Questions tagged [beethoven]

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), composer whose work spanned the boundary between the Classical and Romantic eras.

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12 votes
4 answers
1k views

Double basses in Beethoven's Eroica

I have just been listening to Beethoven's Eroica while following a miniature score: Eulenburg score at Amazon. I was paying particular attention to the double basses and I noticed that frequently ...
3 votes
3 answers
421 views

Repeated forte dynamics in more than 10 measures, What does that mean?

As I arrange the Scherzo movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for a piano quintet(though I might expand this out to a sextet and use a double bass in place of a second cello), I notice something odd ...
2 votes
1 answer
96 views

How to write cross staff beams in Noteflight?

In the middle section of Symphony No 5 by Beethoven, I see some cross staff beams (marked in red): Can you please tell me how to write them in Noteflight? I have no idea as a Noteflight user. Thank ...
17 votes
4 answers
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Trill measure 29 3rd movement "Moonlight" sonata (Beethoven op. 27 no. 2)

How do you play the trill in measure 29 of Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata?
1 vote
1 answer
494 views

Is the Violin Sonata No. 9 a particularly difficult Beethoven violin part to play? If so, what is it that makes it particularly challenging?

In The Daily Show's April 14, 2022 video CP Time: The History of Black Classical Music comedian (among other titles) Roy Wood Jr. mentions George Bridgetower: George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower (11 ...
2 votes
2 answers
111 views

Bar 48: A3+B4 and B3+A4 - ODE TO JOY Symphony no. 9, opus 125 Extract from a piano transcription by Franz Liszt

In Bar 48 of the fourth movement - "Ode to Joy", Symphony no. 9, opus 125, in this extract from the piano transcription by Franz Liszt, there are three counterpoint melodies, marked in the ...
2 votes
0 answers
41 views

Ties in Beethoven's Symphony 7 [duplicate]

I was looking at the start of the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Symphony 7 and the notes identified with a tie in the treble clef are played how I would imagine, they extend the length of the note. ...
15 votes
3 answers
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Did Beethoven "invent" ragtime with Piano Sonata No 32 Op 111?

I had an interesting question. It is common knowledge that ragtime came about as a genre with Scott Joplin. However, I am curious if anyone has any information about Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 32 in ...
4 votes
2 answers
193 views

Beethoven and parallel minor keys

I read somewhere recently that Beethoven considered the minor and major keys to be "one and the same" The quote i reference was not referring to the relative minor (ie. Am in key of C), but ...
2 votes
3 answers
324 views

Moonlight Sonata vs K.331 Andante Grazioso

I learned the first part of K.331 "Andante Grazioso", and I was moving to the first variation. However, I am finding very huge difficulties in learning it, especially when I compare it with Moonlight ...
1 vote
2 answers
81 views

Tempo for Rezitativ

What is the tempo for Rezitativ? I found that: Rezitativ by Johann Sebastian Bach is played at 70 Beats Per Minute (Adagio), or 14 Measures/Bars Per Minute. Time Signature 5/4. After the Presto (...
16 votes
5 answers
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What makes a piece sound like Beethoven?

I can't seem to find non-harmonic analyses of Beethoven's sonatas. And I'm not a classical music analyzer. That makes it hard to write a sonata in the style of Beethoven when I don't know what ...
8 votes
1 answer
602 views

What are these diagonal dashes in the Schnabel Ed. Beethoven Sonatas?

I'm working on Beethoven Sonata No. 1 and have noticed these diagonal dashes in the left hand in movement 2 (see bar 3). I assume these are editorial markings as I am seeing them in other sonatas in ...
17 votes
4 answers
4k views

Why did Beethoven include "in the Lydian Mode" in the title of String Quartet, Op.132 - 3?

Beethoven himself gave a title to String Quartet No.15 in A minor, Op.132 - 3: A Convalescent's Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode From the language and context, and ...
-1 votes
1 answer
248 views

Texture of Beethoven's Symphony Number 8 movement 1

I have been struggling to come up with a conclusion if the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 has a polyphonic texture. But I cannot find a valid reason. Does anyone have any solid ideas of ...
1 vote
3 answers
16k views

What tempo is andante con moto?

I'm learning Beethoven's 5th symphony 2nd movement, and I have some questions. What tempo is andante con moto? How do you read the 32nd and 64th notes? For example, you count 16th notes with 1 e &...
3 votes
2 answers
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Is this note in Für Elise an E or a D?

I've seen two notations for the note progression of Für Elise that goes "E.-C-B-A" at the end. One is "E.-C-B-A", which was the one I heard first, and the other is "D.-C-B-A", which appeared in an RCM ...
3 votes
3 answers
258 views

Why is the second movement to Beethoven's 9th notated in fast 3/4, rather than in 3/8?

Looking at the score for Beethoven's 9th symphony, it surprises me how the second movement is written in a breakneck 3/4 at 116 dotted half notes per minute. Why did Beethoven opt for this 3/4, rather ...
5 votes
2 answers
9k views

How does the 3rd movement of Moonlight Sonata relate to moonlight?

Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 is also called the Moonlight Sonata. The first movement is smooth, like the moonlight in a quiet and clear night; the second movement is vivid, just similar to the ...
6 votes
2 answers
523 views

What's going on in measures 11 - 16 of Beethoven's Sonata Appasionata?

I'm studying the Neapolitan Chord and the textbook includes the following excerpt to analyze. Up until measure 10 I understand what's happening, but I have no clue how to interpret measure 11 and ...
2 votes
3 answers
117 views

Piano - Triplets turn into sixteenths

I am having trouble with playing triplets at higher speeds (such as at the end of the Pathetique Sonata, 3rd movement). I find that when I speed things up to tempo that the triplets always turn into ...
3 votes
2 answers
463 views

Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement bar 20-23 left-hand technique

My question is what technique should I focus on. In bar 20, I am using the tremolo, but in the passage of the chord there are 2 doubts: do I need to keep finger 1 pressed D # while I bring the other ...
5 votes
1 answer
165 views

Writing error in Beethoven's autograph of "moonlight" sonata?

In Beethoven's op. 27/2 in the autograph, bar 20, in the left hand on musical beat 1, the lower tone seems to be d sharp ("dis"). https://www.beethoven.de/en/media/view/6442239777570816/scan/...
4 votes
6 answers
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What is the purpose of the first movement in Moonlight Sonata?

As someone inexperienced in formal music theory, I wonder what the purpose of the first movement of Moonlight Sonata is. Whenever I listen to Moonlight Sonata, I feel like skipping directly past the ...
8 votes
2 answers
192 views

Spurious note in "Für Elise" (D in measure 76)?

Back in the olden days, when I walked to school barefoot in the snow uphill both ways, I learned "Für Elise" out of Suzuki Piano School Volume 5. In m. 76 (third measure in the below image), ...
1 vote
4 answers
174 views

How long should the fermatas be held in Beethoven's Sonatina in G?

I have been playing the piano for years now, because I just love playing the piano. I have even taken some piano lessons to help improve my playing abilities. However, I was just playing around with ...
15 votes
3 answers
3k views

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3: Last notes played by piano or not?

I have a (probably pretty amateur) question regarding the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3, more precisely the last notes of the third movement. I've listened to different recordings of this piece and ...
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

Why is there a key signature change in Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata (2nd movement)?

I have listened to the Hammerklavier Sonata many times, sometimes while following the score, and I have noticed that, in the second movement, there is a change in the key signature for just a little. ...
2 votes
2 answers
287 views

How to execute rapid broken chords in Beethoven Op. 90

I am looking for advice in executing the following passages of fast, broken chords in Beethoven's Sonata in E Minor (Op. 90), first movement. The passages in question are pictured below. There are ...
15 votes
2 answers
440 views

E flat or E natural in score of Beethoven String Quartet Op 131?

I have heard recordings of Beethoven's C sharp minor string quartet Op. 131 where, in bar 53 the third crotchet of the first violin part is played as E flat, and at least one recording where it is ...
3 votes
2 answers
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Preparatory studies for "Moonlight" 3rd movement

I can successfully play the first movement and would otherwise consider myself to be at Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music level 8 to 9. (I can play Chopin's Prelude Op. 28, No. 6 with my own ...
1 vote
3 answers
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"Moonlight" sonata fingering

I noticed there is a similar post here: Strange fingering in "Moonlight" sonata but that does not answer my question. I can't even play the first triplet. I use finger 5 to play and hold the ...
2 votes
2 answers
992 views

Beethoven sonata "Pathetique" (Op. 13), playing with small hands

Despite much practice, I simply can't play right-hand chords in bar 5 accurately. I would really appreciate any work-arounds. For example, is it acceptable to leave out the highest F after first ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Acciaccatura vs Appoggiatura in Beethoven

While studying the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Sonata Op.90, I found these appoggiaturas in bars 28-29. This is the Henle edition (which I find to be one of the most reliable editions for Beethoven); ...
6 votes
1 answer
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Ludwig van Beethoven "complete" 722 works in Chronological Order

It is known that "The compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven consist of 722 works". However, only about 138 of these works have Op opus numbers. about 228 (till WoO 228b) have WoO numbers. (...
3 votes
2 answers
353 views

What makes Beethoven’s False Picardy Third so convincing?

So, there’s one aspect of Beethoven’s style that I personally, haven’t been able to write convincing examples of. That would be the False Picardy Third. To clarify, this is what I mean by False ...
5 votes
5 answers
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How to distinguish between piano music by Beethoven and Chopin?

What are some musical characteristics that can be analyzed to tell if a piece of music was written by Ludwig van Beethoven or Frédéric Chopin? Both are unmistakably present in the concert repertoire ...
2 votes
1 answer
190 views

Beethoven “Appassionata” measure 42

I’m trying to figure out the chord progression in the highlighted measure. I know the key shifts from A flat major to minor, but what do the #c minor and A major chords do here? How can I write them ...
1 vote
0 answers
435 views

Did Beethoven write any modes other than the Ionian / Aeolian / Lydian modes?

The Ionian and the Aeolian modes are considered major and natural minor keys, and all composers used these modes all the time, including Beethoven, who also wrote Lydian mode in one of his string ...
1 vote
1 answer
144 views

Do I need to worry about Tympani glissando here?

So I have come across another thing that some people have said about my Pathetique Sonata orchestration. That is that my tympani pitch changes are too quick and that there will be glissando on the ...
2 votes
3 answers
384 views

What besides a fast tempo is causing this Measure - Beat equivalence?

I have noticed something with the scherzo from Beethoven's Ninth and particularly the beat. If I just listen to the scherzo and try to feel the beat, I feel an Allegro, say around 130 BPM at the ...
5 votes
5 answers
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How should I analyze this passage? As vii°7, V7, or both?

So, I'm doing another Beethoven analysis, this time using the Liszt transcription of Beethoven's Fifth so that I can more easily see the harmonies and form. I am analyzing it passage by passage, first ...
5 votes
3 answers
2k views

How is Beethoven able to make so many sudden shifts in key?

I know of 2 very common modulations that classical music composers of all ages have done. Those 2 are relative modulation and parallel modulation respectively. I myself have done those and I see both ...
10 votes
1 answer
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Why is Beethoven's tempo so off?

There is one thing that brought me this question. Well 2 actually. First off is Wim Winters and his Authentic Sound channel where he argues that Beethoven is using double beat for his tempos. He ...
7 votes
2 answers
513 views

Could this Scherzo by Beethoven be considered to be a fugue?

I have listened to the scherzo of Beethoven's Piano Sonata op. 2 no. 3 and it is very fugal in nature. It even has a fugal exposition(though it is dominant, dominant, dominant, dominant of dominant, ...
3 votes
2 answers
222 views

Is it normal at beginner level to feel piano pieces uninteresting?

This is the most stupid question that you may hear in your life but I dont have anybody to help me here. I always loved the sound of piano from my childhood but never took it seriously. In last few ...
1 vote
2 answers
312 views

Augmented triad in Pathetique Sonata? How does it function?

I analyzed the harmony of the Pathetique Sonata as you already know, but one thing about the harmony in the first movement made me curious. No, not unconfirmed modulation or anything like that. No, it ...
3 votes
1 answer
187 views

No connection between two melodies in an opus

I was listening to Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: I have noticed that the opus has two parts: the first part with the famous melody we all know, and ...
18 votes
2 answers
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Why does Brahms stand next to Bach and Beethoven?

I've often heard the expression, "Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms" as sort of a summary of classical music, or something. I feel that I understand why Bach and Beethoven should serve as pillars of ...
4 votes
4 answers
2k views

Does Sforzando really mean a stronger accent?

I come across sforzando a lot as an arranger and even just as a classical music listener. I was told by my piano teacher that sforzando means a stronger accent than your typical accent mark. But I ...