A Bit About the Beethoven

I thought I'd write a quick bit about the Beethoven that I posted last week, especially as I'm already close to putting up my next bit (Chopin! Chopin! Chopin! I looooove Chopin! I have a music crush on him). So before I get all giddy over you-know-who* I should tell you a bit about one of the most famous composers of all time.

Beethoven. Ah, even his name is grand. Big name, big chords, big sound and big orchestras. His music is considered to be the most crucial in the bridging between the Classical and Romantic eras, I tend to think of him more as late Classical however. So everyone knows about his crazy hair and how he went deaf but remarkably continued to compose and perform, and that when he died apparently there was a loud clap of thunder. So I won't dwell on the stuff we all already know.

Beethoven wrote this sonata when he was 27 years old (in 1798). This is the third movement, all three movements together takes about 20 minutes to perform (which must be tiring to say the least). He didn't give it the nickname "Pathetique", it was the publisher who did, but as is common with these things, the trendy easy to remember name has stuck.
This was written right before his first and second symphonies, something he valued highly in composition. I think you can pick up on that, there is a certain grandeur, especially in this Rondo: Allegro movement, and I like to think it hints at what he was heading towards. Interestingly, Beethoven's hearing difficulties began around the time of the composition of this sonata.

I think one of the saddest losses in musical history is the destruction of Beethoven's conversation books (264 out of 400 books according to Wikipedia). His conversation books were where people would write down what they were saying to him, and he would sometimes write down the response (or I guess answer verbally). Apparently they give a lot of insight to his working process. They must be amazing to read. Unfortunately Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler wrote false entries in them after Beethoven's death, and then eventually destroyed a bunch.
So sad.


*I am not referring to Voldemort.

Beethoven - Sonata Pathetique 3rd Movt

Finally! The Beethoven is up!

There is still a lot of work to do on this one, but unfortunately I just don't have the time anymore.
So don't tell me that my tempo's off or my pianissimo isn't very 'issimo', I know *sigh*.

And as promised, this includes slips and trips - you'll see them. Again, it's the time factor.
I probably shouldn't point all the flaws out before you've seen the piece, but meh.

Scriabin - Prelude No. 4 Opus 11

I played this piece in a competition once, and I remember feeling like I had totally nailed it. My teacher and mum were in the audience. My teacher gave me a big thumbs up on my way back to my seat but when I got to my mum and she said "don't worry honey, I don't think anyone noticed the big mistakes, the big pauses". Before I could explain to her that that is they way the piece is meant to be played, the next performance started. And so she almost fell of her chair when I came in first! However that really showed me an important thing about performance and that is as the audience doesn't follow you with their own copy of the music (like the adjudicator did) you need to tell them what's going on, it's all about the body language. And I guess on that day my body language read "nervous" so mum thought they were mistakes and not grand pauses. If I had been more confident then there probably wouldn't have been any confusion.

So. Scriabin. A Russian composer, inspired by Chopin (makes sense - I adore them both), and influenced Prokofiev and Stravinsky, although apparently he thought their music was crap.

Scriabin's compositions are very lyrical, this piece has quite a strong expressive melody line, and are also known for being atonal (without a key, or lacking a tonal centre) - which is why this piece lends itself to a slightly "off centre" unbalanced uneasy feeling.

And I must say, I love Scriabin. This piece thrilled me to the core when I first got to know it, and it still does. It's short, but says so much. If you don't really like the heavy expressive stuff than this probably isn't for you.

Any literature fans might appreciate a Tolstoy quote, who described Scriabin's works as "a sincere expression of genius".
I quite agree.

ps. see that thing I'm doing my wrists? I shouldn't be doing that. Tsk tsk.

Rubato

Rubato is a term which directs the pace of music. Rubato indicates freedom of rhythm and expressiveness, bending the music to play it how you feel, its playing by your intuition, your instinct.

I love this word. Finding a piece stamped with 'rubato' is like finding out you get to eat all the chocolate.

Excuse.

Too hungry to practice. Too lazy to eat.

Boo Hoo

The finger that I broke a couple of months ago is playing up and is starting to really smart when I play.

Woe is me.

This also leads to one of the grossest things ever - massaging my knuckle. YUCK.