Beethoven's Seventh symphony

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Music historians have debated on whether Beethoven’s music fits more with the Romantic or the Classical era. Beethoven was a student of Haydn, which makes his roots clearly classical, but he does not fit the mold of a classical composer. Due to his lack of reverence to musical form, allegiance to the cult of the individual, and innovative use of musical concepts, Beethoven is seen as the bridge between the Classical and Romantic era. In the case of the seventh symphony I would classify it as more romantic than it is classical. When describing Beethoven it is impossible not to mention the impact he had on music. Beethoven served as a bridge between the Classical and Romantic era and helped pave the way for the Romantic composers that came after him. He is most famous for his symphonies, even though he produced more piano sonatas during his career than symphonies. This is due to the fact that Beethoven made his symphonies stand out from other composers such as Haydn and Mozart by maximizing all the musical elements associated with the symphony and making them more intense, more emotional, and essentially more exciting to audiences. Written in 1811, Beethoven’s 7th symphony premiered as part of a charity concert in 1813 for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau. The orchestra at the concert was made up of the best musicians of the day including Johann Hummel and Antonio Salieri. Beethoven conducted the symphony, and the audience reacted so well that the second movement was given an encore on the spot. This symphony was said to be the height of Beethoven’s popularity (St. Clair). Briley 2 The Classical era began in the second half of the eighteenth century. During this time people expected art to please instead of instruct or... ... middle of paper ... ...he logistics of the form. In the first movement the introduction is extended much longer than normal, so long in fact that it could be played as a separate movement. The rest of the movement seems to follow the standard outline for sonata form and the movement finishes with a long coda. This movement is dominated by sudden dynamic changes and ascending scales. Works Cited Kerman, Joseph, Gary Tomlinson, and Vivian Kerman. Listen. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print. St. Clair, Carl. “Program notes: discover beethoven 7”. 01 Nov. 2010. 1 Dec 2013 . Corkin, Rodney. "Beethoven Reference Site." Beethoven's Symphonies. 01 Oct. 2010. Web. 1 Dec 2013. Botstein, Leon. "Why Beethoven?." Musical Quarterly 93.3/4 (2010): 361-365. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.

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