Ludwig Van Beethoven is one of the most praised German composer in the history of the transitional period between classical and romantic era
Ludwig Van Beethoven is one of the most praised German composer in the history of the transitional period between classical and romantic era. The Masterpieces Beethoven created and his love for music was inspired by two influential composer Franz Haydn and Mozart .Unfortunately, by the age of thirty-one beethoven would lose sixty percent of his hearing and enter a depressed state. Beethoven struggled with the impairment of being deaf, but this influenced him to create more Romantic style of music that represented empowerment. Despite his despair and medical issue Beethoven went to write some of the most physical and spiritually inspiring music known to man. Beethoven work is the core of classical music and despite suffering far reaching medical and emotional distress he continues to inspire many other composers.
Beethoven compositions are astonishing, he continued to perform and composing while he struggled with becoming fully death. Surprisingly, his deafness did nothing but heighten and intensify his compositions reaching them to new height never performed before. It is said that “From the Spring of 1806 through 1808, Beethoven’s productivity reached historic proportions”( New York Public Radio, 2011). Three string quartets, the “Appassionata” sonata, the Fourth Symphony, the Violin concerto, and most of the Fourth Piano Concerto were all composed during this period”(New york Public Radio, 2011). Beethoven embraced the expanding range of the piano in his sonata and Concertos. The emotional and struggling with being deaf only motivated beethoven to express his individualism through his creations.
Beethoven inspire many to this day because how he was able properly create music that would set standards to the new romantic era. While the onset of his deafness may have launched Beethoven’s more emotional “Middle Period,” the beginning of the rediscovery and cataloguing of Bach’s music brought upon by Mendelssohn ended up leading to the masterworks of Beethoven’s “Late Period”‘( McGEGAN). Later in life he created some of his greatest works such the Ninth Symphony, Missa Solemnis that are still performed today. Beethoven has done something no other composer of his time have reached, by combining the classical and Baroque eras and sending it to new dynamic, instrumental, and emotional extremes that would create the romantic era that is traditionally used in music because how is embraces humanism. This composer against all odd and despite being able bodied to create music, he continued to create some of the greatest composition of his time.
The music Beethoven produced after being deaf embodied his now powerful, but depressive demeanor. “While Beethoven was influenced by many composers, he in returned had an influence on other composers Mahler, Brahms, Schoenberg, changing the symphony forever and redefining string quartets”(Hopkin,2012). With his inspiration of many composers he used classical forms and techniques that they did but he expanded them with more depth. His composition are so inspirational is that he was also able to link together both classical and romantic eras. He often used syncopation, and dissonances to build suspense and add enthusiasms to his music. The Range of Pitch and Dynamics is became greater that contrast in mood become more noticable for the listener. The accent and climaxes in his composition were epic, and with greater tension he decided to expand his musical framework.
Although Beethoven incorporated some of both Mozart and Haydn Compositions skills he was able to master and improve these skill better than any other composer of his time. Beethoven’s Fifth symphony is one of his most beloved pieces of work, this symphony is well known for the ominous first four note that helped build up suspense in this composition. He takes his classical style and bring them to new emotional high and lows, he expanded his symphonies length, color palate, and Dynamic levels. He often would often contrast his movements in symphony to continue progress in his music without the effect of pausing, which other composer were incapable of achieving. While Beethoven’s Immortal Fifth symphony would be my favorite MP3s listened to thus far, I Also took a liking to his String Quartets because of the skilled needed to produce and how Beethoven used the idea from other composer but transformed it into his own.
