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Feb 4, 20213 min read

BEETHOVEN

by Lewis Lockwood.





Lewis Lockwood is an acknowledged Beethoven scholar. True to the title of the book, he laid out, in meticulous detail, the life and music of Beethoven in 489 pages of text, backed by 58 pages of notes in small print, a complete chronology of the composer’s life, and a bibliography containing just about everything written about Beethoven up to 2001, and two indexes of Beethoven’s works, one by class and one by opus numbers. This reader has been listening to the music of the master for some sixty years. I am familiar with most, but certainly not all, of Beethoven’s compositions in all his three periods – first, middle, and late. I can easily name more than one favorite in each of the three periods. As examples, the cello sonata number 1 in the first, symphony number 6 in the middle, and piano sonata 32 in the third or late period. However, although I have taken online courses in music in the last several years, such as Professor Craig Wright’s “Listening to Music”, my knowledge about music theory is extremely limited. On his life, my knowledge was gained in books such as “Men of Music” by Brockway and Weinstock, Norman Llyord’s “The Golden Encyclopedia of Music”, and J. W. N. Sullivan’s “Beethoven”. Almost half of the book was devoted to detailed analyses of Beethoven’s musical compositions. To say that I comprehend even 30% of these analyses would be an exaggeration. Nevertheless, I enjoyed picking up new knowledge of a number of Beethoven’s works which I was not aware of. For example, his five cello sonatas were my favorites, tracing back to the days when I was first exposed to his music, more than half of a century ago. I had thought there was a certain tonal unity in the group and all five were composed around the same time. I now learn in reading Lockwood’s book that they in fact represented all of Beethoven’s three major creative periods. I also picked up some delightful early works that I did not know before, such as the opus 1 piano trios and the song cycle “To the Distant Beloved”. Even in the early days of listening to classical music, I was struck by the serenity of the second movement of Beethoven's second symphony and I was pleased that my feeling was reinforced by the author’s statement that this movement is “as beautiful and nostalgic as anything Beethoven ever wrote”. Similarly, I always felt a transcendental experience when listening to the conclusion of the second (and last) movement of Piano Sonata 32 and it was gratifying to read Lockwood’s words regarding this music: “….we have the feeling that an incomparable musical experience has come to its end, has reached a wisdom that is granted only to the greatest artists.” The account of Beethoven’s life is thoroughly researched and detailed, including the exact dates and circumstances of many of his compositions. I learned things which I was not previously aware of. His letter, in 1812, to a child named Emilie who was about eight to ten years old, revealed both his humility and generosity . Not only was he struggling with worsening deafness but he was also afflicted with other health problems such as digestive disorder throughout his adult life. Mozart was his idol, but Mozart did not teach Beethoven. There has not been corroboration of the often quoted saying by Mozart on Beethoven: “Mark that young man, he will make a name for himself in the world." In summary, for folks who are not well-versed in music theory, it would be difficult to comprehend almost half of the book which deals with the detailed analyses of Beethoven's compositions, although it would still be worthwhile investing time in learning about the various aspects of Beethoven’s life, as well as comments of his music in general terms. For folks well-versed in musical theory, this book is a treasure as well as a real challenge, as the following passage about the beginning of Piano Sonata No.17, “Tempest”, illustrates: “Here, after a quasi-improvisational, harmonically unstable arpreggio on the dominant, pianissimo, that ends with a long-held note, or pedal, the Allegro theme arrives with its hurtling two-note figures, leading to a second pause on the dominant. Then the same Largo-Allegro contrast resumes, now with the arpeggio chord on C major and the Allegro contrasting theme in F major…..” Anyone who wishes to understand this analysis, as well as others in the book, may find it necessary to listen to the music and follow the music score at the same time. Good luck and enjoy!



Statue of Beethoven in Vienna








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