Terence OGrady - Beethovens Early Chamber Music: A Listening Guide

Terence OGrady

Copyright 2013 Terence OGrady

Cover by Joleene Naylor

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Table of Contents

Preface

Its unlikely that very many lovers ofclassical music would argue with Beethovens credentials as one ofthe greatest composers of his or any other epoch. But over theyears, his deserved reputation has been built largely on the esteemin which his major works emanating from the middle and laterperiods of his life are held. The symphoniesNos. 3,5,6, 7 & 9in particularhave secured a place in the pantheon of greatsymphonic masterpieces. The piano sonatas, long heralded as thenew testament of music for the keyboard, are without parallel intheir universe. Beethovens choral masterpiece, the Missa Solemnis , and his soleopera, Fidelio , have longbeen certified as among the greatest of their respective genres(despite the fact that both have had their detractors over theyears). His string quartets have also been highly esteemed, butonce again it is the middle works, the Rasumovsky Quartets of Op.59, and the glorious if sometimes ethereal and puzzling latequartets that have received most critical attention.

There is no question that Beethovensearliest string quartets, the set of six from Op. 18 composed from1798-1800, have come to be favorites of a number of professionaland amateur string quartets and tend to be heartily embraced byaudiences. But in general they inspire affection more than respect;they are seldom considered to be among the composers greatestworks. And if that is true of the Op. 18 quartets, it is even truerof the music Beethoven composed in his early years for otherchamber ensembles of various sorts involving wind instruments,strings and piano. Many of these works are little known, someseeming to exist only as entries in encyclopedia work lists. Manyof the major Beethoven biographies deal with some of them in acursory manner, and even the more specialized studies ofBeethovens chamber music, which are often restricted to his stringquartets, cast them no more than a sidelong glance.

This book, with no claims to exhaustivenessor scholarly rigor, will attempt to address this situation, morefrom the listeners point of view than the academics. There is agreat deal of early chamber music by Beethoven that is beautifuland completely satisfying in and of itself, and there is noquestion that the chamber works provide a special window throughwhich we can observe Beethovens genius. Intimate, yet capable ofalmost endless variation, chamber music represent an important partof Beethovens total output.

Furthermore, the early chamber works arealso extremely valuable as an introduction to the marvelous worksof middle and late period Beethoven. Of course the whole notion ofthe three periods of Beethoven, i.e., early Beethoven from hisearliest attempts to about 1801 or 1802; middle period Beethovenfrom 1802 to 1815;and the late works from that point to hisdeath, has long been under suspect in some academic quarters. To besure, any attempt to categorize Beethovens music in simplechronological terms is doomed to failure at the outset. Still,there is some merit in separating out Beethovens earliest chamberworks as a study in itself. It is in these early works thatBeethoven is forging some of the techniques and aesthetic premisesthat he puts to such stellar use later in his career, and it ishere that the basis of his musical character is formed. And thatcharacter, even in its earliest manifestations, is as fascinatingas any in the world of classical music.

So the following is meant as a listeningguidenot a scholarly studyfocusing on a repertoire that has cometo be a favorite of the authors and will, naturally, reflect theauthors interests and prejudices. Other opinions will be dulyconsidered along the way, of course, but in the end it is thereaders opinions that will matter the most. If this guideaccomplishes its intention, its readers will have a better sense ofwhat to expect from Beethovens early chamber music and what tolisten for. As for any book of this sort, the descriptions andanalyses contained here will be much more meaningful if read rightbefore (or after) actually listening to the works in question.

If this book can add to the listenersenjoyment of Beethovens early chamber music, and, ifwith the helpof this book Beethovens admirers can discover an entirely newcorner of his world, then it will have fulfilled its purpose.

Chapter 1

Personal life, Education and ProfessionalDevelopment

In the later eighteenth century Bonn was aprosperous, small to medium-sized German city sitting on the westBank of the Rhine River, south of Cologne. Its major claim to fame(before Beethovens birth and early career there) was that it hadbeen for centuries the historical home of the Electors of Cologne.Through its patronage, the Electors court held a great deal ofsignificance for the arts, especially music. A number of musicianswere employed by the Elector Maximilian Frederich to entertainhimself and his guests and, when he died and Maximilian Franzreplaced him as Elector in 1784, the situation for musicians was tobecome even brighter.

One of the more valuable components of theElectors musical establishment was Ludwig (Louis) van Beethoven,the grandfather of the famous composer and a well-respectedmusician (a bass), who had held professional positions in Belgiumbefore accepting the position in Bonn in 1733. In 1761, he wasgranted the prestigious position of Kapellmeister at the court.Although fortunate in his musical career, Ludwig was less so in hisprivate life. His wife developed a drinking problem that developedinto full-scale alcoholism and spent the last years of her life inan institution.

The elder Ludwigs son, Johann Ludwig, alsobecame a professional musician attached to the court at Bonn. Buthere the resemblance ended. Johann was, by most reports, a singerof limited ability whose vocal skills began to desert himprematurely. As Alan Tyson has bluntly stated, He was not the manhis father was. Still, Johann was sufficiently conversant with thepiano and violin to be able to give lessons in both, thereby addingto his own modest income.

He and his wife, Maria Magdalena KeverichLeym, were to have seven children, only three of whom survivedinfancy. Ludwig van Beethoven was the first to survive, baptized on17, December (probably born a day earlier), 1770. The dateand eventhe yearwas to remain a source of confusion for some time,probably even to Ludwig himself.

Three more of the couples children were todie prematurely and two brothers survived, one of whom inparticular was to play a large role in Ludwigs life some yearslater.

History has been no kinder to Johann as afather than as a musician. He did recognize his sons talents at anearly age and began to train Ludwig in the rudiments of music aswell as piano and violin with an eye to increasing the familyincome as quickly as possible. (Ludwig was also to study viola aswell, and it became his instrument of choice in later years whenplaying string quartets and in the court orchestra). But Johannsapproach to teaching seems to have been rigid and mechanical, andhe showed no interested in his sons fledgling attempts atcomposing. Thinking perhaps to emulate Mozarts success as a childprodigy, Johann arranged to have Ludwig perform in public at ageseven (although he was advertised as even younger by his father whowas hoping to make his talents seem even more remarkable). There isno record of the sort of brilliant success that would have matchedthat of the young Amadeus, and there is reason to think that theboy might have been less than enthusiastic about the attempt.