Many people compare the musical works of Ludwig Van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart because of the styles of music that they produced. They were also similar because of their age and the music period in which they created in. Throughout their lives these two composers had vastly different customs and behaviors. Each composer contributed to their own unique styles of music, however they continue to be a musical inspiration in today’s world. Many people of the early classical music period reacted differently to both of the musician’s works because of the unique way they chose to create and present their music. These musician’s created a lasting effect on the musical world that we see today.
Although Mozart was older than Beethoven by fifteen years they were brought up in extremely different environments. Early on in their lives both children were recognized because of their talent with music. They were both better know as prodigy children. Mozart started his career on the harpsichord when he was only three years of age, and performing at the early age of seven. The age at which Beethoven played is not known. However, “It is clear that at a very early age he received instruction from his father on the piano and the violin. Tradition adds that the child, made to stand at the keyboard, was often in tears.” (Grove music online, Joseph Kerman) Mozart, as well, received instruction from his father, however it is said that at an early age he could play an instrument by ear. Beethoven’s family had performed at the Court of the Elector of Cologne for many years. Beethoven’s father was a local musician, first as a young soprano, and then through his adult years a tenor. He could also play the violin and piano. Mozart’s f...
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Yoho, Agencja. Encyclopedia. “Beethoven’s Output.” Accessed: 26 May 2015.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791. “Biography.” Accessed: 26 May 2015.
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Classical music can be best summed by Mr. Dan Romano who said, “Music is the hardest kind of art. It doesn't hang up on a wall and wait to be stared at and enjoyed by passersby. It's communication. Its hours and hours being put into a work of art that may only last, in reality, for a few moments...but if done well and truly appreciated, it lasts in our hearts forever. That's art, speaking with your heart to the hearts of others.” Starting at a young age Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven have done just that with their musical compositions. Both musical composers changed the world of music and captivated the hearts of many. Their love of composing shared many similar traits, though their musical styles were much different.
Beethoven is viewed as a transitional figure between the classical and romantic eras and from 1800 to 1809 he wrote some of the most revolutionary compositions in the history of western music. This essay therefore will aim to discuss the numerous ways in which Ludwig Van Beethoven expanded the formal and expressive content of the classical style he inherited. From the early 1770s to the end of the eighteenth century the concept of the symphonic style and sonata style dominated most of the music composed. These forms, employed countless times by Mozart and Haydn, stayed relatively constant up until the end of the eighteenth century, when Beethoven began to extend this Viennese classical tradition. Many musicologists have put forward the idea of Beethoven music falling into four periods.
Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven. Two composers who marked the beginning and the end of the Classical Period respectively. By analysing the last piano sonata of Haydn (Piano Sonata No. 62 in E-flat major (Hob. XVI:52)) and the first and last piano sonatas of Beethoven (Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 2, No.1, Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor Op. 111), this essay will study the development of Beethoven’s composition style and how this conformed or didn’t conform to the Classical style. The concepts of pitch and expressive techniques will be focused on, with a broader breakdown on how these two concepts affect many of the other concepts of music. To make things simpler, this essay will analyse only the first movements of each of the sonatas mentioned.
Since Beethoven was seen as such an influential composer, many sought to compose music similar to that of Beethoven and the other masters who had set the stage for classical music. Yet they could not be too similar to Beethoven and had to have uniqueness in their compositions. As Burkholder explains, composers that followed the musical canon, “...distinguished from their lesser contemporaries by their level of craftsmanship, by the strength of their musical personality, and by an ineffable quality of ‘inspiration,’ ‘beauty,’ or ‘truth’.(Burkholder 120). The craftsmanship can be interpreted as the way they created their compositions in a great way such as the main inspirers of these young composers did. The craftsmanship had to of course to make it an impact, like pieces in any museum, they have to show skill and express the quality of their design. Their strength in musical personality had to show their uniqueness and style they imposed when composing music, to the point where they could be distinguished through their compositions. This strength in personality had to pop out while still following and showing their inspiration, which was the most important quality, to that of the masters of classical music. The inspiration was a key factor that lead to the rise of the musical
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?
All had great influence on later composers, Mozart on Beethoven, Bartók on Copeland and Bach on everyone including his twenty or so children
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are very famous past composers that have created many pieces that have influenced not just people of their time, but people in modern times as well.
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