Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German pianis… Read Full Bio ↴Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German pianist and composer of the transitional period between the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He is often regarded as one of the most brilliant, prolific and influential composers of all time.
Beethoven is widely regarded as a master of musical construction, sometimes sketching the architecture of a movement before he had decided upon the subject matter. He was one of the first composers to systematically and consistently use interlocking thematic devices, or 'germ-motives', to achieve unity between movements in long compositions. (Some insight into the meaning of the germ-motive device is given at the end of this bio.) Equally remarkable was his use of source-motives', which recurred in many different compositions and lent some unity to his life’s work. He made innovations in almost every form of music he touched. For example, he diversified even the well-crystallised form of the rondo, making it more elastic and spacious, which brought it closer to sonata form. He was mostly inspired by the natural course of nature, and liked to write songs describing nature.
Beethoven composed in a great variety of genres, including symphonies, concerti, piano sonatas, other instrumental sonatas (including for violin), string quartets and other chamber music, masses, lieder, and one opera.
Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods:
In the Early (Classical) period, he is seen as emulating his great predecessors Haydn and Mozart, while concurrently exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets, the first three piano concertos, and the first twenty piano sonatas, including the famous "Pathétique" and "Moonlight" sonatas.
The Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis centering around his encroaching deafness. The period is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle; these include many of the most famous works of classical music. Middle period works include six symphonies (numbers 3 to 8), the fourth and fifth piano concertos, the triple concerto and violin concerto, five string quartets (numbers 7 to 11), the next seven piano sonatas (including the "Waldstein" and the "Appassionata"), and Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio.
Beethoven's Late (Romantic) period began around 1816. The Late-period works are characterised by intellectual depth, intense and highly personal expression, and formal innovation (for example, the Op. 131 string quartet has seven linked movements, and the Ninth Symphony adds choral forces to the orchestra in the last movement). Works of this period also include the Missa Solemnis, the last five string quartets, and the last five piano sonatas.
Deconstructing the sonata form, both in the overall schema (movements, tempos) and in the micro-form, Beethoven began to use germinal ideas propelling the whole melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic progression. In the first quartet of the group (E flat major, Op.127 – February 1825), the Adagio has five variations (in this case, a source-theme becomes the backbone of the tempo). That same year, in July, Quartet in A minor, Op.132, features a first movement with the traditional two themes, but without contrast; they display and disseminate sub-sections and ‘germs’ in a circular frame, interlocking with each other. Beethoven's germ-motive is like a Bach choral, summoning the other voices around itself.
The last quartet, Op. 135 in F major, was composed in a downplayed form, going back to a more traditional four-tempo structure. But internally one finds the same frozen micro-structure: the first movement is harmonically ambiguous, whereas the scherzo sounds like Bartók, and in the finale, the canon ‘Es muss sein’ plays a joyful role. A terrible grave comes in afterward, to dissolve into a soft pizzicato: adieu music, adieu life . It was never heard by the now deaf Beethoven, and he died shortly afterward.
Beethoven is widely regarded as a master of musical construction, sometimes sketching the architecture of a movement before he had decided upon the subject matter. He was one of the first composers to systematically and consistently use interlocking thematic devices, or 'germ-motives', to achieve unity between movements in long compositions. (Some insight into the meaning of the germ-motive device is given at the end of this bio.) Equally remarkable was his use of source-motives', which recurred in many different compositions and lent some unity to his life’s work. He made innovations in almost every form of music he touched. For example, he diversified even the well-crystallised form of the rondo, making it more elastic and spacious, which brought it closer to sonata form. He was mostly inspired by the natural course of nature, and liked to write songs describing nature.
Beethoven composed in a great variety of genres, including symphonies, concerti, piano sonatas, other instrumental sonatas (including for violin), string quartets and other chamber music, masses, lieder, and one opera.
Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods:
In the Early (Classical) period, he is seen as emulating his great predecessors Haydn and Mozart, while concurrently exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets, the first three piano concertos, and the first twenty piano sonatas, including the famous "Pathétique" and "Moonlight" sonatas.
The Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis centering around his encroaching deafness. The period is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle; these include many of the most famous works of classical music. Middle period works include six symphonies (numbers 3 to 8), the fourth and fifth piano concertos, the triple concerto and violin concerto, five string quartets (numbers 7 to 11), the next seven piano sonatas (including the "Waldstein" and the "Appassionata"), and Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio.
Beethoven's Late (Romantic) period began around 1816. The Late-period works are characterised by intellectual depth, intense and highly personal expression, and formal innovation (for example, the Op. 131 string quartet has seven linked movements, and the Ninth Symphony adds choral forces to the orchestra in the last movement). Works of this period also include the Missa Solemnis, the last five string quartets, and the last five piano sonatas.
Deconstructing the sonata form, both in the overall schema (movements, tempos) and in the micro-form, Beethoven began to use germinal ideas propelling the whole melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic progression. In the first quartet of the group (E flat major, Op.127 – February 1825), the Adagio has five variations (in this case, a source-theme becomes the backbone of the tempo). That same year, in July, Quartet in A minor, Op.132, features a first movement with the traditional two themes, but without contrast; they display and disseminate sub-sections and ‘germs’ in a circular frame, interlocking with each other. Beethoven's germ-motive is like a Bach choral, summoning the other voices around itself.
The last quartet, Op. 135 in F major, was composed in a downplayed form, going back to a more traditional four-tempo structure. But internally one finds the same frozen micro-structure: the first movement is harmonically ambiguous, whereas the scherzo sounds like Bartók, and in the finale, the canon ‘Es muss sein’ plays a joyful role. A terrible grave comes in afterward, to dissolve into a soft pizzicato: adieu music, adieu life . It was never heard by the now deaf Beethoven, and he died shortly afterward.
Sonata No. 13 "Quasi una Fantasia" in E-flat major op. 27 no. 1: I. Andante
Ludwig van Beethoven Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Ludwig van Beethoven:
"An die Hoffnung" Op. 94 LUDWIG VcN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) cn die Hoffnung op.94 (aus…
1 Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of love; He…
9th Symphony Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir bet…
Ah perfido Ah! perfido, spergiuro, Barbaro traditor, tu parti? E son qu…
Ah! perfido Op. 65: "Ah! perfido" Ah! perfido, spergiuro, Barbaro traditor, tu parti? E son qu…
Ah! perfido Op. 65: "Per pietà non dirmi addio" Ah! perfido, spergiuro, Barbaro traditor, tu parti? E son qu…
Ah! perfido! Op. 65 Ah! perfido, spergiuro, Barbaro traditor, tu parti? E son qu…
An die Hoffnung op. 32 LUDWIG V. BEETHOVEN (1770-1882) cn die Hoffnung op. 32 Tex…
An die Hoffnung op. 94 LUDWIG VcN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) cn die Hoffnung op.94 (aus…
An die Hoffnung Op. 94 LUDWIG VcN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) cn die Hoffnung op.94 (aus…
Joyful Joyful Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of love; He…
Moonlight Sonata Camper Van Beethoven Camper Van Beethoven We Love You All…
Presto Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, wir bet…
String Quartet in A major Kimi no te de kirisaite Omoi hi no kioku wo Kanashimi no…
String Quartet in A major Op. 18 No. 5: III. Andante cantabile Kimi no te de kirisaite Omoi hi no kioku wo Kanashimi no…
Symphony No. 2 in D Major I saw you standing on the corner You looked so big…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@AshishXiangyiKumar
Korstick:
00:00 – Mvt 1
05:28 – Mvt 2
07:12 – Mvt 3
10:28 – Mvt 4
Lortie:
15:50 – Mvt 1
21:05 – Mvt 2
23:28 – Mvt 3
27:02 – Mvt 4
Goode:
33:01 – Mvt 1
38:18 – Mvt 2
40:05 – Mvt 3
42:53 – Mvt 4
Korstick’s performance is fantastic in the old sense of the word – full of fantasy, imagination, intensity. Even though he pays fanatical attention to the score (listen to the articulation in the opening, or the intensity of the scherzo at 6:39), there’s a real sense of fun to his playing. The contrasts are unabashedly huge, the dynamic shading is consistently exciting, and especially in the last movement the contrapuntal playing is near-perfect.
Lortie has a languid, lie-back-in-the-deckchair sort of approach, with slow tempi but lovely phrasing which yields some really surprising effects: the second movement ends up sounding almost sad, for instance. There’s a sense that you’re discovering the work as it slowly emerges, which I suppose is what improvisation should sound like.
Goode’s interpretation is dry, spry, and really compelling: listen to the beautifully clipped articulation right at the very beginning of the second movement, or the pearly scales in the last. Rather unexpectedly, his third movement is really moving, mostly on account of its being taken with a very classical kind of honestly. And in the first movement, even the opening melody is expressive, which you’d never expect from something so simple.
(Apropos of nothing, it strikes me that just comparing the three performers’ second movements gives you a very good idea of how they approach this sonata.)
@AshishXiangyiKumar
Korstick:
00:00 – Mvt 1
05:28 – Mvt 2
07:12 – Mvt 3
10:28 – Mvt 4
Lortie:
15:50 – Mvt 1
21:05 – Mvt 2
23:28 – Mvt 3
27:02 – Mvt 4
Goode:
33:01 – Mvt 1
38:18 – Mvt 2
40:05 – Mvt 3
42:53 – Mvt 4
Korstick’s performance is fantastic in the old sense of the word – full of fantasy, imagination, intensity. Even though he pays fanatical attention to the score (listen to the articulation in the opening, or the intensity of the scherzo at 6:39), there’s a real sense of fun to his playing. The contrasts are unabashedly huge, the dynamic shading is consistently exciting, and especially in the last movement the contrapuntal playing is near-perfect.
Lortie has a languid, lie-back-in-the-deckchair sort of approach, with slow tempi but lovely phrasing which yields some really surprising effects: the second movement ends up sounding almost sad, for instance. There’s a sense that you’re discovering the work as it slowly emerges, which I suppose is what improvisation should sound like.
Goode’s interpretation is dry, spry, and really compelling: listen to the beautifully clipped articulation right at the very beginning of the second movement, or the pearly scales in the last. Rather unexpectedly, his third movement is really moving, mostly on account of its being taken with a very classical kind of honestly. And in the first movement, even the opening melody is expressive, which you’d never expect from something so simple.
(Apropos of nothing, it strikes me that just comparing the three performers’ second movements gives you a very good idea of how they approach this sonata.)
@brendanbennett6770
just an edit Lortie's mvt 2 starts at 21:05
Otherwise, I've never really looked at this sonata but I will now!
@AshishXiangyiKumar
Fixed!
@OphiuchiChannel
The scherzos are my favorite parts.
@johnpointon4462
Thank you so much for putting this out there. This has been one of my favorite Beethoven sonatas (if not THE favorite) for several years now and the first one I try to listen to when comparing different approaches between equally wonderful pianists. Your analysis it icing on the cake!
@tianrange8653
Yh but
@jacklindahl
The second movement of this sonata is one of my favorite of all Beethoven sonata movements. It's so ... odd. And breathtaking.
@howardchasnoff208
The whole second movement is very Schumann sounding. I know Schumann got lots of inspiration from Beethoven.
@ClassicalMusic-ds9yt
mee too🤦♂️❤️
@elenitapianohoy3114
Yes...incredible. i am working on it