Das Leidenschaft auf dem Mondes
The Passion of the Moon
Das Leidenschaft auf dem Mondes (The Passion of the Moon)
The piano sits peacefully near the corner, its rich mahogany wood reflecting the bright moonlight streaming in from the rooms only open window. The rest of the chamber lies shrouded in shadows, hiding the plush carpet, embellished furniture, and the expensive artwork hanging on the wall. Somewhere out the window an owl hoots her wisdom into the night.
The door slowly creaks open and a tall, dark figure slips into the room. He leans against the wall and runs his fingers through his wild hair in a vain attempt to straighten it. The man pushes off the wall, slowly walks over to the moonlit piano, and slouches onto the piano bench, his head in his hands. The moon’s beams stream through the gaps in fingers creating lines of light and darkness, giving him the appearance of a prisoner peering out of the bars in a prison cell. Unfortunately, he is a prisoner, bound by the chains in his own heart.
Ludwig van Beethoven is in love. She is far above his social class and much younger than him, but that does not stop Beethoven from pursuing her. Beethoven fondly thinks of her curly, dark brown hair that falls to just below her shoulders, framing high cheekbones and the deep blue eyes that he longs to get lost in. He sighs deeply and rises, walking over to the window. There he stands, gazing out at the moon, its pock-marked surface reflected in his eyes. Beethoven turns away from the window and slowly begins pacing around the room.
"I'm in love with a 16 year old. What's wrong with me?" he whispers to himself as he walks.
After many laps around the room, he sits down on the piano ...
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...clopedia Britannica, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 May 2014. .
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Traditional analysis of Beethoven's use of Sonata Allegro form tends to focus on harmonic or melodic movement and key relationships. This study stretches such investigations to include questions of historical context and philosophic motivations that drive a composer to structure music in a certain way. Ultimately this leads to an inquiry about how these traditions affect us as listeners, and more specifically how they relate to gender issues in a musical tradition primarily made up of male composers.
Berg, Darrell M. "Beethoven, Ludwig Van." The World Book Encyclopedia 1996. Vol. 2. Chicago, IL: World Book, 1996. 213-14. Print.
Ludwig van Beethoven is who everyone thinks of first when someone asks if you know any composer from classical music. Beethoven changed the sound of music in the early 1800’s from bland and meaningless, to exciting and heartfelt. You felt Beethoven’s pain through his music. Was Beethoven’s deafness to blame for his spark of genius that changed the course of classicism, to romanticism? Was it not for his lonesome solitude, and lack of hearing that drove him to create the masterpieces that are still resonating through current times?
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, composed by the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven, is one of the most famous orchestral musical compositions done by the German-born composer. The symphony is broken down into four movements. The symphony has such a profound effect on so many people because of its use drama by introducing sudden and powerful chords which quickly grabs the audience’s attention as well as creating a variety of musical ideas through his use of excitement by way of fast and slow tempos. The first movement, Allegro con brio, which utilizes the Sonata form, contains an opening sequence or Exposition, which initially compels my attention during its first 6 seconds due to its powerful entry and introduction of the basic four-note motive (short-short-short-long) of the piece. The quick repetition in a lower step using strings in unison keeps me engaged due to its energy, as it sort of
The first movement is in sonata form - Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso. Strings and horns appear from the distance as if they had been already playing out of earshot. The music gradually intensifies in volume until the final explosion into the first subject. Then this whole process is repeated. The first movement shows a contrast of emotion that seems to return in the recapitulation befor...
The string quartets of Ludwig Van Beethoven were written over a long period of his life, stretching from 1799 to 1826. The tragedies that occurred throughout Beethoven’s life did not stop him from writing these seventeen masterpieces. The string quartets can be divided into three periods; early middle and late with the first six quartets of Op. 18 marking his ‘early’ works. As Beethoven’s writing began to flourish with creativity and imagination, he wrote the ‘Rasumovsky’ quartets that mark the ‘middle’ period in his career. Finally, the late quartets (also last works that Beethoven ever wrote) mark a cornerstone for various composers writing string quartets through the Romantic era and into the 20th century with use of counterpoint and harmony, especially. This essay will show how these works display great importance in developing the string quartet through Beethoven’s career, and also how their influences can be found in string quartets of other composers.
"Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes." The Official MLK Day of Service Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
“Pitch darkness. Every now and then, an explosion in the night. They had orders on any who could not keep up.” (Page 91) In the book Night, by Elie Wiesel, this quote refers to what was known as a death march, during the time of the Holocaust. Due to the Soviet army, almost all of the concentration camps had to be evacuated. Most were by train or ship, but further into the war the Soviet army was close enough to put the German skies under their submission. This gave the Germans one choice, which was to move by foot. The only way to transport thousands of people on foot was to march, but not just any march. It was a death march. During these marches people would sing or hum to keep their spirits up. Most of the time it was Beethoven, which was ironic because Beethoven was a German. Most people in the death marches didn’t stand a chance. You either died from exhaustion or died from slowing down, then being shot by a German soldier. In the book, Elie referenced how many
This piano piece is from the romantic era, demonstrating breathtakingly lyrical and expressive melody, chromatic harmony, and use of dissonance to convey emotion (Wright 232-233). The dark beauty, haunting quality, melodic structure, and lyrical nature reminded me of Frederic Chopin, the master of the nocturne (Wright 232, 270). After comparing it to several pieces by the composer, I determined that it was Nocturne in C Sharp Minor (Op 27 No 1)1.
If you are part of society, I think it is safe to make the assumption you are familiar
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, like all symphonies at that time, was in four movements. The First Movement was in sonata form; which was considered to be quite powerful, as it opened up with the Fate motif. This usually ran throughout the First Movement, in one way or another. Beethoven's music often strikes with a dramatic explosion with wonderful shades of orchestral color; from the dark trombones to the sweet woodwinds, this piece definitely made an impact worth remembering, that also lasted throughout the ages. And although Liszt’s piano transcription of the First Movement of Beethoven’s Great Fifth Symphony in C minor, Op. 67 does not possess the same dramatic effect of the orchestral version, it is melodically almost identical and is
The important piano works of Chopin include sonatas, preludes, etudes, polonaises, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, scherzi, and ballades.
Ludwig van Beethoven was an exceptional composer and musician in his time period for numerous reasons. He produced countless symphonies, sonatas, masses, and even an opera. He was a very talented man in the Classical and Romantic era, and he will be remembered for many centuries to come. One of his works that intrigues me the most is his Piano Sonata No. 14, otherwise known as the Moonlight Sonata. Not only is it a hauntingly beautiful piece, but it is also very historically significant. Completed in 1801, the Moonlight Sonata stretched the boundaries of music in Beethoven’s time period. To understand why the Moonlight Sonata is such a unique piece, I will delve into the background of the piece, the form of Moonlight Sonata, and finally Beethoven’s