Beethoven: Pathétique Sonata - First Mov.

By 1800, Beethoven had already made a name for himself in Vienna as a pianist and composer. In his circle, there were princes and counts who regularly invited him to their palaces. The purpose of these gatherings was to enjoy a pleasant musical evening, although sometimes Ludwig would bring his nightcap in case they let him spend the night there.
An indispensable participant in these evenings was Prince Karl von Lichnowsky, one of his best friends, to whom Beethoven dedicated, among other pieces, the sonata called "Pathétique", published in 1799. Right from the beginning, this piece received popular acclaim.

The first movement, allegro molto e con brio, begins with an introduction marked grave, where some bleak and sorrowful bars oscillate between forte and piano. Then, a very rapid chromatic waterfall will link with the allegro proper in a perfect blend.

Sonata Opus 13 "Pathétique" - First Movement - Piano: Krystian Zimerman

The good times
Beethoven had arrived in Vienna in 1792, at the age of 22. Whilst passing through Bonn, Haydn had invited him to be his pupil in Vienna, but their incompatible personalities made the teacher-student relationships extremely difficult. The same happened with other musicians, until he met the opera director Antonio Salieri, maestro di capella of the Court and alleged poisoner of Mozart. Ludwig ended up taking lessons with Salieri for more than 8 years. The relation proved fruitful and for this reason it can be said — if we forget his incipient deafness — that when the Pathétique was published the young Ludwig was having his best years. In fact, he had integrated fully to the Viennese society, hobnobbing with members of the nobility, which came with the previously unimaginable privilege, in the words of one of his biographers, "of falling in love with their daughters".

However, hanging out with the aristocrats was not cheap. It was de rigueur to have lackeys and dress well. The latter was Ludwig’s weak point, since he was somewhat plump and had to try harder than ordinary people, and this meant spending money.
But money was not a problem for Beethoven, at least not in the 1780s or onwards. His income came from four main sources: public performances as a pianist; teaching, preferable to the more select and prosperous clientele possible; the organization of concerts based on his own or other composers’ music; and finally, the publishing of his pieces, which his editors would fight tooth and nail about, as he used to boast. In a letter to his friend Dr Wegeler (who eventually beat him in seducing Eleonore von Breuning), Ludwig stated:

“My compositions are very profitable, and I may really say that I have almost more commissions than it is possible for me to execute. I can have six or seven publishers or more for every piece, if I choose; they no longer bargain with me — I demand, and they pay — so you see this is a very good thing.”

Being a musician does not imply being a serf, seems to have been Beethoven’s motto. Hence, the genius of Bonn will seek relentlessly for the quality of life and social consideration that he thought was owed to an artist of his standing. The romantic musician had been born!

The picture is an engraving showing Beethoven improvising at the piano for his friends. The musician and great piano teacher, Karl Czerny, is standing behind the maestro, in the foreground, to the left, Prince Lichnowsky; at his side, Prince Lobkowitz; on the right, Baron Van Swieten.
The maestro could hardly complain about lack of attention!

.....................................................................................................................................

Dear visitor, if you like this article we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Chopin: "Fantasie Impromptu"

During the eighteen years he lived in Paris, Frédéric wrote four impromptus. The first one was composed in 1834 (he was 24) and was never published during his lifetime as Chopin himself removed it from the catalog of his works. It was his friend and pianist Julian Fontana who published it in 1856, six years after his death, ignoring Chopin's request to throw it into the fire. One wonders if Julian refrained from doing so because the composition was dedicated to him.
A wise decision, indeed! Over the years it became the most famous of all Impromptus, to the extent of acquiring —no one knows how— a name of its own: Fantasie Impromptu.

Basically, the composition is made up of two parts. Firstly, an allegro agitato that is followed by a serene and lyrical melody, moderato cantabile, which will then whithers away to allow a repetition of the first theme, finishing with the left hand replaying the first notes of the moderato section while the right hand continues playing semiquavers, as it was at the beginning, till the piece resolves, gently, on a rolled chord.

Polyrhythm is a feature of the first part, which, more accurately, its a cross-rhythm. That is, the right hand plays sixteenth notes (semiquavers) whilst the left one plays triplets, with a very accurate synchronization of the two hands. It is not that complicated, after all. It is as if you were asked to beat on a table twice every second with your left hand and three times with your right hand in the same period of time. For children living in Caribbean countries, it is literally child's play. I've seen and heard it with my own eyes and ears.

Let's listen to a little extract of the first theme running at a very slow rate, quite inadequate to appreciate the music, but perfect to illustrate the hard struggle between sixteenth notes and triplets. I hope you can hear how ugly the notes can sound, before turning into real music.



And now, let's listen to the same extract at a normal speed, coupled with a bit of magic, intention, the state of grace and the pedal.


Clearly, the composition has become more real at the speed demanded by Chopin, i.e. allegro agitato, or fast and agitated.

But I think the young woman we are about to listen to went a bit overboard in the allegro agitato. Proof of this is the fact that, a few moments before moving us with the beautiful and serene melody of the central theme, the vigorous octaves that preceded it have uncovered her lovely right shoulder in an excess of enthusiasm. Apart from this, she plays like a goddess.

Therefore, I invite you to admire and listen to beautiful Russian pianist Valentina Igoshina playing the Impromptu N°4, or Fantasie Impromptu, at a recital in 2003, when she was 25 years old, just one more than Frédéric by the time he composed the piece.

Dear visitor, if you like this article we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Addinsell: "Warsaw Concerto"

The movie was called “Dangerous Moonlight", where a Polish pianist and war pilot finds himself caught in the midst of the "Battle of Britain" during World War II. The soundtrack of the 1941 British film would originally include the romantic Concerto No. 2 of Rachmaninoff, which had been published forty years before and has since captivated audiences for its unique beauty. But copyright problems impeded its use and the producers had to opt for an "original" concert piece a la Rachmaninoff, more precisely, in the mood of his second Concerto.

The composition of this work was given to the composer Richard Addinsell, born in London in 1904. Apart from his works for theater, he had created the soundtrack of many films, including the blockbuster “Goodbye, Mr Chip”, released in 1939.

"Warsaw Concert"
Addinsell responded with Warsaw Concert, a piece for piano and orchestra that became the soundtrack of the film. According to the storyline, it was  the work the protagonist, Stefan Radetzky, was composing, to be performed during the fictional narrative.

Richard Addinsell (1904 - 1977)

The work is written in the style of Rachmaninoff and more, because Addinsell borrowed from the Russian master's second concert not only its spirit, warmth and tenderness, but also, and blatantly, bits and pieces of it. This was what the British needed in 1941, which indeed, Addinsell delivered with great skill, paving the way to the fashion of including soundtracks "in the style of classical music" in many subsequent films, although none more memorable than that of Addinsell.

Of course, the beautiful and deeply romantic Warsaw Concert is not a concert in the usual sense of the term. It lasts less than ten minutes and has a single movement. Nevertheless, a screenshot in the film shows a poster stating that the concert has three movements. The magic of cinema!

The rendition is by the Hungarian pianist Laszlo Kovacs, accompanied by the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kovacs himself from the piano.

Dear visitor, if you like this article we'll be very thankful if you share it, with an easy click

Paganini: Violin Concerto No 1

The popular idol of the 19th century, Niccolo Paganini, made his debut in Parma at the age of fifteen. Then, accompanied by his father, he will tour the region of Lombardy offering concerts and seeing his fame grown with his brilliant performances and the infernal virtuosity that accompanied each of them. Thus, not by chance, before he turned twenty the distinguished violinist would have achieved his economic independence, a circumstance that together with his youth and charisma will make him a lover of bets and inclined to romantic adventures.

But the lavish lifestyle his talent allowed him to lead was no obstacle for in 1801 and 1807 to devote himself to the composition of his first great works, which will revolutionize violin technique forever. From uniting the enjoyment of life with an intense work ethic emerged his best known and performed work to date, the set of 24 Caprices for violin solo, and the two sets of six sonatas for violin and guitar. Ten years later he will compose his first violin concerto.

Niccolo Paganini (1782 - 1840)

After leaving his position as music director in the principality of Lucca and Piombino serving Princess Elisa Bonaparte (yes, sister of Napoleon) he devoted himself to touring Italy offering recitals with his own works. A good number of years would pass before he decided to conquer Europe, which apparently was waiting for him. In 1828 he gave his first recital in Vienna with great success. Three years later, presentations in Paris and London will follow with sensational results. The following year, he had to visit England and Scotland. After returning from that four-year tour, Niccolo settled in Paris in 1833. He was fifty-one years old and a rich man.

Perhaps for this reason, after a short time, he decided to retire from the stage. In 1834 he left simultaneously Paris and the concert career. Surprisingly, two years later he returned to the City of Lights as a businessman, to open a casino, the Paganini Casino, a company in which he invested much of his fortune with disastrous results. The enterprise had to close its doors just two months after it opened.

The legend
The incredible virtuosity of Paganini was attributed in his time to a pact with the devil or to hidden deals with beings from beyond the grave. His almost cadaverous countenance and a sombre picture  contributed generously to all this. The legend points out that Niccolo's music came from the souls of women with beautiful voices that were kept captives inside his violin.

Violin concerto No 1 in D major

Composed around 1817-18, concert No. 1 astonished audience and critics alike for its brilliance and demanding virtuosity. The work is in the habitual three movements, with a first movement skillfully done, showing, along with the third one, Paganini’s incredible technical ability. The second movement, by contrast, is filled with elegant melodic themes and moments of striking beauty.

The rendition is by the Russian-Israeli master Shlomo Mintz, accompanied by the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, from Maastricht, directed by Yoel Levi.

00:00  Allegro maestoso

20:35  Adagio espressivo
25:42  Rondo. Allegro spiritoso

Dear visitor, if you liked this article, we'll be very grateful if you share it on Facebook, or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Mozart: Piano Concerto No 20

When in 1780, Wolfgang Amadeus learned that his first love, Aloysia, had just married another, he did not despair or contemplate suicide. (Notice. Göethe had not yet given to the world his Sorrows of Young Werther...). Instead, he turned a little and set his sights on the black eyes of Konstanze, who was nineteenth, one year younger than her sister Aloysia and was just over there, hanging around.

They married in 1782, and the following years, up until he died in 1791, were probably the happiest in Wolfgang's entire life. Two years later and still deeply in love, Konstanze and Wolfgang would write to Mozart's sister, Nannerl, on the eve of her marriage: "We wish that you two will live together as harmoniously as we two".

They immersed themselves in the dazzling artistic life of the Vienna of those years. The year 1785 found Mozart totally dedicated to his intense musical life; a period that proved to be very productive regarding publications.
Because of its popularity, the Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 20 in D minor stands out amongst his work of that time.
Beethoven, by then a fifteen years old lad, would maintain this concert in his repertoire for many years. Additionally, he would compose the cadenzas (i.e. the solo sections improvised by the interpreter or played according to prepared guidelines) for this and other concerts.

Piano Concerto No 20, in D minor, K. 466
I have chosen a rendition by the excellent Czech pianist Ivan Klansky, because of his amazing technique. He plays with such ease that his gestures seem to directly communicate with his emotions.
The work is in three movements:
00:00  Allegro
15:02  Romanza
23:53  Allegro assai

A decade of triumphs
Roundabout the time of the composition of Concerto No. 20, Mozart's fame was already considerable. A Viennese newspaper, commenting on a concert, mentioned his "well-deserved reputation" and pointed out that Wolfgang was "known universally".

To be truthful, his main source of income was still his music lessons, but he also gave concerts with some regularity, playing as a piano soloist. In addition, there were the proceeds from his numerous publications. Considered individually, they were poorly paid, but the total amount of their sale would have helped him to make ends meet.
Last but not least, one has to consider the earnings accrued from the performances of his operas. Not all yielded all that Mozart would have liked, but some of them certainly did.

The economic straits
This is why is intriguing that the couple suffered persistent economic hardship, to the extreme that Mozart had to borrow money from some fellow Masons. At the same time, he would ask them to send him students, stressing the fact that he charged "low prices".
Several scholars blame poor Konstanze, accusing her of extravagance, frivolity, and a fondness for luxury. Part of it might be true. But we have to take into account that, if one year Konstanze was not pregnant it was only because she was sick. Therefore, I prefer the more pragmatic first-hand opinion of Nannerl: "My brother did not know how to run his finances, and Konstanze was unable to help him on this".

The myth
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on December 5, 1791, at the age of 35. The following day the myth of the mass grave and the storm was born. None of it is true. Although no one recorded the exact spot of his resting place, he was not buried in a pauper's grave. And on 6th of December, Vienna saw one of the most placid and sunny afternoons of that Autumn.

..................................................................................................................................

Dear visitor, if you like this article we'll be thankful if you share it, with an easy click

Chopin: Waltz op 64-1, "The Minute Waltz"

The young woman in the picture is the Polish Countess Delfina Potocka, at the age of 23. Five years before she had married Count Potocki, thus acquiring both the surname and the title.
But Delfina was unhappy in her marriage, and she divorced the count in 1830. Afterwards, she began her travelling.

First, she toured across Europe, and after living for a while in London finally settled in Paris.
Sensitive by nature, Delfina gathered in her salons the musicians, poets, painters and novelists of her time. There she reencountered Frédérick Chopin in 1831, just when he was considering that giving piano lessons was the only option he had to earn a living. And he took her as a pupil.

It is still rumored that there was more than teaching going on, but there is no evidence to support those rumors. A year earlier, Chopin wrote a friend about a dinner he attended at home of "the beautiful wife of Count Potocki", but that is all.

However, they maintained a regular correspondence for many years, no matter where they happened to be at any one time. In 1847, one of those letters could have revealed to Delfina that Chopin had dedicated one of his compositions to her, a short waltz.

Delfina had been a diligent and able student with Chopin, so it is fair to assume that she was able to play the waltz at the speed specified by her teacher, i.e., molto vivace, which means very lively and animated. The little waltz became popular and came to be called "The Minute Waltz" because of its short duration.

Following, Valentina Lisitsa rendition, trying to play it in just one minute:

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be thankful if you share it with an easy click

Franz Liszt: Love Dream No 3

The years of 1810 and 1811 witnessed the arrival in the world of three giants of 19th century romantic music: Schumann and Chopin in 1810; Franz Liszt in 1811.
Generally, people tend to think that Liszt is a musician much later to Chopin, but as we already see the latter only precedes by a year to Liszt. The reason is that Liszt lived a good amount of years more than the ill-fated Frédéric. And so, long after Chopin's death in 1849, Franz Liszt was more alive than ever, performing recitals all over Europe, meeting and knowing aristocratic women on a very intimate level, whether a princess or a countess… and creating music.

For all this to happen, at the age of eight, little Franz had to show up his talent. This was not difficult because his parents were able to recognize it immediately: his father Adam Liszt was mayor of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy and had dealt extensively with Joseph Haydn. As soon as Franz turned 9, the Liszt family moved with him to Vienna to receive lessons from the most renowned music teachers. Then came Paris and later the whole of Europe.
Franz was born to conquer.

At 22 he is already a celebrated musical personality in the Parisian salons. In a select meeting between those attending were Chopin, Meyerbeer, Délacroix and Heine, among others, he was introduced to the Countess Marie d'Agoult, a well-known lady in Paris aristocratic environments. Marie, as well, was fond of writing, George Sand style. Also, she was six years older than Liszt and was married, to be exact. But love took hold and as love can do everything, Marie and Franz, despite the scandal caused, managed to unite their lives taking refuge in Switzerland, in a house on the outskirts of Geneva.
There, for almost two years, Franz will love and work intensely.

Love Dream No 3
It is probably the piece with which Liszt is better identified by common people. It belongs to a series of three nocturnes published in 1850, one year after Chopin's death. Altogether, they bear the name of Liebesträume and were conceived from poems.
The Nocturne No 3 consists of a beautiful theme that is repeated three times with intelligent variations linked by cadenzas that demand great technical skill. The second variation (1:41) represents the climax of the small work and is where the interpreter is authorized to destroy the piano if so he wishes. The third variation, on the other hand, is much more delicate (3:14). It dies away little by little to finish with a pianissimo arpeggio.
The version is by the Italian pianist Vanessa Benelli.

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Bach: Prelude No 2

Whilst serving as maestro di cappella in the city of Köthen, Johann Sebastian Bach composed the 24 preludes and fugues that form the Book I of The Well-Tempered Klavier. He had arrived in Köthen in 1717, shortly after his then-employer, the Duke of Weimar, had lifted the punishment he had imposed upon Bach, releasing him from prison.

The Duke had an assortment of peculiarities which had been slowly but surely worsening his relationships with his "lackey" Bach (i.e. an assistant for various purposes), who had been serving him from 1708 as both chamber musician and organist of the Court. To the mix, we should add the rebellious character of Konzertmeister Johann Sebastian, and his stubbornness and obstinacy, traits that accompanied him throughout his life, often hampering his dealings with his superiors.

In 1717, Bach learned that he had been recommended for the position of Kapellmeister at the Court of Köthen, which he accepted with alacrity, sending at once his family to that city. Alas, he had not requested the mandatory authorization from the Duke...

And when he did, it was too late. Exasperated, the Duke did not respond and after Bach’s insistence, surely not very tactful, the boss lost his patience. After four weeks of imprisonment, Bach “was freed from arrest with notice of his unfavourable discharge”, as reads the note by the Registrar of the Court. Eventually, Bach reunited with his family in Köthen and took charge of his post, where he remained until 1723.

JS Bach - Prelude No 2
This rendering of the Prelude No. 2 of The Well-Tempered Klavier, Book 1, by Glenn Gould, is unmistakable, though interestingly rather slow. The Canadian pianist and composer is said to have renewed the interpretation of Bach, despite the fact that he used to play sitting at the piano on a short-legged chair, with his chin almost touching the keyboard! (What we will not see here because I could only get the audio version).

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Beethoven: "Moonlight" Sonata - Mov 1

"Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon". A painting by Caspar D. Friedrich, c. 1824

When, years after Beethoven’s death, the opera singer Magdalena Willmann was asked why she had rejected the maestro’s proposal of marriage, she responded: "Because he was very ugly and half crazy."
We know nothing about Magdalena, but it seems she did not mince her words. However, even if she was exaggerating, the truth is that Beethoven's relationships with women were never straightforward, but rather complex and awkward. His dour features and (according to some contemporaries) the marks of smallpox, did not help the situation either.

Apart of the singer, the list of candidates to become "Mrs Beethoven" was long: the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, the two sisters Therèse and Josephine von Brunswick, Therèse Malfatti, Bettina Brentano, Amalie Sebald and others.
Despite all his efforts, the genius of Bonn never married. Countess Guicciardi was the dedicatee of Beethoven’s most famous sonata, the popularly known Moonlight Sonata; she was happy to accept the honor but refused to tie the knot.

Although not a great beauty, Giulietta was a charming seventeen-year-old girl when she commenced her music lessons with young Beethoven. Ludwig had recently arrived in Vienna in 1793, and after a few months of mutual education, he succumbed to the spell of la contessina. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old newcomer who was attempting to make his mark in the Viennese musical society was small fry for the young lady.

But Ludwig did not bear a grudge against her. The sonata, composed during Beethoven’s stay at the home of the Brunswicks in 1801 (where he spent the season looking at the already mentioned sisters out of the corner of his eye), was published in 1802. It was dedicated to la contessina with affection, but also with a printing error: "... composta e dedicata alla damigella contessa Guilietta Guicciardi".

The initial movement of the sonata represents a break with the classic mold. Instead of the traditional structure fast - slow - fast, Beethoven started the piece with a very slow adagio, with the precise indication: adagio sostenuto –a beautiful and simple melody against a background of triplets.

The popular title of the sonata is due to Heinrich Rellstab, a poet and music critic of the time, who compared the adagio with the vision of the Swiss Lake Lucerne, on a luminous night. Most titles traditionally given to the sonatas of Beethoven owe their names to the wits of publishers or some enthusiastic romantic poets.

In the last bars, in the low registry, the left hand takes charge of the G sharp with which the melody had started.

Sonata N° 14 Opus 27 N°2 - Adagio sostenuto - Piano: Wilhelm Kempff

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Mozart: Sonata in F major - Adagio

In the summer of 1763, Leopold Mozart came to the conclusion that it was time to move away from Salzburg and, once and for all, set off on a long tour across Europe with his son Wolfgang and his older sister Nannerl, who both had shown, from an early age, extraordinary musical talents. 

A year earlier, in 1762 —Wolfgang was not yet six— the children had successfully performed in Munich and, in September of the same year, dazzled the courts of Vienna gaining fervent applause, a watch, some elegant clothes and some kisses on the cheeks.

After returning from these 'flying' visits which normally took a couple of weeks (each way), Leopold began planning an extensive European tour. This, eventually, would last more than three years, leading them to travel throughout France and England. The aim of this tour was to present the world with what he called "the gift that God has given me" and expecting from it, naturally, some money.

Leopold was right. The tour resulted in a huge success and became useful in many ways: little Wolfgang, only seven, had a lavish premiere playing in the courts of great kings and princes, deepening his experience as a musician, improviser and composer. Above all, it made money, and plenty.

But this was not manna from heaven.

In fact, in the second half of the eighteenth century, Leopold Mozart behaved as a seasoned entrepreneur, as we should say today. Before coming to each village, Leopold, the producer, used to publish a notice in local newspapers announcing the arrival of these amazing children and reporting the marvelous things they could do with a keyboard, even if it was covered with a cloth avoiding the children to see the keys.

An advertisement in a London newspaper, in 1763, reads:

"To all Lovers of Sciences:

The greatest prodigy that Europe, or that even Human Nature has to boast of, is, without contradiction, the little German boy Wolfgang Mozart; a boy, eight years old who has, and indeed very justly, raised the admiration not only of the greatest men, but also of the greatest musicians in Europe. It is hard to say, whether his execution upon the harpsichord and his playing and singing at sight, or his own caprice, fancy and compositions for all instruments, are more astonishing. The father of this miracle, being obliged by desire of several ladies and gentlemen to postpone, for a very short time, his departure from England, will give an opportunity to hear this little composer and his sister, whose musical knowledge wants no apology.

Performs every day in the week, from twelve to three o'clock, in the Great Room, at the Swan and Hoop, Cornhill. 

Admittance 2s. 6d. each person."

If Leopold was an outstanding producer of cultural events, he was far less successful as a promoter of his son’s career. He tried hard to obtain for Wolfgang a stable position in a court other than Salzburg's. Fortunately for posterity, all of them were unsuccessful, which allowed Mozart to apply his mind at working for himself.

Sonata in F major - Adagio - Elisabeth Leonskaja

Although in 1762 the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria rewarded Wolfgang for his performance in Vienna with a little suit decorated with gold braids, later she was less well disposed towards him. In 1771, having received an inquiry from his son, the Archduke Ferdinand, about employing Wolfgang in his court, Maria Theresa advised him not to admit "composers or any other useless people like them", in particular, "none of the Mozarts, who drift around the world like beggars".

Maria Theresa is remembered as a great promoter of science and the arts; a genuine representative of enlightened despotism, even though in this case the anecdote shows that she was a little bit more despotic than enlightened.

The Empress left this world in 1780. So, we may assume that she might have been able to enjoy some of the three sonatas that Mozart, the beggar, composed in Paris in 1778.

The Sonata in F major is less well known than the Sonata in A major (with its popular Rondo alla turca or Turkish March) but it is equally beautiful and represents another illustration of the rich diversity of Mozart's instrumental output. This sonata has three movements and a conventional structure: allegro - adagio - allegro molto. The adagio is one of the sweetest and delicate slow movements of the keyboard music of its time.

..................................................................................................................................

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook, o Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Schubert: Impromptu Op 90 No 4

The parents of Franz Schubert and those of Thérese Grob had known each other since they were young. They were neighbors in a suburb of Vienna –Liechtental– so the children of both families did play together, jumping and running one after another for much of their childhood. So, in the heat of those children's games, little Franz must have noticed the beauty of Thérese –a magic moment that history does not register.

Two years younger than Franz, as Thérese reached thirteen she was revealed to possess a beautiful soprano voice. In 1814, barely grown up, both will perform together on-stage at the premiere of the Mass in F for vocal quartet, organ and orchestra of the young master. Schubert, aged seventeen, conducts; Thérese, fifteen, is the soprano soloist.
All this was fine, but the girl's parents truly believed that the relationship had no future because Franz was just beginning an uncertain career as a musician and it was unthinkable that he could achieve any reputation in the short term.

As if all this were not enough, Klemens von Metternich, the champion of conservatism in charge of the security of Vienna and all of Austria, had recently issued a decree prohibiting marriage if the future husband had no means of supporting his wife. As was exactly the case.
Three or four years of vain attempts will follow. Schubert will try to obtain a position as Kapellmeister or as director of some of the great Viennese theaters, but it was all to no avail.

Eventually, the parents of Thérèse will find a promising suitor for their daughter in a man employed as a baker. "At least there will be no lack of bread on the table", Madame Grob is reported to have said.
They will contract the sacred link in November of 1820. Little Franz is sheltered inside the house of the poet Mayrhofer, with his heart broken in pieces.

Impromptus Opus 90 No. 4 
This is the last of this series. It is marked allegretto, that is, fast but not too much. The introductory and main theme is articulated in descending arpeggios, that fall in cascade having some gentle chords as a response. After the natural development of this idea the central section begins, where the arpeggios have been replaced by chords that hold a melody with a certain air of lament or imploration. Then returns the main theme which is repeated exactly the same as before until the two chords marked forte appear with which the piece ends.

Krystian Zimerman is not only a great pianist but an accomplished musician. It is said that during a rehearsal with the New York Philharmonic he made a scandal because a cellist raised his hand requesting a break when the day was just beginning to pay off. Zimerman did not allow the break and the director was forced to ask the cellist to return to his seat and continue the rehearsal.

.................................................................................................................................

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it to Google with an easy click

JS Bach: The Goldberg Variations and Hannibal Lecter

You would not find a person in the world who would not believe that the so-called classical music soothes the soul and helps to eradicate our inner demons. Those people also see themselves as good folks, as sensitive souls that would be incapable of killing a fly. However, this is not always true.

The Goldberg Variations is a work that would confirm the perceived virtues of classical music. Composed for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, it was completed around 1742, almost at the end of his life, while serving as kantor in Leipzig. The work includes an aria and 30 variations; it all ends with a shorter version of the initial aria, as if to remind us where everything came from. The complete piece lasts a little less than an hour and it is customarily played in one go, even though the interpreter generally takes a break after Variation 15th.

According to one of Bach's biographers, the Variations were composed at the request of a count in Dresden, to be performed by his harpsichordist (a certain Herr Goldberg) during the count's long sleepless nights. The purpose was successfully fulfilled and Johann Sebastian was generously rewarded.

Let us now listen to the Aria. The version is from the pianist Francois de Larrard.

Goldberg Variations - Aria:

 Many, many years later, The Silence of the Lambs, a novel by Thomas Harris, was published. Its male protagonist, the fearsome killer psychiatrist, Dr Hannibal Lecter, is a great lover of the music of Bach. Later, the homonymous film was unveiled; on it, we can see that minutes before Dr Lecter savagely killed the police officers who guarded him, the prisoner is enthralled to the aria of the Variations, just as we do it right now.

The officers are taking the supper to him and have to open the gate of the cage where Hannibal is locked. During this scene, parts of 6th and 7th variations can be heard.

6th Variation


7th Variation

While the hideous killing occurs, part of the 13th and 21st variations are played. Here you can listen to them in their entirety:

13th Variation



21st Variation

Dr Lecter got rid of his jailers. He devoured a chunk of the face of one of the guards and trashed to death the other one. Once the mission is accomplished, ecstatic, Hannibal enjoys the shorter, final version of the aria.
Sensitive souls can be found anywhere!

Following, the complete version, from the Russian pianist Evgeny Koriolov:

Dear visitor, if you like the article, we will be very thankful if you share it on Facebook, or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

JS Bach / J. Loussier: "Air on the G string"

Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750, the same year an eminent English doctor who happened to be in Leipzig at the time, recommended the great musician an ophthalmic operation to avoid blindness. Overcoming his initial reticence, Johann Sebastian agreed. The eminent doctor carried out the operation, but it failed. Later on, the eminent doctor performed a second operation. This time, the father of Western music became completely blind.

Fortunately, Bach had already produced almost all the 1087 pieces included in the Bach Work Catalogue (BWV for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis); he had tried practically all musical forms, with the exception of the opera, a genre he never tackled.

JS Bach composed four orchestral suites, of which suite No. 3 is one of the best known of all his orchestral production. This suite, also called Overture, consists of a succession of the dances of the time, whose French names —allemande, courante, bourrée, sarabande and others, ending with a gigue— reflect the influence of the French court during XVI and XVII centuries, a period during which such structure was all the rage.
The second movement of Suite No. 3 is an “air” that has become even more popular than the suite itself. Its musical beauty is sustained by a central melody that effectively interweaves with other melodic lines lead by a violin and a viola.

JS Bach. Air from Suite No. 3. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

Following Bach’s death, these suites fell into complete oblivion. Like so many of Johann Sebastian’s other works, the suites were heard again only since February 1838, when a young musician named Felix Mendelssohn, aged 29, conducted the complete Suite No. 3 in Leipzig.

There are many versions of different instruments for this “air”. One of these, arranged for violin and orchestra by a German composer during the 19th century, was most influential in establishing the popularity of the piece. Transposing the “air” from the original D major key to G major, he made it possible to play the main melody on one string only, the G string of the instrument. Thus, the moniker, "Air on the G string" was born.

A jazzy version
Back in the 60s, the jazz pianist Jacques Loussier completely “modernized" it, creating a radical change in the atmosphere of the piece. Accompanied only by a bass and percussion, this jazz version would have struck with astonishment poor Johann Sebastian.
Thanks to Mendelssohn, we can say Bach is still with us. Thanks to Jacques Loussier, we can say Bach is one of us.

The Jacques Loussier Trio - Air on the G string

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Chopin: Funeral March - Interlude

It is said that the first meeting Chopin had with the novelist George Sand went like this:
–What a repulsive woman Sand is! –Chopin said to a friend. –I'm inclined to doubt it.
Almost simultaneously, on the other side of the room, Sand whispered to a friend:
–That Monsieur Chopin, is he a girl?

It was the fall of 1836 and both attended a soiree in a Parisian hotel, Chopin having been invited by Liszt, and Sand by Marie d'Agoult, Liszt's lover at that time. The evening was enjoyable and ended up without any reason to suppose that Frédéric and Sand would see each other again.
But life is full of surprises, and after a few months, the writer who wore trousers and smoked cigars could not get Frédéric out of her mind. Her beloved Chip, Chop, or Chopinski, as she began to call him later, gladly allowed himself to be cherished.

It was only in October 1838 when, after several attempts, Sand finally managed to take Frédéric to a vacation in Mallorca, accompanied by her children.
Everything went swimmingly until the Mallorcan summer changed dramatically in late November and Frédéric, George Sand, and her children were forced to spend the day within their calamitous rooms.

A gratifying Interlude
In January, the weather was unbearable. Ill sheltered from the rain and the wind that raged outside, Chopin composed, Sand wrote and, surely, the children were bored to death. But we could imagine that in the evenings they might have read together under the light of a candle and, who knows, an unexpected instant of grace occurred. All of a sudden, Frédéric might have rushed to the pitiful little piano (the only available before the arrival of the piano sent off to him by his friend Pleyel) to create the Interlude that goes right in the middle of the Funeral March, which, according to some, was composed during that horrible summer. Precisely those notes have now become the most suitable way of saying goodbye, a century and a half later, to JF Kennedy for example, or, who would have thought, to Stalin and Brezhnev.

It was also performed at Chopin's funeral, in addition to the Mozart's Requiem, which the departed had expressly requested.
The Interlude, quite a finding for its quiet beauty just in the midst of such solemnity, is preceded by a low octave, immediately following the first part of the most celebrated melody.


Composing at least one funeral march was de rigueur for the musicians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Whilst living with George Sand, with whom he finally spent eight splendid years, Chopin has given the world the most famous of them all, the one that was going to take a life of its own. This was not always true. The piece was added as the third movement of the Sonata in B flat minor, composed in 1839. Chopinski was 29. He had returned from Mallorca more dead than alive but had already recovered.

You are invited to listen to Chopin's Funeral March, knowing that the very same notes were heard by those who marched behind the coffin of Frédéric from the Madeleine Church to the cemetery of Pére-Lachaise, Paris, one hundred and sixty years ago. (The Interlude begins at 3:00).

Chopin's Funeral March - Arthur Rubinstein

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Chopin: Nocturne Op 9 No 2

Chopin's portrait painted by Maria Wodzinska

Frédéric Chopin knew the Wodzinsky family since childhood and in the summer of 1835, he was invited to Dresden to spend a short time with them. There he met Maria again, the youngest daughter. He remembered her as a child who used to annoy the grown-ups by pulling faces at them or rowdily running around. Now, she was a beautiful girl of sixteen who liked painting and played the piano. Frédéric, who had already turned twenty-five, reciprocated the hospitality by giving piano lessons to Maria every afternoon.
The maestro asked the young girl to have her music book at hand on the piano, in order to write down any musical ideas that would arise at any time.

A page of this book is shown in the picture: a sketch of the Nocturne in E flat, Opus 9 No 2, in its early stages. Obviously, it is just a germ of an idea: barely three bars of the melody.
Frédéric will add later the accompaniment making it possible that these scrawled and hard-to-read signs could sound like this:

Undoubtedly, a great musical idea!
A friend of mine has suggested, maliciously, that it was Maria, not Chopin, the author of the sketch, perhaps responding to Frédéric mellifluously suggesting: "Maria... what if you improvise something for me in E flat? Just a couple of bars..., think of a serene melody that comes from the bottom of your heart!"

We know that Maria was able to compose (incidentally, we can see here the way she painted). My friend went on to say that Chopin, reprehensible, would have surreptitiously copied the bars in the notebook, as she raised her eyes to heaven for inspiration.
We don't believe this to be the truth.
Anyway, it was Frédéric who later ended the composition in Paris.

Here we have, in four and half minutes, the most popular romantic piece for piano of all times.
The performance is by the young Chinese pianist Tiffany Poon.

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you recommend it, with an easy click

Schubert: Impromptu No 3 Opus 90

Franz Schubert is the first great musician to born in Vienna. The son of a schoolteacher of peasant ancestry, and of a maid whose father was a locksmith, his modest origin was no obstacle to lead a pleasant childhood in the capital of the empire, a city that, with few exceptions, the little Franz never left since his birth in 1797 until his early death, at age 31, in 1828.

These are precisely the years when our beloved Beethoven lived in Vienna. Consequently, for at least twenty years both musicians lived in the same city, and even though Schubert venerated Beethoven, interestingly that they never met, although there seems to have been some rapprochement in the last months of the great master's life.

The reason is simple enough. They had common friendships belonging to circles of different social, cultural and political significance. Whilst the young Ludwig would be hunting the daughters of his noble friends, little Franz (only five feet in height and shortsighted), barely could reach to look a little beyond its narrow surroundings and fixed his eyes, when sixteen, in the younger sister of his brother Ignaz’s woman.

Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) 

The four Impromptus, opus 90, composed in the summer of 1827, are perhaps the "small pieces" of Schubert that have gained more popularity. (In the cataloguing of a gentleman with a surname Deutsch, they are identified as "D 899".) The "form" impromptu, already widely used by that time and characterized by being completely free, almost an improvisation, was going to acquire great boom and presence throughout the romantic period.

Impromptu No 3, Opus 90 - Vladimir Horowitz

The right hand does almost all the work here, with the little finger or "fifth finger" in charge of the melody and the others engaged in the arpeggiated accompaniment, which must maintain, let us say, a "low profile" throughout the piece. The left hand holds the bass, becoming protagonist at times by adding a small amount of drama to this essentially, simple piece.

The rendering of the maestro Vladimir Horowitz has been chosen not only for his pianistic excellence but because it constitutes a unique overflow of commitment, sympathy and good vibes.

.....................................................................................................................

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we'll be very thankful if you share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Beethoven: The Immortal Beloved - Appassionata Mov 3

It is not a hasty statement to point out that Beethoven was in love with Josephine von Brunswick for at least 14 years, from the time she was his pupil, around 1798, until 1812, the year in which the letter to the Immortal Beloved is supposed to be dated, according to scholars. This does not mean he didn't try to deploy his skills as a lover elsewhere and certainly one can't ignore his attempted flirtations with Bettina Brentano, Therese Malfatti and other girls of the time.

Joséphine, though a widow with four children, remarried in 1808. An offense against poor Ludwig? A permanent abandonment? No, not necessarily. Josephine was obligated to seek security for their children, and she believed she had found it with a certain Count von Stackelberg; she was most likely motivated solely by this goal, since, if we consider it in terms of happiness, this marriage (which added three more children to Josephine's offspring) turned out worse than her previous one.

And perhaps this was why Beethoven kept hope alive for so many years, although Therese and her other sister took care to contain his enthusiasm in a judicious, cold and realistic framework, because of his social class and origin.

Letter to the Immortal Beloved

The second and third fragments of the letter show a very complex loving relationship, fraught with enormous difficulties for its concrete realization. Perhaps this is sufficient to infer that indeed the Immortal Beloved Letter, surprisingly never sent, is addressed to Josephine von Brunswick, a widow of von Deym, a divorcee from von Stackelberg, and a mother of seven children to boot.

Extracts:

"Monday evening, 6 July

"You suffer, you, my dearest creature. Just now I perceive that letters must be posted first thing early. Mondays — Thursdays — the only days, when the post goes from here to K. You suffer — oh! Where I am, you are with me, with me and you, I shall arrange that I may live with you. What a life!

"So! Without you — pursued by the kindness of the people here and there, whom I mean — to desire to earn just as little as they earn — humility of man towards men — it pains me — and when I regard myself in connection with the Universe, what I am, and what he is — whom one calls the greatest — and yet — there lies herein again the godlike of man. I weep when I think you will probably only receive on Saturday the first news from me — as you too love — yet I love you stronger — but never hide yourself from me. Good night — as I am taking the waters, I must go to bed. Oh God — so near! so far! Is it not a real building of heaven, our Love — but as firm, too, as the citadel of heaven.

"Good morning, on 7 July

"Even in bed my ideas yearn towards you, my Immortal Beloved, here and there joyfully, then again sadly, awaiting from Fate, whether it will listen to us. I can only live, either altogether with you or not at all. Yes, I have determined to wander about for so long far away, until I can fly into your arms and call myself quite at home with you, can send my soul enveloped by yours into the realm of spirits — yes, I regret, it must be. You will get over it all the more as you know my faithfulness to you; never another one can own my heart, never — never! O God, why must one go away from what one loves so, and yet my life in W. as it is now is a miserable life. Your love made me the happiest and unhappiest at the same time. At my actual age I should need some continuity, sameness of life — can that exist under our circumstances? Angel, I just hear that the post goes out every day — and must close therefore, so that you get the L. at once. Be calm — love me — today — yesterday.

"What longing in tears for you — You — my Life — my All — farewell. Oh, go on loving me — never doubt the faithfullest heart

"Of your beloved

L

Ever thine.

Ever mine.

Ever ours."

It almost makes us want to cry. And we can not help but wonder, like Thérese, in her diary: 

"Why did not my sister Josephine, as widow Deym, take him as her husband? Josephine’s soul-mate! They were born for each other..."

Sonata Appassionata - Third Movement - Claudio Arrau

It's in the middle of the battle for this elusive love, in 1804, when Beethoven composed the Sonata Appassionata, which he dedicated to Josephine's brother, and whose third and final movement we are now listening to. Hectic in nature, the movement reflects a kind of restlessness that seems to never end and, according to some, it can 'take your breath away.' For this very reason, I love Master Arrau's expression while receiving the applause after his performance. He looks like a child who'd just recited a couple of verses in grammar school.

.........................................................................................................................

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we would be grateful if you share it on Facebook, Twitter or recommend it on Google with an easy click

Beethoven: The Immortal Beloved - Appassionata Mov 2

The year of composition of the Appassionata Sonata, 1804, is also the year of death of Count von Deym, leaving Josephine a widow with four children and little money. The marriage had been clearly unhappy, so Beethoven's offering regarding sympathize with her in her grief and, as far as possible, to take their relationship to a new level, must have been enthusiastically received by the young widow. While her suitor did not come from the nobility, he was, however, the most prestigious composer in the capital of the mighty Habsburg Empire, the city of Vienna.

Had Josephine remained a childless widow, Beethoven could have had a certain hope, although modest. The real problem had to do with the four children, who, according to the norms in effect at the time, should necessarily be fed, cared for and educated by a personage of nobility.

Sonata No 23 in F minor, opus 57 (Appassionata)
2nd movement: Andante con motto [First movement, here]
A set of variations. At the end, a sudden reprise of the calm original theme leads without pause to the third movement, a savage and impassioned finale.
At the piano, Valentina Lisitsa, during a rehearsal in Vienna.

The Immortal Beloved
Still, the relationship with Josephine would last until at least the year 1812 the date generally accepted as the date the famous Letter to the Immortal Beloved, addressed to an unnamed recipient, was written. Some letters exchanged by Ludwig and Josephine before 1812 are known, at least those written between 1804 and 1807. They have been discovered almost recently and as they reveal an atmosphere quite similar to the letter "To the Immortal Beloved " it is today estimated with a certain degree of realism that the addressee of the latter is indeed Josephine.

The letter, ten pages long, was initiated on "July 6 morning", resumed the afternoon and finished the next morning. The author, on a trip from a place that is not appointed to another that is not either, is writing from an inn or lodge he has reached after a very long and exhausting trip. The language used allows us to take a look at the author's personality and peer into human relationships that can not but surprise us because of a "romantic" nuance that today we would not hesitate to qualify as flamboyant or whimsical.

6 July morning
"My angel, my all, my own self — only a few words today, and that too with pencil (with yours) — only till tomorrow is my lodging definitely fixed. What abominable waste of time in such things — why this deep grief, where necessity speaks?

"Can our love persist otherwise than through sacrifices, than by not demanding everything? Canst thou change it, that thou are not entirely mine, I not entirely thine? Oh, God, look into beautiful Nature and compose your mind to the inevitable. Love demands everything and is quite right, so it is for me with you, for you with me — only you forget so easily, that I must live for you and for me — were we quite united, you would notice this painful feeling as little as I should . . .

". . . We shall probably soon meet, even today I cannot communicate my remarks to you, which during these days I made about my life — were our hearts close together, I should probably not make any such remarks. My bosom is full, to tell you much — there are moments when I find that speech is nothing at all. Brighten up — remain my true and only treasure, my all, as I to you. The rest the gods must send, what must be for us and shall.

Your faithful

Ludwig"

... to be continued...

(the 3rd movement, and the remaining letters) 

Beethoven: Appassionata Sonata - Mov I

Composed around 1804, when Beethoven was 34 years old and deafness had begun to afflict him severely, the Sonata No. 23, called Appassionata, was dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick, the brother of Ludwig’s students Therese and Josephine and, lo and behold, the cousin of his first love Giulietta.
Because of its boldness and novelty, the sonata was a breakthrough in piano composition; in addition to its enormous technical difficulty, it is characterized by the use of the full range of the instrument and the powerful interplay of the lowest notes. It is no coincidence that the Sonata has been written in the key of F minor, being "F" the lowest note on instruments of the time.

The image shows the first page of the opening movement, Allegro assai (quite fast). Obviously, the red circles are mine and not Beethoven’s. With them, I wish to highlight the use in this Sonata of the musical motif that would make Beethoven well known in the following centuries: the famous "ba ba ba boom", which some years later he would employ to open his Fifth Symphony.
The first time the motif appears is at 32 seconds into the piece, on the lower notes. It reappears, tempestuously, some minutes later to return towards the end of the movement with dramatic intensity.

Daniel Barenboim, live from Berlin, 2006

The Brunswicks met Beethoven in Vienna in the early summer of 1799, on the occasion of a short trip that they made from his home in a nearby town. Mrs Brunswick considered it was a good idea that the girls had piano lessons with the young pianist, to increase their charm vis-a-vis eventual suitors. Thus, Therese, 24, and Josephine, 20, became students of Beethoven. This was the onset of a long relationship between the maestro and the Brunswicks.

The maestro would always maintain a cordial and very intense relationship with Therese. They used to talk about this and that and maintained a sincere friendship for many years. Whether or not Ludwig imagined something else is not clear.
However, in those years Ludwig was captivated by the beauty of Josephine. Unfortunately for the maestro, it happened that the lady, towards the end of 1799, married a certain Count von Deym, 30 years her senior –an arranged marriage managed by Mrs Brunswick.

But the Count proved to be a complete fiasco. First, he didn’t  have as much money as he pretended (or as Madame Brunswick wanted to believe), and secondly, he passed away because of pneumonia only four years after contracting the sacred bond, leaving Josephine a widow with three children and expecting a fourth.

It is likely that at that time Ludwig reconsidered his position. Whilst the marriage lasted, he had regularly taken part in parties and musical evenings at the von Deyms’s home. But when Josephine became a widow, the master of Bonn decided to get a little closer, increasing the frequency of his visits. Then, it might be possible that little by little something that was more than a simple friendship began to grow between them.

...to be continued...

Dear visitor, if you like this article, we will be grateful if you share it with an easy click