Beethoven

Question 1

birth and death, times and locations

Answer 1

German-born in Bonn in 1770, died in Vienna 1827 when he was 57.

Question 2

What did he study as a child?

Answer 2

violin and piano under his father.

Question 3

Who taught him about composition?

Answer 3

Christian Gottlob Neefe.

Question 4

What did he do when he was 13?

Answer 4

became a harpsichordist in the court orchestra

Question 5

what did he do when he was 17?

Answer 5

he traveled to Vienna where he met Mozart

Question 6

what did he do in 1792?

Answer 6

He settled permanently in Vienna with Joeseph Hadyn.

Question 7

Deafness info

Answer 7

early 30s he became aware of his deafness. He recorded his feelings of despair in ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’. He became totally deaf by 1824 though he continued to write until his final moments of life (in 1827)

Question 8

What musical periods was he alive?

Answer 8

Beethoven was the link between classical and romantic periods.

Question 9

Was he a big influence?

Answer 9

Yes, he was the single most important musical influence on the subsequent generations of composers in the 19th century.

Question 10

Beethovens contemporaries

Answer 10

Joseph Haydn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Carl Stamitz
Carl Maria von Weber
Muzio Clementi
Luigi Cherubini
Franz Schubert.

Question 11

Beethovens compositions + some examples

Answer 11

5 piano concertos - "emperor"
26 bagatelles "fur Elise"
32 sonatas - "moonlight" "waldstein"
Dances - minuets, german dances and waltzes
Overtures
Chamber music
Choral music
Opera

Question 12

Compositional styles + stages of his life

Answer 12

light and witty (from Haydn) Around 1800 he began to explore new directions. A final stage can be heard with his last 5 piano sonata’s and last 5 string quartets. These were considered his most profound and spiritual compositions.

Question 13

‘classical’ style is classified by…

Answer 13

short, balanced phrases
one melodic line with simple accompaniments
modulations to closely related keys
detached notes and short slurs -clear, articulated sound
highly-organised, formal structure

Question 14

‘romantic’ style is classified by…

Answer 14

dramatic intensity
denser textures, using heavier pedal
wider-ranging modulations
wider dynamic and pitch range
freer approach to formal structure

Question 15

what is a bagatelle?

Answer 15

a short instrumental piece, usually light hearted in character.

Question 16

Beethovens development of bagatelle’s

Answer 16

his early bagatelles were often light and playful but some of his later ones are serious.