Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. IV. Presto Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Sir George Solti It has been cut short, sorry about that.
I think we all know that Beethoven's 9th was his last and most famous symphony. Many consider it to be the greatest piece of music ever written in history. I'am one of those people that would claim so.
What is the most iconic part of the last movement of the Symphony (above), is the words from a poem that was written by Friedrich Schiller, "Ode an die Freude", or rather, in English "Ode to Joy".
Recently I was listening to it and I heard something that I've never heard before despite the countless amount of times I had heard it being played by various orchestras. The reason I decided to upload the firth movement was not only because of the "Ode to Joy" part. What I heard that I found so unique, strange, and enchanting is in the fifth movement.
Take a listen, the part I'm talking about starts at about five seconds, it's played by some sort of wind instrument I believe. It is at moments like these where I lament the fact that I was never trained musically.
It's a little voice at first, but as the music progresses into what I believe is the crescendo, it soon controls the entire piece, making it's presence obvious. I sincerely hope that most of you are able to understand and identify what I'am talking about. I'm not crazy, I swear.
But what caught my attention about that part was the feeling that it invoked in me. The tune resonated within me as my ears pricked up as I caught it out of surprise. It sounds like a prayer of some sort, celebratory maybe. It seems to be begging for life, and at the same time illustrate how depressing life actually is. A prayer for life. For all things beautiful and sad.
To me, that few seconds is the most beautiful of the entire symphony. The vocals are indubitably enchanting, and yet. A mere eighteen seconds or more, to me, seems to have captured the beauty of the entire masterpiece.
You mean that instrument playing those fast runs in the background? I think that's a violin part. Anyway, I confess I've never heard this symphony in its entirety it's super long lol
On April 17 2012 20:29 Gak2 wrote: You mean that instrument playing those fast runs in the background? I think that's a violin part. Anyway, I confess I've never heard this symphony in its entirety it's super long lol
Hmm, maybe. It doesn't sound like a violin though, I swear it's a wind instrument.
If it's the melody it's the winds (flute oboe, clarinet, and bassoon) and horn where you are hearing the flute and horn most prominently. The 1st violins join in the melody for about 2 measures, then do something else. For anyone wondering he's talking about the section around mm 188 or so in the Allegro assai.
On April 17 2012 21:20 wo1fwood wrote: If it's the melody it's the winds (flute oboe, clarinet, and bassoon) and horn where you are hearing the flute and horn most prominently. The 1st violins join in the melody for about 2 measures, then do something else. For anyone wondering he's talking about the section around mm 188 or so in the Allegro assai.
All of Classical Music? The only (proper) way I know is to go get textbooks on the subject, like a theory text, and a history text. Stuff like this http://www.naxos.com/education/glossary.asp?char=A-C# is helpful and much cheaper for a quick and dirty approach, but very incomplete, especially as there are some things they wouldn't cover that are very interesting, such as the Ode to Joy theme in the 9th actually being lifted directly from a contemporary drinking song of the period. But that's a little more musicological than term related (found in i don't remember where, I think it was my Beethoven biography by Maynard Solomon, maybe?).
Anyway, if you're at all interested, one of my former professors re-wrote the seminal history text that pretty much every music school uses http://www.amazon.com/History-Western-Music-Eighth-Edition/dp/0393931250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334707981&sr=1-1. You also may want to think about getting a theory text as that will cover more stuff on the compositional process. The three that I would recommend would be The Complete Musician by Steven Laitz, Harmony and Voice Leading by Schacter/Aldwell/Cadwallader, and the Kostka Payne Tonal Harmony book. The first two may be a little more dense than the Kosta Payne, but those are a few ideas anyway.
You can find the score here, and the bit you talk about is page 14.
In the texture you have basically three main groups of instruments:
- Bass line, Counter Fagot and Double Bass in doted rythms, with the timpanis - Choral with all woodwinds, horns and trombones plus first violins - Semi quaver runs (that are annoying as hell to play) violin 2 and violas.
Later horns and trombone join the harmonic group, playing with timpanis and basses and the first violins start playing semi quaver / quaver rest ornementations.
Can't figure out which part or instrument you talk about
I would have to disagree. Not only is Beethoven's 9th not the best ever, it's not the best Beethoven symphony. That belongs to his 5th. My opinion on the matter
On April 19 2012 01:51 MaximusT wrote: I would have to disagree. Not only is Beethoven's 9th not the best ever, it's not the best Beethoven symphony. That belongs to his 5th. My opinion on the matter
Symphony 9 is very very experimental. I can hardly even consider it as one piece. Five in an other hand, is a jewel of organicity, formal logic, and a genius construction from the first to the last note. So it's really comparing apples and oranges.
9th symphony main characteristic is to be the most influencial musical piece ever written, with, maybe Monteverdi's Orfeo or Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Composers as different as Wagner, Brahms, Bruckner or Mahler are all in a different way the heirs of the 9th. It's not a turning point in history of music: it's a roundabout, from where all future music started.
Just think how Brahms' first Symphony has been rightfully called Beethoven's 10 (the theme of the finale movement is so close to the Ode!), and how his exact antagonist, Wagner, crafted all his language, all his art, and all his first ideas on the vocal and instrumental writing of this same finale. Think about it: Wagner learnt to compose by copying the 9th over and over.
That the two masters of the two most distinctive and antagonistic romantic schools had this same Finale as their main inspiration says a lot about Beethoven's genius.
On April 19 2012 01:51 MaximusT wrote: I would have to disagree. Not only is Beethoven's 9th not the best ever, it's not the best Beethoven symphony. That belongs to his 5th. My opinion on the matter
O wow, someone else who shares my view on Beethoven's 5th.
On April 19 2012 01:51 MaximusT wrote: I would have to disagree. Not only is Beethoven's 9th not the best ever, it's not the best Beethoven symphony. That belongs to his 5th. My opinion on the matter
Symphony 9 is very very experimental. I can hardly even consider it as one piece. Five in an other hand, is a jewel of organicity, formal logic, and a genius construction from the first to the last note. So it's really comparing apples and oranges.
9th symphony main characteristic is to be the most influencial musical piece ever written, with, maybe Monteverdi's Orfeo or Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Composers as different as Wagner, Brahms, Bruckner or Mahler are all in a different way the heirs of the 9th. It's not a turning point in history of music: it's a roundabout, from where all future music started.
Just think how Brahms' first Symphony has been rightfully called Beethoven's 10 (the theme of the finale movement is so close to the Ode!), and how his exact antagonist, Wagner, crafted all his language, all his art, and all his first ideas on the vocal and instrumental writing of this same finale. Think about it: Wagner learnt to compose by copying the 9th over and over.
That the two masters of the two most distinctive and antagonistic romantic schools had this same Finale as their main inspiration says a lot about Beethoven's genius.
On April 19 2012 01:51 MaximusT wrote: I would have to disagree. Not only is Beethoven's 9th not the best ever, it's not the best Beethoven symphony. That belongs to his 5th. My opinion on the matter
Symphony 9 is very very experimental. I can hardly even consider it as one piece. Five in an other hand, is a jewel of organicity, formal logic, and a genius construction from the first to the last note. So it's really comparing apples and oranges.
9th symphony main characteristic is to be the most influencial musical piece ever written, with, maybe Monteverdi's Orfeo or Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Composers as different as Wagner, Brahms, Bruckner or Mahler are all in a different way the heirs of the 9th. It's not a turning point in history of music: it's a roundabout, from where all future music started.
Just think how Brahms' first Symphony has been rightfully called Beethoven's 10 (the theme of the finale movement is so close to the Ode!), and how his exact antagonist, Wagner, crafted all his language, all his art, and all his first ideas on the vocal and instrumental writing of this same finale. Think about it: Wagner learnt to compose by copying the 9th over and over.
That the two masters of the two most distinctive and antagonistic romantic schools had this same Finale as their main inspiration says a lot about Beethoven's genius.
Ah, thanks for the history. I absolutely love learning about this kind of stuff. Thanks for sharing!
On April 19 2012 20:41 Kukaracha wrote: Here's a gift for you OP :
The 9th is a good and powerful piece - but like some of the posters above, I don't consider it Beethoven's best symphony. I think that would be either the 3rd or the 7th symphony.
However, as you like the 9th, I thought you'd like this score of the choral to the 4th movement to one of the best scenes in "Immortal Beloved". I think it expresses a powerful interpretation of the climax of the piece. (Watch up to 4.30.)
EPT
it's super long lol
