Submitted by jsdubose015 on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 17:24
It’s always fascinating to look at the entire works of a composer, to witness the development of an artist from his earliest works to his last. Sometimes, even just a particular genre, tells much of the story of the developing musician. Take for example Beethoven’s piano sonatas--starting with the Opus 2 sonatas that are so much in the spirit of Mozart and Haydn, you then pass through the Pathétique, the Waldstein and the Appassionata, then the colossal Hammerklavier, and end with the 32nd sonata in C minor. In all that, there is an incredible story of a composer reaching into the depths of his art and human existence. With some composers, there is a distinctive difference in the music they composed towards the end of their lives compared to their early compositions. Again, Beethoven is an excellent example. Just think of the difference between his Ninth Symphony and the other eight, or his late string quartets with those before. Another good example is Brahms. There is a much subtler difference, but a difference none the less, between his op. 117-119 piano pieces and his earlier piano sonatas and even his middle period variation sets. His Fourth Symphony also stands out from his previous three.
One such difference that I had not noticed before is Schubert’s String Quartet in C major. It was composed in the summer of 1828, just two months before the composer’s death. Now, I’m no Schubert scholar, but I was surprised at how un-Schubertian some passages of this work sounded. No doubt there are the charming and graceful melodies that Schubert is so well-known for, but some passages seem to have an almost Beethovenian roughness about them, while others have such an air of mystery it’s almost startling. As said, I’m no expert on Schubert, but there is no other piece by Schubert I can think of that quite has the unique sense of mystery as the String Quintet.
This is one of the things that has always interested me about classical music. How did the great composers get to the place where they composed their final works? For me, a composer’s last works are the most interesting and the most thought provoking. It is in their last works that, I think, they give the truest pictures of themselves.
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You must keep in mind that they all started composing at a very tender age when they were little more than children. Schubert began at 14? As they matured so did their music. I disagree that the last word is usually the truest. Old age is superior to youth in art, but youth prevails in ideas, novelties, enthusiasm. To me Beethoven's piano sonata no 3 in C major is already his greatest - perhaps.
A Composer's Last Works
Submitted by jsdubose015 on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 17:24
It’s always fascinating to look at the entire works of a composer, to witness the development of an artist from his earliest works to his last. Sometimes, even just a particular genre, tells much of the story of the developing musician. Take for example Beethoven’s piano sonatas--starting with the Opus 2 sonatas that are so much in the spirit of Mozart and Haydn, you then pass through the Pathétique, the Waldstein and the Appassionata, then the colossal Hammerklavier, and end with the 32nd sonata in C minor. In all that, there is an incredible story of a composer reaching into the depths of his art and human existence. With some composers, there is a distinctive difference in the music they composed towards the end of their lives compared to their early compositions. Again, Beethoven is an excellent example. Just think of the difference between his Ninth Symphony and the other eight, or his late string quartets with those before. Another good example is Brahms. There is a much subtler difference, but a difference none the less, between his op. 117-119 piano pieces and his earlier piano sonatas and even his middle period variation sets. His Fourth Symphony also stands out from his previous three.
One such difference that I had not noticed before is Schubert’s String Quartet in C major. It was composed in the summer of 1828, just two months before the composer’s death. Now, I’m no Schubert scholar, but I was surprised at how un-Schubertian some passages of this work sounded. No doubt there are the charming and graceful melodies that Schubert is so well-known for, but some passages seem to have an almost Beethovenian roughness about them, while others have such an air of mystery it’s almost startling. As said, I’m no expert on Schubert, but there is no other piece by Schubert I can think of that quite has the unique sense of mystery as the String Quintet.
This is one of the things that has always interested me about classical music. How did the great composers get to the place where they composed their final works? For me, a composer’s last works are the most interesting and the most thought provoking. It is in their last works that, I think, they give the truest pictures of themselves.
You must keep in mind that they all started composing at a very tender age when they were little more than children. Schubert began at 14? As they matured so did their music. I disagree that the last word is usually the truest. Old age is superior to youth in art, but youth prevails in ideas, novelties, enthusiasm. To me Beethoven's piano sonata no 3 in C major is already his greatest - perhaps.