Questions tagged [beethoven]
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), composer whose work spanned the boundary between the Classical and Romantic eras.
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How to overcome emotional tension with this Beethoven rondo
I never thought this would happen but it just did. The Beethoven rondo I am referring to is the one in G major, widely known as "Rage over a Lost Penny". There is a 20 measure section starting at ...
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Advice on arranging piano music for wind quartet?
I am arranging the Moonlight Sonata for woodwind quartet. The adagio and the minuet are simple enough to transcribe note for note. But the presto, that is hard. I mean there are super fast arpeggios ...
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How many notes in a trill?
I’m playing a sonata by Beethoven (op. 78. No. 24 in F# major) and there are two of these trills (see the picture I’ve attached) in the left hand. My question is, how many notes should be in this ...
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Did Beethoven really usher in the Romantic Period?
Most people argue that because Beethoven kept pushing the boundaries further and further on sonata form and dissonance that he started the Romantic Revolution. On the other hand, I have heard a few ...
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Unplayable turn in Beethoven sonata
Beethoven's piano sonata Op. 2 No. 3, first movement,
bars 179-180 (Henle edition).
The turn decorating each eighth note can be played literally.
Except for the one on bar 179's A sharp, because ...
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Why are some Beethoven works given names like WoO 40 or Hess 238?
Why is it called WoO 40 or Hess 238?
These are names of Beethoven's symphonies.
They have peculiar names.
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1 to Flat-6 to 1 chord progression - Is this a Beethoven thing?
I was fooling around with a song the other day that opened with a C to Ab to C progression, and someone said that it was taken from some composition by Beethoven. Does anyone know if this is true, and ...
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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 ...
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Rage Over A Lost Penny: Getting better at left hand section
I am currently learning Beethoven's "Rage Over A Lost Penny", and I am finding it very hard to play this particular section:
The right hand is pretty easy for me here, but it's the left hand that I ...
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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 ...
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Why is Debussy's remark brilliant (on going out and smoking, at the start of Beethoven's developments)?
From: Charles Rosen. Critical Entertainments. p. 117 Bottom - 118 Top.
In the same way, attacks on Beethoven could be profound and even persuasive, and would continue to be so after his death ...
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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 ...
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Do you always play the melody louder than the accompaniment, unless specified?
The moonlight sonata 1st movement by Beethoven, for example, has a melody on top with an accompaniment with the left AND right hand (starts at measure 5). People usually say that you play the melody ...
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How should I approach this section of Beethovens Op2 No1
I started this piece around 2 days ago for my grade 8 piano exam and I've been having a nightmare with the beginning section(red circles). I can play the rest of the piece with no problem but the ...
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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 ...
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Which hands to use for Für Elise by Beethoven?
In Für Elise by Beethoven, in many variations found on the net, starting from bar 13, and as I have seen in many videos playing this part, both hands are used consecutively while most to all of them ...
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Moonlight sonata, note lengths inside triplets
The first triplet is very uneven. Its total length is 1/4.
Triplet 1:
A (1/8), D#(1/4), F#(1/4 divided by 3 = 1/12)
For how long should I hold A and D#? Should I hold D# with 1st finger until C# ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Beethoven Kreutzer string quintet
I recently bought a boxed set of Beethoven CDs. I had most of the works already but it was still a cost effective way to fill some gaps.
Beethoven - Complete Masterpieces at Amazon
One surprising ...
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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 ...
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Modulating from A-flat major to C major (Beethoven)
The second movement (Andante con moto) of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony begins serenely in A-flat major; then, almost without warning, it switches to a triumphant theme in C major. The modulation is ...
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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 &...
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Beethovens pathetique 2nd movement
Need help with the notation in Beethovens Pathetique 2nd movement. Bars 20 and 21.How are these played? What notes are played forthe ornamentation.
Bar 20:
Bar 21:
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Beethoven piano concerto 3 mvt 3
How should I consider this part ?
Is there something different that we should hear, or that should appear when I play apart from the regular scale ?
Why aren't the notes organized regularly 4-4-4 or ...
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What are some reliable, high-quality resources for studying a piece of music? [closed]
In order to assimilate a piece of music more fully, I would first study the score, play it, hear it and observe it by myself. However, I would then desire to consult a high-quality resource that would ...
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How to play fast and very quietly on piano
So at the moment I'm learning the first movement of the Pathétique Sonata by Beethoven.
The main problem I'm having is with the left-hand accompaniment which is similar throughout much of the piece, ...
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Beethoven repeated sforzando
In some Beethoven works (e.g. 8th symphony - first movement) there are some parts with repeated sforzando. Are these intended as simple sforzando or sforzando within crescendo? Is there any historical ...
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Cb and Eb in C minor
I'm working on Beethoven's Sonata no 5
I passed by this
I can't figure out how the C and E are flat, as Cb is a B and E is already Flat according to the C minor scale
I'm very new to music reading ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Cadential Six Four Chord
Must the V chord always immediately follow the I 6-4 in a cadential six-four or can there be maybe a passing six-four in between like in measure seven of beethoven's piano concerto no.1 op.15, I? ...
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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?
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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 ...
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How does the performance of "rubato" differ in the classical and romantic styles?
In the movie Amadeus, there's a scene of a chamber orchestra where the conductor uses a large pole and pounds the floor to indicate downbeats in a strict time. And in earlier music, such as Bach ...
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Is there a piece of music that "inaugurated" Beethoven's middle period, and thus the Romantic era?
Since Beethoven's early works are considered part of the Classical era, and his later works are considered part of the Romantic era, is there, by scholarly consensus, a single piece of his that ...
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How can I play Für Elise well?
I've always heard that Für Elise is an extremely difficult piece to play well, despite being relatively easy in a technical sense. An added challenge is that it's been extremely over-played (I'm just ...
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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 ...
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