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Beethoven:
The Battle with Classical Forms
String Quartet No 7 Op 59 No 1 in F “Rasumovsky”
Given by Akram NajjarKaraz w Laimoon
Beethoven’s Life Line
and Key Milestones
1770 1827‘02
57 years
Vienna (35 years)
‘78
First
Vienna
Trip
‘92
Settles in
Vienna
for GoodHeiligenstadt
Testament
Bonn (22 years)
‘97
Deafness
Starts
Op 59
Quartets
‘06
3 / 38
The 3 Beethoven Periods
by Year + Opus Number
1770 1827‘02 ‘12
Early
(6 yrs)
Late
(15 yrs)
Middle
(10 yrs)
Op 1-27 Op 96-138Op 28-95
‘96
Spread of Works by Year of Composition
(Life from 1770 to 1827)
5 / 38
Here are the Quartets’ Neighbors
Op 55 - Symphony No 3 in F “Eroica” 1801
Op 56 - Triple Concerto in C 1804-05
Op 57 - Sonata No 23 in F min “Appassionata” 1804-06
Op 58 - Piano Concerto No 4 1805-06
Op 59 - The 3 Rasumovsky Quartets 1806
Op 60 - Symphony No 4 in B flat 1807
Op 61 - The Violin Concerto in D major 1806
Op 62 - Coriolan Overture 1807
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Op 67 - Symphony No 5 in C min 1808
Op 68 - Symphony No 6 in in F major ("Pastoral") 1808
OP 69 - Cello Sonata No 3 in A major 1808
6 / 38
The Layout of
an Orchestra
7 / 38
Remove Non-Strings + and Double Basses:
You’ll get a String Quartet
8 / 38
The Origins of the String Quartet
Works exist for these instruments by
Allegri / Scarlatti / Sammartini
Baroque forms where the Cello was a “Basso Continuo”
Haydn was the first to write “Classical” String Quartets
Influenced by Carl Philip Emanuel Bach (CPE)
Haydn (1732-1809) wrote 68 quartets (Starting 1757 – 1806)
Yani, he was writing quartets at the time when Beethoven was composing the
Rasumovsky’s
Boccherini lived at the same time as Haydn and wrote around 90 quartets
Both are to be credit for freeing the Cello from its “accompaniment” role
9 / 38
There are works for smaller or larger string combinations. But they are not as popular
as the String Quartet
Octet
Quintet
Septet
Quartet
Sextet
Trio
Duo
Nonet
Early (6)
Middle (5)
Late (6)
Op 18: No. 1 - 6
Op 59: No. 1 – 3 (Razumovsky)
Op 74 (Harp), Op 95 (Serioso)
Op 127, 130, 131, 132
Op 133 (Grosse Fugue), Op 135
String
Quartet
Inventory
Composer Count
Haydn 68
Mozart 23
Beethoven 17
Schubert 15
Mendelssohn 6
Schumann 3
Brahms 3
Tchaikovsky 1
Dvorak 14
Smetana 2
Verdi 1
Debussy 1
Ravel 1
Martinu 8
Shotakovich 15
Prokofiev 2
Bartok 6
Schonberg 5
Alban Berg 2
Webern 4
Beethoven
Life Cycle of String Quartets
Haydn
Mozart
Early (6)
Middle (5)
Late (6)
19th
Century
Bartok
20th
Century
13 / 38
Battle? Who is the Enemy?
Classical Form applies to Sequence of Movements:
Sonata Allegro / Ternary ABA / Scherzo ABA / Rondo (or Theme and
Variations)
Classical Form applies to Structure of Movements:
Sonata Allegro: form to be discussed
Ternary and Scherzo are ABA (sometimes ABABA or ABACABA)
Rondo (repeating theme interleaved with different episodes)
Theme and Variations: one theme (sometimes two) many variations
Classical Form applies to Harmony:
Specific key relationships are to be observed in different places
14 / 38
Beethoven respected
the overall structure
but creatively
revolutionized its
Internals
15 / 38
The Most Important Movement
in the Classical Form is the First . . . .
Usually in Sonata Allegro form
2 themes are stated (exposure)
They are developed (development)
They are then restarted (recapitulation)
16 / 38
Some Terms we Need Theme 1 is always in the Key of the work
Theme 2 is in the Dominant (5th) if Theme 1 is in a major key
If the tonic is in a minor key, Theme 2 is its relative major
Modulation = Transition = Bridge
A passage which takes the music from Theme 1 to Theme 2
Its purpose is also to take the music from one key to another
Cadence = a musical phrase announcing the end of a phrase
or a section or a movement
Sometimes it is final (at the end of movements)
Sometimes it is internal (at the end of a phrase or a section)
Sometimes it is False
17 / 38
The “Standard” Sonata Allegro Form
1) Exposition
Theme 1
Theme 2
Cadence
Modulation
3) Recap
Theme 1
Theme 2
Cadence
Modulation
1) Expo
Repeat
Theme 1
Theme 2
Cadence
Modulation
Intro
du
ctio
n
Co
da
2) Development
Theme 1
Theme 2
1) Exposition
3) Recap
1) Expo
Repeat
2) Development
Theme 1 Theme 2 CadenceModulation
Theme 1 Theme 2 CadenceModulation
Theme 1 / Theme 2
Theme 1 Theme 2 CadenceModulation
Coda
Intro
19 / 38
It helps to see how Beethoven addressed
Classical Form in two works:
Sonata in F minor Op 2 No 1 1795
First Movement of Quartet No 1 Op 59 (In F) 1806
Both of them have a Sonata Allegro Form in the first
Movement
20 / 38
Sonata No 1 (Op 2) in F minor (1796)
No introduction
Theme 1 is a simple, well structured and complete melody (11 seconds)
Modulation takes us from T1 to T2 (13 seconds)
It uses material from T1
It takes us from F minor to A flat major (the key whose relative minor F minor is)
Theme 2 is simple but reverses the rocket of T1 (20 seconds)
Cadence is a simple ending phrase (7 seconds)
Beethoven repeats the Exposition VERBATIM (51 seconds)
Development is in 6 quick parts (53 seconds)
Recapitulation is a repeat of the Exposition (with key changes)
With the Coda, the movement is 3 minutes 33 seconds
21 / 38
11 Years Later, in 1806, Beethoven
composes the Rasumovsky Quartets
A completely different composer
but within his Classical Period
The Structure of Quartet No 7
Movement 1: Allegro (F major) (10 min)
Movement 2: Allegretto Vivace e Sempre
Scherzando (B flat major) (9 min)
Movement 3: Adagio Molto e Mesto
(F min) (14 min)
Movement 2: Russian Theme (F major)
(8 min)
23 / 38
Creativity 1: Overall Structure
Most works in the Classical period (with 3 or 4 movements) have
this structure:
Movement 1: Sonata Form
Movement 2: Slow Ternary Form (A-B-A)
Sometimes this is a Theme and Variation
Movement 3: Minuet (Scherzo for Beethoven) also Ternary A-B-A
Sometimes A-B-A-B-A or A-B-A-C-A-B-A
Movement 4: Finale is mostly a Rondo (repeating them separated
by different episodes)
Sometimes this is a Theme and Variation
24 / 38
What Does Beethoven do to the Structure?
First: he places the Scherzo as the second movement
Second: ALL movements are Sonata Allegro Form with 2 themes
Two of the movements are schizophrenic: two personalities
Movement 2 is a Sonata Allegro Form: Intro-Expo-Devel-Recap-Coda
These 5 sections can easily be mapped to the Scherzo Form: A-B-A-B-A
Movement 4 is a Sonata Allegro Form: Intro-Expo-Devel-Recap-Coda
The strong presence of the Russian Theme allows us to wonder if this is not
a Rondo.
Beethoven introduces the ambiguity on purpose
25 / 38
Creativity 2: The Use of Small Themes
Mostly “unmelodic”
Even if you think there is a MELODY somewhere, it is made up of
segments that are used as “spices” everywhere
Example: T1 in No 7 is made up of an X and a Y component
Themes are like “Atoms” for Beethoven
He uses them to create melodies, phrases and long sections
He inverts them, cuts them, speeds them up or down.
26 / 38
Creativity 3: Longer More Involved Sections
NO more simple Themes
NO more short Codas
NO more quick Development
Movements are much longer and very elaborate
The average in No 7 is 10 min compared to 4 min in No 1
27 / 38
Creativity 4: Harmonic Travels
NO more just 2 keys:
Theme 1 in the Tonic and Theme 2 in the Dominant
Theme 1 Statement: (in No 7) goes through a tour of 5 unusual
keys in less than 25 seconds.
NO more smooth changes: there are abrupt shifts to unrelated
keys
NO more classical keys: he uses dissonant keys (Diminished 7th)
We will not go into these technical aspects of No 7
28 / 38
Creativity 5: The Role of Instruments
NO more the exquisite role for the First Violin as in Op 18
NO dominant instrument: the roles exchange continuously
Sometimes a long phrase is passed to the 4 instruments
His early Quartets could sound like reduced Violin Concertos
Example: Beethoven Quartet No 4 in C minor (Op 18)
29 / 38
Creativity 6: Expanded Range (Register)
Haydn and Mozart were careful to stay within limited regions of
register
Beethoven can easily go over 4-5 octaves in a melody or a
phrase
30 / 38
Creativity 7: Special Musical Devices
Uses a fugue in the Development Section of Movement 1
Uses highly rhythmic motifs as Theme 1 in Movement 2
“Sows” movements together (watch how M3 goes into M4)
Introduction of new material (such as in Phrase 3 of Theme 2 in
Movement 3 and other places)
Movement 1: Allegro (Sonata Form)Exposure: all sections are elaborated . . .
T1
Consists of
2 Phrases
X and Y
Call and
Response
Transition
Unusual:
Consists of
5 Parts using
X’s and Y’s
from T1
T2
New Material
+ T1
Consists
of 5 Phrases
Cadence
Again,
5 Parts
to the end
Let Professor Greenberg show us some of these Creative Devices in Movement 1
32 / 38
Movement 1: Development: Large Expansive
12 Parts (never seen like that before)
They use X, Y and the segments of T2
They build up to Part 8
Part 8 is a double fugue: unusual in
Classical Form (but more and more
frequent with Beethoven) T1T2
Cadences
Modulations
33 / 38
Movement 1: Recapitulation + Coda
Structurally similar to Exposure 1
BUT not a single section is identical . . . .
All are redeveloped
Exception: Beethoven introduces a long
coda made up of 4 parts, worthy of being
a Development Section on its own
This is unusual
34 / 38
Movement 2:
Allegretto Vivace e Sempre Scherzando
First: where is the slow 2nd movement found in the Classical Form?
Second: Beethoven uses the Sonata Allegro form instead of the
Scherzo
Theme 1 – Theme 2 – Development – Recap – Coda
BUT this could also be a Scherzo, no?
A – B – A – B – A
Beethoven does not care if it is ambiguous: it works
In the subtitles, I have mixed between the Sonata Allegro and the
Scherzo Naming to re-enforce the duality of this Movement.
35 / 38
Characteristics of Movement 2
It starts with the Cello Again
Third: A strong rhythmic motive in ONE NOTE: 14 beats
The Violin responds with a beautiful lyrical melody based on the
14 beats
Again: a long and elaborate Coda
Does Beethoven do that because it replaces Section A’’ in the A-B-A-B-A?
36 / 38
Movement 3: Adagio Molto e Mesto
Slow and very mournful
What’s it doing between 3 joyful movements?
Another Sonata Allegro Form
Again, this can easily be an A-B-A-B-A form
A little trick: the violin keeps playing in Movement 3
while Movement 4 starts
Classical movements were always separated from one
another
37 / 38
Movement 4: “Theme Russe”
Again, where we expect a Rondo or Theme and Variations . . .
We get another Sonata Allegro movement
Again, we can hear both forms on top of one another
The Rondo Theme can be equated to the Theme Russe
And now let
Beethoven Speak