway, now you know my disturbing adoration of things Beethoven.

"Roll Over Beethoven"? Don't think so, man!

I perfer Slipknot....

Darth Revan wrote:I perfer Slipknot....

One day, you'll come over to the light...

LOL. That day is indeed a long way away....

Matrixman,

Nice post!!
And no problem with the Mhoram comparison! Beethoven is nothing if not a struggle to understand and express all of creation.

Thanks, Fist&Faith. I've often felt that the indomitable will and strength of Beethoven's music was represented well in the character of Mhoram.

One of the great days of the year is today.

As though I needed a reason, but what better day, than the first day of spring, is there to listen to the Sixth Symphony?

Cool

Darth Revan wrote:I perfer Slipknot....

lmao

Going to the park with Beethoven's music in my ears is a favorite actvity of mine. Have Discman will travel!

But winter hasn't left us here yet, and it's bloody windy today. Likely won't be another month before I join up with Ludwig in the fresh outdoors.

I usually celebrate spring with the Seventh Symphony. The Sixth is a work I honestly haven't listened much to: it's the least appealing to me of the Nine. Who knows? Maybe it'll grow on me in future years.

Matrixman wrote:Going to the park with Beethoven's music in my ears is a favorite actvity of mine. Have Discman will travel!

But winter hasn't left us here yet, and it's bloody windy today. Likely won't be another month before I join up with Ludwig in the fresh outdoors.

I usually celebrate spring with the Seventh Symphony. The Sixth is a work I honestly haven't listened much to: it's the least appealing to me of the Nine. Who knows? Maybe it'll grow on me in future years.

It's kind of spring like here today. 50 and windy. Close enough to play the Sixth.

The Seventh is what got me interested in classical music. I never need a reason to play it

Probably my least favorite is the Fourth. It's the only one I don't have a recording of on cd. I keep meaning to pick up a cd with it, but I just haven't got around to it yet.

To me his music is all about fire and passion. Pure emotional fireworks. No other music I have ever heard can speak to my heart and to my soul as his does.

I'm sure that just as Beatles fans like debating the group's albums for fun, Beethoven fans like arguing the case for their favorite symphonies. My Ludwig List:

Symphony No. 9 "Choral" and Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"

It's a tie at the top! Can't choose between these two. From its cosmic opening movement to the heavenly sounds of Ode To Joy, the Ninth is visionary, celestial music. And the Eroica is the epic drama of the soul, the tragedy and triumph of the human spirit. These two symphonies represent between them the human and the divine in Beethoven's music. The rest of the symphonies are the points in between, you might say. (Of course, I could be completely off my rocker about that. But I don't have a rocker, so I can't tell. )

Symphony No. 7

Rebirth. Renewal of the earth. The power and majesty of Nature.

Symphony No. 5

Indomitable will and strength. How much more 'Beethovenian' can you get?

Symphony No. 1

Poise and charm. Passion and elegance. The First always gets overlooked, but it is seriously among the best symphonies ever. It's not like Ludwig was a moron when he wrote his first symphony. Scholars like to say how Beethoven in this first effort was still indebted to guys like Joseph Haydn and so on. Well, Haydn in his 100+ symphonies still couldn't match the fire of Beethoven's 1st. Mr. Haydn, I've heard Beethoven...and quite frankly, you're no Beethoven.

Symphony No. 4

Beauty and grace. Tenderness and melancholy. If any Beethoven symphony can be said to have a sensitive or vulnerable emotional quality, I would say it's the Fourth.

Symphony No. 8

Playfulness. Wit. I see this as a purposefully "superficial" work. There's no deep and great import here; instead it's Ludwig at his gleeful best, offering a piece of merely dazzling orchestral writing and loads of fun for the listener.

Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"

For whatever reason, these last two don't seem to engage my emotions like the rest. It's not Ludwig's fault. I'm just an EEEdiot! I'll give them time to grow on me.

Matrixman, so eloquent. I cannot add to that, but agree with it all. 7th is my favourite of the symphones, although is probably not the most inspired.

If I had to rank the symphonies

9th - Music to be inspired by.
7th - First love. If I hear that it's to be played on the radio I make the effort to find the time for it.
6th - As I posted earlier, it's synonymous with spring to me.
5th - Stirring.
3rd - I like it but I'm not drawn to it near as often as to the first 3 on my list.
8th - It's catchy. A good "light" piece.
2nd - Good, but I rarely have to listen to it.
1st - Same as the 2nd.
4th - It's allright, but it doesn't for some reason hold my interest. The only one I don't have on cd.