Music Monday - All About Beethoven

A new feature I want to start today is Music Monday, where each week I talk about a musician, singer, songwriter, composer who has inspired me with their work and music. Top of that list has to be Ludwig van Beethoven! Ever since I can remember I have enjoyed listening to his music. I wouldn’t say I am familiar with every piece he has written and yet if I turn on the radio to Classic FM when they are midway through playing a piece I can instantly recognise whether or not it is Beethoven. I am not classically trained and haven’t had piano lessons since I was nine years old but there is something about this man’s music that just touches a chord in my heart. His music conveys so many emotions that it really is music to suit all moods, there are romantic, relaxing sonatas and concertos, invigorating and energising symphonies  - not forgetting the pieces to just let off steam too(1^st Movement of Symphony No 5 works for me every time!)

Many people will know the name of Beethoven and will probably easily identify him as the “deaf composer”. Anyone who has learnt to play the piano will probably be able to play Fur Elise and yet for most people their knowledge of one of the greatest composers is probably little else.

When I develop an interest in anything, it sometimes becomes an obsession and very soon I want to find out every bit of information I can – Beethoven was no exception. Luckily for me an English reporter and newsreader John Suchet (now Classic FM presenter) shares my love of Beethoven and it’s from him that I’ve gained much of the information I now know about him. Through his series of books and talks “The Last Master” my knowledge and appreciation for this incredible composer has grown.

Beethoven’s deafness is just one of the things about him that inspire me. How someone can write such incredibly beautiful, poignant and inspiring music when you are unable to hear it yourself is simply a wonder to me. He was said to have a volatile temperament and would often fall out with his friends in spectacular style. In May 1803 for example, Beethoven gives the first performance of the Violin Sonata op. 47, with the English virtuoso George Bridgetower as soloist. He dedicates the sonata to Bridgetower, but after Bridgetower makes an insulting remark about a lady, Beethoven withdraws the sonata from him and dedicates it instead to Rudolphe Kreutzer – hence the Kreutzer Sonata as it is now known. However, despite his renowned temper he was also very witty and would often compose musical quips or jokes. For his overweight friend, the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, he composed a piece Lob auf den Dicken ([In Praise of the Fat One), WoO 100, for full chorus and three solo male voices, the first line of which is "Schuppanzigh ist ein Lump" (Schuppanzigh is a rogue). It lasts around 30 seconds.

For such a great name in the classical music world he composed relatively few pieces when compared with Mozart and Haydn (both of whom he admired greatly) just nine symphonies, five piano concertos, one violin concerto, sixteen string quartets, one opera and yet these pieces are still played and revered throughout the world today.

One of the mysteries surrounding Beethoven’s life were the letters to his Immortal Beloved – who was she? In the 1994 film Immortal Beloved starring Gary Oldman, the film seeks to reveal the identity of this mysterious woman and whilst partially accurate does not reveal the true identity. Likely suggestions have been Giulietta Guicciardi; a young student of Beethoven’s who he fell in love with. It was believed that one of her parents objected to the match and so she married Count Von Gallenburg instead. Beethoven composed what is now known as Moonlight Sonata for her.

For another student and love Therese Malfatti he composed Bagatelle WoO 59. He planned to play it for her at a soiree at her father’s house and afterwards propose to her. It all came to nothing as he got horribly drunk that night and not only unable to propose but also to play the piece. Therese demanded that he still dedicate the piece to her and so he wrote on the top of the page of manuscript Fur Therese (For Therese). After her death, the original manuscripts was found in her effects and immediately recognised as Beethoven’s work. It was published under the title Bagatelle but the dedication was possibly mis-read...today you will know this piece (and maybe even able to play a few notes) as Fur Elise.

One of the most beautiful pieces in my opinion though is Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, more popularly known as The Emperor Concerto. I don’t think there are words to adequately describe how stunning this piece is, it is so delicate and intricate to start with and yet builds up to a full crescendo at the end. In the film Immortal Beloved it is played at the end when the letter to the Immortal Beloved is reunited with its rightful owner (although the film is inaccurate).More recently it was used in the film The King’s Speech as King George VI delivers his first full speech to the nation after his speech therapy. It is so incredibly moving and poignant that it really strikes a chord in the heart of the listener.

Want to find out more...here’s the recommended booklist:

The Last Master trilogy by John Suchet (v.1 Passion and Anger, v.2 Passion and Pain, v.3 Passion and Glory)

The Classic Fm friendly guide to Beethoven

Beethoven’s Hair by Russell Martin