Beethoven

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I have two complete sets of the symphonies, one Cleveland orchestra with Georg Szell, one Chicago Symphony with Sir Georg Solti. I still prefer the Cleveland Sound. Symphonic music is my favorite classical form, and Beethoven’s are my favorite symphonies, Eroica- 5th, and 9th but I like them all.
 
At age 13 in 1964 when my contemporaries were listening to the Beatles, I was listening to Beethoven. The very first LPs I was given on my 13th birthday were Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic playing Beethoven’s Symphony # 3 and a collection of Claude Debussy’s La Mer and other of his works conducted by Arturo Toscanini. I still have both albums.

Do I listen to him (them) now? Not much. My tastes have changed - grown or developed. My interests are now the early Baroque period and before.

I have explored all of Beethoven’s music. And no, I am not a professionally trained musician. I still can’t sight read music and I’ve sung in a cathedral choir for 18 years.

But I know what I like. And here 40+ years later, I have roamed the halls of “classical” music. I couldn’t stand a cappella music in my teenage years until I sang it.

So, Tom explore! Nothing wrong with Ludwig Von…He’s a great starting point! Open your ears and enjoy!
 
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, 4th movement (I think)

“Ode To Joy” (Ode an die Freude)

Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, you millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.
Whoever succeeds in the great attempt
To be a friend of a friend,
Whoever has won a lovely woman,
Let him add his jubilation!
Yes, whoever calls even one soul
His own on the earth’s globe!
And who never has, let him steal,
Weeping, away from this group.
All creatures drink joy
At the breasts of nature;
All the good, all the evil
Follow her roses’ trail.
Kisses gave she us, and wine,
A friend, proven unto death;
Pleasure was to the worm granted,
And the cherub stands before God.
Glad, as his suns fly
Through the Heavens’ glorious plan,
Run, brothers, your race,
Joyful, as a hero to victory.
Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, you millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.
 
puzzleannie said:
I have two complete sets of the symphonies, one Cleveland orchestra with Georg Szell, one Chicago Symphony with Sir Georg Solti. I still prefer the Cleveland Sound. Symphonic music is my favorite classical form, and Beethoven’s are my favorite symphonies, Eroica- 5th, and 9th but I like them all.
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OOOOOOH! And then he can listen to Mahler!
 
BrianK2007 said:
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, 4th movement (I think)

“Ode To Joy” (Ode an die Freude)

Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, you millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.
Whoever succeeds in the great attempt
To be a friend of a friend,
Whoever has won a lovely woman,
Let him add his jubilation!
Yes, whoever calls even one soul
His own on the earth’s globe!
And who never has, let him steal,
Weeping, away from this group.
All creatures drink joy
At the breasts of nature;
All the good, all the evil
Follow her roses’ trail.
Kisses gave she us, and wine,
A friend, proven unto death;
Pleasure was to the worm granted,
And the cherub stands before God.
Glad, as his suns fly
Through the Heavens’ glorious plan,
Run, brothers, your race,
Joyful, as a hero to victory.
Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, you millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.
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I’ve never gotten to sing the 9th except around the house.
 
brotherhrolf said:
So, Tom explore! Nothing wrong with Ludwig Von…He’s a great starting point! Open your ears and enjoy!
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Totally agree that Beethoven is a great starting point. My first experience with classical music was at the age of 4. My father was playing an record of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. The record came with a book about his life. My reading skills wasn’t great at that point, but I was intrigued with the pictures. Nobody in our family was a musician, although my father played trumpet in highschool. I started taking piano lessons shortly afterwards and have been engulfed by classical music since then - even trying to forge a career in it, as “impractical” as it is. 🙂 I also didn’t get into early music until college when I bought my first cd player, found a store called that Tower Records owned called “Classical Annex” and bought up tons of classical cds - many of my early music collection comes from that period. I’m a classical singer and my fach falls within the Baroque, Classical and early romantic, so I naturally go for that period of music.

I would say that Baroque and Classical periods are the best to introduce people to classical music, then move on towards the “heavier” composers. I used to not like Richard Strauss or Hugo Wolf, but now love Strauss - still working on Wolf.
 
When I look at Beethoven’s face(The most popular picture, with pen in hand, holding manuscript) I see a face full of strength and tenderness , the same qualities that to me are reflected in his music. There is a driving force that I hear in his music that is hard for me to explain. It’s something you just feel.
Beethoven’s works include " 9 symphonies, 11 overtures,incidental music to plays, a violin concerto and 5 piano concertos, 16 string quartets, 9 piano trios and other chamber music, 10 violin sonatas and 5 violoncello sonatas, 30 large piano sonatas and many sets of variations for piano, an oratorio, an opera (Fidelio), and two Masses ( one the Missa solemnis in D)" based on the Catholic Mass, “besides arias, songs, and numerous lesser compositions of different sorts.”
Beethoven was a loner, he could only mix with society as necessity demanded.
Beethoven loved the outdoors, he loved to compose while taking long walks. He once said: “You will ask me whence I take my ideas? That I cannot say with any degree of certainty: they come to me uninvited, directly or indirectly. I could almost grasp them in my hands, out in nature’s open, in the woods, during my promenades, in the silence of the night, at the earliest dawn. They are roused by moods which in the poet’s case are transmuted into words, and in mine into tones, that sound, roar and storm until at last they take shape for me as notes.”
I often wonder if those lush melodies that Beethoven put down on paper existed since the beginning of time, and the universe waited till he was born to give birth to his music.
 
In the summer of 1969, I sat on the lawn of Skidmore College (the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, at Saratoga, NY; and heard the PSO play the Mahler Symphony # 1
Not too far away from my home town the infamous Woodstock music festival was going on.
I’m so happy that I chose, Saratoga, and Mahler, instead of Woodstock:thumbsup:
 
Yep, never heard a bit of Beethoven that I didn’t like … the Moonlight Sonata is lovely 🙂
 
Maratom said:
snip

Beethoven’s works include " 9 symphonies, 11 overtures,incidental music to plays, a violin concerto and 5 piano concertos…snip
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I heard the 6th Piano Concerto on Sirius the other day. It’s a transcription of the violin concerto. It works on piano, too.

“Roll over, Beethoven, tell Chaikovsky the news!”

DaveBj
 
Maratom said:
Do you listen to his music?
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I love most classical music. Often play some on my piano. I grew up heaing classical music and it made quite an impression on me. My mother played the piano and she gave us a good start on what she called “good music”. I like Mozart and Rachmaninoff. Most of Brahms is soothing. Bach is okey but some of it is too morose for me.
 
mary_bobo said:
I love most classical music. Often play some on my piano. I grew up heaing classical music and it made quite an impression on me. My mother played the piano and she gave us a good start on what she called “good music”. I like Mozart and Rachmaninoff. Most of Brahms is soothing. Bach is okey but some of it is too morose for me.
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You find the Hungarian Dances soothing??? 🤷
 
I actually got to hear Solti and the CSO play Mahler when I was stationed in Chicago in the Navy. Courtesy of the USO, I also got to hear Ozawa conduct at the Ravinia festival and then there was the Grant Park concerts on Sunday evenings. And then there were all those record stores in the Loop!
 
My absolute favorite music!

My Dad introduced me to playing his music when I was 13. Fur Elise was the first song I ever played on an instrument. I then got interested in his Pathetique.

My long-term focus has been on all 3 movements of his Moonlight Sonata. I have the 1st movement almost 100% perfect and the 2nd movement is easily done. Unfortunately, I believe it is to be my lifelong cross never to play the 3rd movement. My hands physically aren’t long enough to hit all the keys! :eek:
 
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