Download Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
The Consecration of the House, Op. 124
Consecration of the House (or Die Weihe des Hauses), op.124, is a work by Ludwig van Beethoven
composed in September 1822. It was commissioned by Carl Friedrich Hensler, the Director of Vienna’s
new Theater in der Josefstadt, and was first performed at the theatre's opening on October 3, 1822. It
was the first work Beethoven wrote after studying the works of J. S. Bach and Handel, and bears their
influence.
Previously, in 1811, Beethoven had written The Ruins of Athens (Die Ruinen von Athen), op. 113,
incidental music for August von Kotzebue's play of the same name, for the dedication of a new theatre in
Pest. This same work was to be performed again in 1822 for the new theatre in Vienna. However, Carl
Meisl, the commissioner of the Royal Imperial Navy, changed the texts of numbers 1, 6, 7, and 8 of
Beethoven's work. Beethoven was not pleased with the revision, and felt that the new text did not fit the
music. Meisl also introduced a section, Wo sich die Pulse, for which Beethoven wrote new music (WoO 98).
Beethoven wrote a completely new overture for the work, altered some of the musical numbers, and
added others, including a final chorus with violin solo and ballet. This new overture is known as the
Consecration of the House Overture. (The extra incidental pieces constitute the entire work.)
The Overture is written in two interconnected sections- an introductory Maestoso followed by an
Allegro con brio. The overall scheme pays homage to the baroque; in fact the piece is sometimes
described as Beethoven's "Overture in the Handelian style," and the earlier composer was indeed
especially in his thoughts in this period when he was also working on the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth
Symphony. But there's no mistaking the Beethovenian thumbprint in the rhythmic eccentricities of the
solemn, processional opening section. He scores for a theatrically expanded orchestra, drawing on his trio
of trombones for a noble sonority. The introductory part includes a series of fanfares and scurrying scales
to prefigure action in the play. The energy accelerates with great excitement as it spills over into the
Allegro, in which Beethoven exploits his flair for dramatic counterpoint on a grandly proportioned scale.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Symphony No. 8 in B minor (Unfinished), D. 759
Allegro moderato
Andante con moto
Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor (Unfinished) holds a place of honor in the development of music,
and is also his most popular symphonic work. The composer's unique lyrical genius was first manifest in
his songs, but as he matured, this lyricism was also displayed in the orchestral and chamber works, bringing a truly romantic feeling to these classical forms. In 1823, Schubert sent the manuscript of two completed movements and sketches of a third for a B minor symphony to Josef Hüttenbrenner to be given to
his brother Anselm as a gift. After being hidden away for thirty-seven years, this manuscript finally came
to light, and was handed over to the conductor of the orchestra of the Musikverein in Vienna. Music critic,
Hanslick, reported the Viennese reception of the first performance of the two completed movements in
1865, "When, after the introductory bars, the oboe and clarinet give out their suave tune in unison over
the quiet murmur of the violins, any child could have recognized the authorship, and a stifled exclamation,
almost a whisper, ran through the hall: Schubert! Before he has scarcely entered, they know him by his
step, by the way he lifts the latch.” Many theories abound as to why, or even if, the symphony was left
unfinished. Today we enjoy the piece as it stands, although some have attempted to expand it to a fourmovement work by “completing” the scherzo sketches and using the B minor Entr’acte from the
composer’s incidental music to Rosamunde for a finale. However, with these two most perfect movements,
Schubert ushered in the age of the romantic symphony.
Johannes Brahms (May 1833- April 1897)
Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
Brahms composed his concerto during the summer of 1878, one year following his sunny Second
Symphony. These two works share even more in common. Both were written in the beautiful Carinthian
town of Pörtschach-am-Wörthersee in the Austrian Alps. Both the symphony and the concerto are in D
major and have spacious first movements in triple meter. Most important is that the two compositions
enjoy a benign spirit sometimes elusive in Brahms’ music. It is comforting to know that this side of his
personality existed, and that he could plumb musical depths with a contented smile on his face.
The principal themes of all three movements in the concerto are built on triads, giving the work a
strength of motivic unity that reminds the listener once again of the Beethoven model. Brahms opens with
a broad orchestral exposition, taking an unusual amount of time to introduce his thematic material and
build up to the soloist’s entrance. Dramatic and cadenza-like, the violin’s opening statement is in minor
mode. Brahms’ mastery is evident in the way he asserts the violin’s parity with the orchestra. Throughout
the powerful first movement, he reduces the ensemble to just strings, or even partial strings, to highlight
a judicious contribution from the woodwinds. Without compromising the integrity of the orchestra’s material or the inherent drama of the music, the soloist is able to hold his own.
Pastoral slow movement
Brahms’ placement of his lovely slow movement in the pastoral key of F major further underscores the
generally sunny disposition of this work, so obviously reflective of a peaceful summer and comparatively
happy time in the composer’s life. The oboe theme at the beginning of the Adagio is one of the
instrument’s finest moments in the Brahms canon. A wind chorus supports it, building upon scoring ideas
in his own subtle first-movement orchestration. In a stroke of genius, Brahms has his soloist depart from
the theme after only three notes, tracing its own embroidery in many different fashions. Ivor Keys calls it
“variation by elongation.” At the end, pizzicato triplets outlining arpeggios hint at the underpinning of the
last movement.
Hungarian and Gypsy accents
Joachim’s Austro-Hungarian roots surface in the finale, which is flavored with a tinge of Gypsy rhythms
and harmonies. Brahms was returning a compliment from the violinist, who had written his own Concerto
in the Hungarian Manner and dedicated it to Brahms. Double stops abound in the main theme, which—like
a true Viennese waltz—requires flair to deliver with just the right hesitation and plunge in rhythm. Brahms
has written earthy music, a joyous dance for the people, cleverly enclosed within a rondo structure. His
coda, a brisk final statement of the main idea, switches neatly to 6/8 meter and accelerates to poco più
presto, introducing a merry hunting horn aspect to the concerto’s final moments.