Day 196: Beethoven Complete Edition – Bring It On!

Today starts a new chapter in my journey of 1095 days.

For today I begin exploring the complete works of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).

Once again, I turn to the Brilliant Classics label for assistance.

Their Beethoven Complete Edition is one of the least expensive, yet highest quality collections of Classical music on the market. Everything Brilliant Classics does it top-notch. Their Beethoven Complete Edition is no exception.

51XdxvVTFMLThe first thing I noticed when my box set arrived is how tiny it looked compared to the complete works of Haydn (150 CDs), Mozart (180 CDs), and Bach (172 CDs).

Beethoven’s complete works fit on just 86 discs – about half the size of the other major composers, some of whom (Haydn and Mozart) were his contemporaries. (The picture of the product on Amazon is somewhat misleading. The box is actually about half the size it appears to be in that photo.)

Beethoven lived 57 years. Haydn lived 77 years. Mozart, just 35. Bach, 65.

Mozart lived the shortest at 35 years. Yet, his output was extraordinary. More compositions than any other figure from Classical music in half the time. Haydn was almost as prolific as Mozart, yet he lived the longest of the major composers. So he had time on his side.

When seen in context like that, Beethoven’s relatively meager output – compared to other famous Classical composers – raises questions:

BoxSetsWhy did Beethoven – who lived nearly as long as Bach – only compose enough music to fit on half the amount of CDs as other legends of Classical music? What was he doing with his time? Was he ill? Did he have composers block? Was he a perfectionist? Are each of his compositions honed to perfection and of “higher quality” than the compositions of other giants of the genre?

Given this, I’m thinking my experience listening to Beethoven’s works will be different from what it was listening to Mozart’s and Haydn’s. For one thing, I’ll consider each composition to be very important since it represents a body of work more compact than other composers. Plus, I’ll research Beethoven’s life more intently to find out why.

Many questions.

And 86 days of Beethoven ahead of me in which to answer them.

Day 132: Superb Performances!

HaydnCD132The first notes from the first track of today’s CD are from a guitar-like instrument known as a lute.

I had no idea Haydn composed for stringed instruments of that type.

Also, I had no idea that the lute was so revered. For example, the Lute Society has been around 60 years.

“What is a lute?” you ask.

Allow me.

According to its entry on Wikipedia,

Lute can refer generally to any string instrument having the strings running in a plane parallel to the sound table (in the Hornbostel–Sachs system), more specifically to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either fretted or unfretted) and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes.

The European lute and the modern Near-Eastern oud both descend from a common ancestor via diverging evolutionary paths. The lute is used in a great variety of instrumental music from the Medieval to the late Baroque eras and was the most important instrument for secular music in the Renaissance. It is also an accompanying instrument, especially in vocal works, often realizing a basso continuo or playing a written-out accompaniment. The player of a lute is called a lutenist, lutanist, “lewtist” or lutist, and a maker of lutes (or any string instrument) is referred to as a luthier.

Here’s what it looks like. Kupetzky_Lute_1711

I think I prefer the much shorter definition on the Merriam-Webster site:

a stringed instrument having a large pear-shaped body, a vaulted back, a fretted fingerboard, and a head with tuning pegs which is often angled backward from the neck

“A large pear-shaped body” is the perfect descriptor.

How many strings does the lute have, anyway? I’ve read that they can have up to 20 or 24 strings. Typically, they may have 12. Their strings are arranged in “courses,” of two each. But how many strings a lute has apparently depends on what kind of lute it is.

Regardless, a lute seems like a complicated instrument to play, but one with a lovely sound like that of a Classical guitar. I believe that sound comes from the fact that the strings are “gut” or nylon, and the body is mostly wood. So there’s a lot of resonance and Continue reading

Day 122: Ballykissangel Incidental Music?

HaydnCD122One song from today’s baryton trios really jumped out at me: Movement III (“Finale: Scherzo Presto”) from Haydn Baryton Trio No. 76 in C.

I would bet dollars to donuts (what does that mean, anyway?) I’ve heard that before, possibly on one of my favorite BBC TV shows, Ballykissangel.

It’s not the theme song. That much I know.

But it sounds remarkably like snippets of incidental music I’ve heard in that wonderful series.

Screen Shot 2014-01-30 at 10.54.46 AMAt least, I think I’ve heard those sounds in Ballykissangel. Or was it Doc Martin? No. Must have been Ballykissangel.

Yet, if that’s true, then why can’t I find mention of it when I Google the name of the baryton trio and the name of the TV show?

I’ll keep digging.

Hey, something else of interest. I just discovered the pdf booklet that comes with the Brilliant Classics Haydn Edition:

The baryton’s technical limitations meant that the vast majority are in the keys of A (the easiest of all for the baryton), D and G, with a correspondingly narrow range of modulation within movements. The dark, husky instrumental palette lends itself particularly well to stately slow movements, something of a speciality in these trios.

See? Even I – a chap without a degree in musicology – knew that the baryton trios were mostly in the key of A, and were mostly slow in tempo.

Yeah. You with your Ph.D. in Musicology and your room-temperature brie and ever-so-slightly chilled Pinot Grigio. Yeah. Who’s laughing Continue reading

Day 99: Prussian Quartets

HaydnCD99Today’s CD contains Haydn’s String Quartets titled Opus 50, the “Prussian” quartets, which were composed in 1787. Haydn was 55.

Here’s some background on the Prussian quartets. This paragraph is from a web site called Audiophile Audition that sells high-res recording of these Haydn quartets. (The recordings to which I’m listening are from the Brilliant Classics Haydn Edition. I find these recordings to be splendid.)

The review from Audiophile Audition was written by Mike Birman.

Haydn had entered a new phase of public music making in which a Classical simplicity of utterance and melodic freshness made his music immediately appealing. He simultaneously discovered the stylistic unity in his themes that gives his later works their folk-like quality, in contrast to Mozart’s aristocratic loftiness and emotional ambiguity. The six Op. 50 “Prussian” Quartets were finally completed in September 1787. They were dedicated to Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia, the cello playing monarch to whom Mozart would dedicate his final three string quartets. The “Prussian” Quartets are wonderfully expressive works, yet they still exhibit that Classical restraint whose bounds would eventually be shattered by Beethoven. The three quartets on this SACD – the third in E-flat major, the fifth in F major “The Dream” and the sixth in D major “The Frog” – are all cheerful untroubled works of striking originality. Featuring many innovations in quartet writing, including an equality of musical discourse amongst the four instruments, their greatest quality is a calm, graceful beauty that immediately entrances the listener. The two named quartets are especially memorable for their expressive originality and bucolic charm.

These were all somewhat interesting. But hardly memorable. They seemed Continue reading

Day 85: Christmas Surprise, Part II

HaydnCD85Yesterday, I discovered that the music on Haydn CDs 84 and 85 (which constitutes Op. 33 Nos 1-6) is called the “Russian” quartets and that these compositions likely made their debut on Christmas Day, 1781.

Serendipitously, I am listening to these quartets nearly 282 years later to the day.

I hadn’t planned it that way.

When I started listening to the complete works of Haydn on October 1, 2013, I had no clue that 85 days later I’d be listening to quartets Haydn premiered over two and a half centuries ago.

But, here it is, 9:09pm (Eastern Time) on Christmas Eve, 2013. It is already Christmas Day in Europe. I’m sipping a 2011 German Riesling and listening to Haydn’s quartets.

Haydn String Quartet Op. 33 No. 3 in C (nickname: “The Bird”)

According to the Wiki article on Haydn’s Op. 33,

The first movement opens with a melody in the first violin featuring repeated notes. Grace notes are inserted between the repeated notes which gives the melody a “birdlike quality” and hence gives the quartet its nickname.

Movement I (“Allegro moderato”) is a slow way to start tonight’s CD, especially after the build-up I gave it in my mind. A little slower than I usually like. Movement II (“Scherzo: Allegretto”) and Movement III (“Adagio, ma non troppo”) weren’t much peppier. But Movement IV (“Rondo: Presto”) saved Op. 33 No. 3. My wife, listening from the kitchen, said, Continue reading

Day 84: Christmas Surprise, Part I

HaydnCD084I liked today’s CD from the opening movement, a very enjoyable Vivace assai from String Quartet Op. 33 No. 5 in G (nickname: “How Do You Do”).

When I imagine Classical music in my head, it sounds just like that.

Perfect.

Movement 2 (“Largo e cantabile”) reminds me of the music played during a scary movie when the knife is coming down. “Reee! Reee! Reee! Reee!” Yeah. You know what I’m talking about.

Cool ending to the movement, too. Just a plucked string around the 4:05 mark.

Movement 3 (“Scherzo: Allegro”) is another delightfully lively composition.

Movement 4 (“Finale: Allegretto”) isn’t a typical slam-bang ending. It kind of retards the pace and fun of the previous three movements.

By the way, there’s a Wiki article about the Op. 33 quartets. Interesting stuff, too. Take a look:

The Op. 33 String Quartets were written by Joseph Haydn in the summer and Autumn of 1781 for the Viennese publisher Artaria. This set of quartets has several nicknames, the most common of which is the “Russian” quartets, because Haydn dedicated the quartets to the Grand Duke Paul of Russia and many (if not all) of the quartets were premiered on Christmas Day, 1781, at the Viennese apartment of the Duke’s wife, the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna.

christmastreeNow, is that an interesting coincidence, or what?

Here I am, two days before Christmas, 2013, listening to these quartets…and they debuted on Christmas, 1781 – which means that precisely 232 years ago today, Haydn was likely scurrying around putting the finishing touches on his compositions and readying them (and himself) for their performance in two days.

Tomorrow, when I listen to CD 85 (the final three Russian Quartets), it’ll be even more coincidental — listening to quartets on Christmas Eve, 2013, that debuted on Christmas Day, 1781.

I didn’t plan it that way, I swear. I had no idea. This is my Christmas surprise, courtesy of Continue reading

Day 81: Only More So

HaydnCD81There’s a line from Casablanca, the classic film starring Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, and Ingrid Bergman (among many other legendary actors), that sums up what this CD sounds like to me.

The dialogue is between a young girl named Annina (Joy Page) and Rick Blaine (Bogart):

Annina: What kind of a man is Captain Renault?
Rick: Oh, he’s just like any other man, only more so.

“Only more so” is Haydn Songs III. More songs in German. More brilliant piano work from a talented performer, and more singing from a gifted soprano. Nothing terribly different. Just more.

Here are the performers:

Elly Ameling soprano
Jorg Demus piano

Previously, I learned that Elly Ameling is a Dutch soprano born in 1933. Info about her can be found here. According to that Wiki article,

After her professional début as a concert singer in Rotterdam in 1953, she performed for more than forty years in virtually every major cultural centre in the world. Her frequent appearances with the leading international orchestras and conductors (Bernard Haitink, Rafael Kubelík, Carlo Maria Giulini, Benjamin Britten, Seiji Ozawa, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Karl Münchinger, André Previn, Edo de Waart among others) established her as one of the greatest singers of our age.

Jorg Demus is Continue reading

Day 80: More Songs

HaydnCD80Today’s CD is simply called Songs II. But it’s different from yesterdays Songs in that these selections are not sung in English. They’re in German.

Which means all I can go on to comment is the tone and range of soprano Elly Ameling’s voice, and the playing and tone of pianist Jorg Demus. I can’t even suss out what the song titles mean.

Given the stripped-down aspect of these Songs performances, it’s akin to listening to little operas. Only with just one voice. And one instrument. Hearing German performed in this way makes the harshness of the language stand out in a way that one might not notice if it were buried under layers of orchestra and performed by a cast of actors/singers.

So, in some way, today’s CD makes me chuckle. I love the German language. But heard this way makes it sound even funnier.

Before I comment any more, I’ll Continue reading

Day 79: Just…Songs

HaydnCD79Ooh, now this is pleasant stuff, a delicious change of pace.

After listening to Scottish Songs For [fill in the blank] for what seemed way too long, today’s CD – titled simply Songs – strips down the performance to just a soprano (Elly Ameling) and a pianist (Jorg Demus). It’s an enjoyable simplification, pairing two of my favorite instruments.

Questions: Who is Elly Ameling? And who is Jorg Demus?

Google time!

I learned that Elly Ameling is a Dutch soprano born in 1933. Info about her can be found here. According to that Wiki article,

After her professional début as a concert singer in Rotterdam in 1953, she performed for more than forty years in virtually every major cultural centre in the world. Her frequent appearances with the leading international orchestras and conductors (Bernard Haitink, Rafael Kubelík, Carlo Maria Giulini, Benjamin Britten, Seiji Ozawa, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Karl Münchinger, André Previn, Edo de Waart among others) established her as one of the greatest singers of our age.

Jorg Demus is Continue reading

Day 73: Cold

HaydnCD73The current temperature in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at 7:30am on December 12, 2013, is 11 degrees. (Or -12 C for all of my European readers.)

That’s cold.

Typically, this kind of cold would stay away until late January or early February. This year, however, it arrived early.

It’s bad enough for a resident of Michigan in the 21st century. I wonder what Haydn did to keep warm in the late 1700s, early 1800s when he was composing the score for these folks song? Did he sit beside a roaring fire? Did he have candles blazing everywhere to give the illusion of daylight? Did he wear a coat and gloves all of the time? Did he exercise to get the blood flowing?

Did he have a daily routine?

Dickens_Gurney_headI often wonder how these creative geniuses did it under conditions we, today, would consider primitive. Charles Dickens, for example.

England in the mid 1800s couldn’t have been a picnic. Especially in the winter. It must have been so cold. And bleak. (The phrase “Dickensian” wasn’t coined for nothing.)

So how did he do it? Writers today have laptops and the Internet and central heat (or air conditioning) and electric light and the ability to travel to exotic locales to compose their novels.

Dickens had none of those things. He probably had an ink well, a quill pen, and cold fingers. (I picture Bob Cratchit huddled over a dying ember, rubbing his hands together for warmth.)

Yet, Dickens’ literary output was staggering, and remains among the most influential works in the world.

Same for Joseph Haydn. How did he do it? What were Continue reading