Beethoven:TheFenceSitter

SagnikBhattacharya

Itistrueifsaidthat"greatmenarenotborngreat,theygrowgreat."Anditisalsotrueto
saythattheygrowgreatoutoftheirowntalentsandcapabilitiesthatfaroutrunthatof
theirmediocrecontemporaries;butforsomemen,theyarethrustmilesaheadbysheer
lucknearlyalways,apartialbenefactor.SobeitwithLudwigVanBeethoven,oneofthe
mostrecognizediconsofwesternmusic.Inthenineteenthcentury,Beethovenwas,along
withprobablyLordByron,theiconofenlightenedEuropeanculture.Buthelivedatatime
whenEuropewasstilllurkingundertheshadowsoftheprecedingprecedingcentury.
Andhelivedatatimewhenthesocietywherehefashionedhimselfwasnotfilledwith
"mediocrecontemporaries";insteadtheyweremastersofthetradethathehimselfchoseto
pursue...theywerethe"giants",whoshowedhimthefurthestpath,thehighestgloryand
the most harmonious music. Yet, as the opening words of the movie made on him
"ImmortalBeloved"claims:"whateverhewas,hewasthroughmusic."Music,thatstayed
with him, watered his soul and presented itself in the most diverse and novel
manifestationseven"afterthegatethroughwhichitenteredwereshut."

Intheyear1792,GeorgeWashingtonwasthepresidentoftheUnitedStates,Louis
XVIandMarieAntoinettewereimprisonedbythenascentFrenchRepublic.Vienneselife,
yettobedominatedbyNapoleonicrule,presentedanimageoffrivolousgaiety,atleaston
thesurface.Haydnwasattheheightofhisfame.Mozarthadbeendeadsincethelast
December.SuchwasthetimewhenononefineNovemberdayof1792,thebarelytwenty
twoyearoldLudwigVanBeethovensethisfootinthenewworldoftheculturedelitesof
EuropeVienna.

Thisyoungbuddingmusicianinhisearlytwentiescouldhowever,neverignorethe
tidethatwasturningtheworldknowntotheMozartandBachupsidedown.TheFrench
RevolutionwasbringingEuropedownuponitself;andnoyoungartistcouldignorethe
mightyspiritofLiberte,Egalite,FraternitethatragedthroughEuropeinthewakeofthe
revolution.ItmusthavebeenhardonBeethoven,drunkwiththecurrentspiritofequality
tohavetoliveinthesmallgarretinPrinceLichnowsky'spalacebuthewassoongiven
betterarrangements;forhisarttookhimmuchfurtherthatwhatHaydnwouldwanted
himtogo.

JosefHaydnhadmetthisyoungboy,earlierthesameyearwhenhetravelledpast
Bonn.Beethoven'smusicimpressedhim.Itfrightenedhim.Haydn,whohadbeenquitea
musicaltrendsetterhimselfinhisyouthwasafraidtoseeBeethovenprogressingalongthe
sameradicalpathandundertooktocontrolthiswildfirebyinvitinghimtostudyunder
himinVienna.Andwiththatendinmind,Beethoven,forthesecondtime,setfootin
Vienna.ButifHaydnhadtriedtocontrolthespiritinBeethoven,hewasfightingalost
battle. Beethoven's music strode towards the next century, heavily influenced by the
politicalandsocialtensionsinthewakeoftherevolutionragingthroughFranceandits
reactionsacrossEurope.

ThelasttimeBeethovenhadbeeninViennawastomeetthemusicalgeniusMozart
in1787.Mozartprobablycouldguagethecapabilitiesofthisyoungboyalthoughthetrip
offeredlittlehelptoBeethoveninestablishinghimselfintheartbutMozartissaidtohave
commented:

Keepaneyeonthislad.Onedayhewillforcetheworldtotalkabouthim.

AlthoughMozartneverlivedtohearthisyounglad'scompositions,hisprophecycame
true.In1816,JohnKeats'poemjustifies:

Andotherspiritsarestandingapart

Upontheforehedoftheagetocome

These,thesewillgivetheworldanotherheart

Andotherpulses,hearyenotthehum?

Beethoven'searlymusicremainedayounglad'sattemptstomastertheclassical
styles of his predecessors. This attempt is most pronounced in his Piano Quartets
composedin1792.TheyarealmostaconsciousimitationofMozart'sviolinQuartets(K.
296,379,380).Buttheindividualismthattherevolutionstoodfor,faroutweighedthe
logicalrationalisationoftheclassicalperiods.Beethoven'sworld,suddenlywasnomore
theworldknowntoMozartandBachandthushismusicwasalsonothingthatMozartor
Bachhadeverheard.

Beethovenestablishedhimselfearlyinhiscareerasapianistthatasacomposer.
Eventhere,hetookthepianooutofthedrawingroomeleganeofMozart'stimesandinto
thefiery,passionatepyrotechniquesofthe19 thcenturyvirtuososlikeLisztandThalberg.
Initially his sonatas were dedicated to his teacher Haydn; but soon Beethoven's
displeasureforhismasterovercamehimandthiscordialrelationceasedaltogether.

Beforelong,hebegancomposingsymphoniesbuteventherehelefthisownmark.
Hissymphonieswereendlesslylongerandhadamuchmoreviolentelementthanthatof
histeacheroreventhegeniusWolfgang.Beethoven'suseofthesymphonywasnotsimply
tocreateaharmoniouspieceofmusicandamusehislistenersbuttotellatale.Takehis3 rd
Symphonyforexample.Ittellsthetaleofaheroandthroughmusicconveysthemessege
ofheroicgesture.Infinitelymorecomplexandviolentthanwhattheeighteenthcentury
audiencewasusedto.Withitschordswrungechoingthethunderoftherevolution,itis
filledwithcrashingoffbeattonesanddissonantchordsandwhenthethemeappears
almost like a ghost from the lower depths of the orchestral hierarchy (just like the
revolutionitself),themusicisassimpleasachildren'srhymes.Madeoutsimplenotesof
the Eflat major triad, it is infinitely majestic and melodic and triumphs over all the
symphonicthemesprobablytilltheninth.Yet,therevolutionisinthesimplicity.Inthe
simplemusicforthecommonman.Givenallthis,itwouldn'tbesurprisingtoknowthat
thesymphonywasoriginallyentitled:Bonaparte.Beethoven'sstudentReisrecordes
howhetoreapartthetitlepageofthesymphonywhenheheardthatNapoleonhad
crownedhimselfemperor.Nevertheless,theheroicconnotationsofthispiececanharldly
bedisguisedandthusfinallyitwaspublishedentitledSinfoniaEroicaTheHeroic
Symphonyof1805.

The ninth, Beethoven's final symphony is hardly a classical piece. With its
boisteroustoneandyetanothersimplethemeofunsurpassablemelodyitisasymphony
thatspeaks.Thechoralendingisbutanythingwhatthe1824audiencewouldhavebeen
preparedtohear.WithitsSchillerianendingitspeaksofuniversalbrothehoodandunity
underthesacredwingsofJoy.Anexaggeratingmusicologistmightclaim,themoment
thechoralbreaksastheendingmomentsoftheclassicalperiod.Theorchestrafallssilent
andthebassbegins:OFreunde,nichtdieseTne!Sondernlatunsangenehmereanstimmen,
undfreudenvollere.(Ofriend,notthesetones.Letusinsteadstrikeupmorepleasingand
morejoyfulones.).

Thisisaclearrejectionoftheoldertraditionsandtonesandadeliveranceintothe
romanticperiodwithitscelebrationofJoythebeautifulsparkoftheGods;something
innatelypersonalthatclassicalmusiccouldhavenevergrasped.

Intheend,whatmadeBeethovencapableofachievingthiswastheeffectthatthe
revolutionhaduponhimandnobodyelse.Perhaps,astheouterworldfellsilentforhim,
hebegantofeelthemightychordsoftherevolutionbeatinginsideofhimwhichnobody
in his time could quite grasp.While building on the musical conventions, genres and
styles of the classical period, Beethoven effectively transformed his work into what
becamethemodelforfuturemusiciansoftheRomanticperiod.

OnlyafewofBeethoven'scontemporariesunderstoodhisworks.Likethethird
symphony was criticised for its use of the horns and the Groe Fuge (Op. 133) was
deemedutterlyworthlessbuttheseatthatmomentweresopersonalthattheycould
hardlyhavebeenimitated.Hisinfluenceonthelatercomposersmainlyarethroughhis
music from the middle periodespecially his Razumovsky Quartets (Op. 59), the most
iconicfifth,sixthandseventhsymphoniesandthepianosonatas.Butintheseworks,itis
nottheclassicbuttherevolutionaryelementthefree,impulsive,mysterious,demonic
spiritandtheunderlyingconceptionofmusicasamodeofexpression,thatfascinatedthe
romanticgenenration.AsE.T.A.Hoffmannotes:Beethoven'smusicsetsinmotionthe
leveroffear,ofawe,ofhorror,ofsuffering,awakeningtheinfinitelongingwhichisthe
essenseofromanticism...heisaccoridinglyacompleteromanticcomposer.Romanticof
not,Beethovenwasoneofthemostdisruptiveforcesinthehistoryofwesternmusic
muchliketherevolutionthatinspiredhim.Afterhim,nothingcouldhaveeverbeenthe
same. While sitting on the fence divinding the two worlds of logic and impulse, of
traditionandfreedomBeethovenopenedthegatewaytoanotherworld.