I feel like what makes or breaks this piece for you is how sensitive you are to dissonance and how accustomed you are to triads and chords as something you can relate to and be fond of. This piece is hard to take in when looking for harmony, since it seems to lack it in many areas, or invent its own harmony oddly enough. Personally I love the piece, it’s extremely intricate and moving in places, and I’ve always had a soft spot for fugues. Not that it is wrong to not enjoy this piece, people have their musical preferences, and just because I feel much of modern music to sound uniform, doesn’t mean they don’t require effort to put together, and it doesn’t mean people can’t enjoy them. It’s what you are musically used to, for the same reason isolated cultures may have their own sense of cords or harmonies.
As someone who has listened to the Rite Of Spring, Firebird, and several other Stravinsky and Beethoven works, I can attest to the Große Füge being amazing to hear.
good point. I have no classical background whatsoever, I have grown up on electro / rock / hiphop in all their forms and I have no problem with this piece at all. Maybe it is because I have a relatively 'fresh' ear for this
Mozart only lived to be 35 and look at how much he accomplished. I'm 37 and what do I have to show for?.... Smalin you have done a fabulous job with the graphs-makes hearing the music even better by seeing where the underlying notes come in
What an incredible piece of music. It must have seemed like it came from Mars in Beethoven's day. You can hear the influence on Bernard Herman and other modern orchestral composers. There are also elements that feel like modern Jazz. You can see why he wouldn't have wanted to develop and present this as an symphony. Finding a sympathetic ear in his time would have been difficult. As much as I love Mozart, Beethoven is still The Man. I'm constantly amazed at all the new things I find in his music even after years of listening to the same pieces. Great animation, too.
So avant -garde for its time , difficult to follow , I can detect solitude, total disconnection from the world but Beethoven genius is very alive ..Let's .Imagine composing while deaf the frustration and anger must be overwhelming. Thank you Smalin to make it readable.
So true. Words fail, otherwise. Such as "devastating Beauty". Not sure what that even means, but it circumscribes the effect of Grosse Fuge on me. Anyone has to have experienced this music at a certain level to really "resonate" in like spirit with such an incomparable piece. I had the amazing fortune to hitch-hike to Bonn, in 1974, and after much disorientation amidst the post-rubble architecture, my patience at the central Platz was rewarded with finding his birthplace, wedged and dwarfed between skyscrapers. Upstairs, after a tour group left the room, I was alone long enough until I heard casual footsteps down the hall, of a docent or official walking toward the room to talk with me.(I was there, as grace would have it, on Beethoven's Anniversary, March 26. I said that the only thing that would make my joy complete would be to see the Master's last piano, 1820 Broadwood, but unfortunately it was still in Vienna, per a biography recently released. The docent, or Haus Direktor?, said, "No, the Austrian government just returned it to Germany this year. There it is!" I thought the heirloom before me looked familiar! After I stared at it transfixed, being a piano recitalist by trade, he suggested, "Would you like to play it?" I was astounded with a full complement of chills in 8 part harmony of nerves, but he took out an ancient key, withdraw the leather cordon from the area blocking off the public, opened up what looked like a mitred cyrstal cover atop the keyboard, placed it nicely on the top of the instrument ~the Holy Grail of pianos, for its proximity to such music~ and let me play it... Wow, that was a sign of the times. I doubt if you could do that today, but in 1974, March, society in general had more warmth. The commentary by Stravinsky, avialable at Wikipedia (which has a superior and very spirited, spiritual, version), is so penetrating, "...an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will remain contemporary forever." As Beethoven himself said, he was "Daedalus" who sought, and would find, the means to build himself a set of wings: those two, heard here, that flapped above time and space, and this work gives ample proof of his "Promethean" victory, as Pope Francis remarked years ago about him. "Bringing the gift of spiritual fire to humanity." His adulthood deafness, in hindsight, as difficult as it was for him, seems like a not too high price to pay for that gift. And those wings! "In natures such as these, it is the excess of suffering that determines the salutary reaction." ~Romain Rolland, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, from his classic work of music biography and criticism, "Beethoven The Creator" (translation: Edwin Newman). And Exhibit A for my awkward and painful phrase: "Devastating Beauty". Yes, words simply fail. Only musicke can bridge that gulf. When I first heard it at 18 on the radio in Newport Beach, California, during my first lessons with my piano teacher, a Jewish Holocaust survivor of 1940s Amsterdam, I was shocked at how "horrible" it was. After a few more hearings at a friend's who had it, I was falling in love with it, fast. 3 years later in Bonn, after stiffness from spending the night on the floor of a ballet studio for unsheltered people managed during the night hours by a German biker gang (long story), I had heard enough "modern" music for it to become ~permanently~ ensconced on the short list of my 10 favorite pieces of transcendental, eternal music. From nadir to zenith,in my humble opinion, in just a few years? I don't what that says about me, musicologically, but it speaks volumes about the peculiar place of the piece. (it is an inexhaustible "fresh-springing well of ghostly knowledge" as Richard Whitford said of the original text, in his 16th century translation of "The Imitation of Christ").
@@AsrielKujo Ya, "Heiliger Dankgesang"... I wrote a tighter, rapter, variation on a theme of that tale, at the comment thread for a wonderful 250th birthday piece "Beethoven in the Age of Endarkenment" which appeared 12.16.20 at the very engaging site, off-guardian.org . A German voice teacher who is now based in London found some value in the comment , if you find it there. Ludwig, "Ludovicus" in Latin, 17 French Kings took that name (Louis): "Glorious in Combat". Seems fitting a name for our 250th Birthday Star, especially this strange year. (For me, the only true glory of combat is in victory over any of those things that would make us less human, and Beethoven is an avatar of that quest.)
In the case of this piece, there are lots of people who find it cacophonous or unpleasant when they first hear it but come to find it beautiful and moving, but none who go the other way. This suggests that you need to learn something to appreciate it (and that not understanding or appreciating it is not simply a matter of taste).
Be sure to check out the most recent version of the animation (which explains a lot more about how the piece is constructed): ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Jone Macjone no one cares. He didn’t even say anything about fugues so what are you even on about. I have listen to many “dissonant fugues” from Bach and Mozart, And they are pretty cool. But this is also a good piece. Like this isn’t a competition beetwen composers. No one cares. Just shut up and let us enjoy this great music without unmerited and unrelated criticism that you just copy and pasted from your other shitposts.
Jone Macjone basically every comment giving credit and praise to this piece, you just copy and paste the same unrelated trash. Really, just shut up you opiated trash bag. This is music, not politics. You shouldn’t care if other people like a song you don’t.
If you'll accept suggestions for other complex compositions, let me offer the work of Samuel ascher-weiss for your consideration. Do a Google search for "shnabubula" (his artist name) followed by "God plays dice"
I found this animation back in 2010 when I was a lot younger. Out of all of the videos on this channel, this one, with its bold colors and eclectic source material, has left the biggest impression on me. It was my introduction to the Große Fuge. This video and the quartet are still some of my favorites!
Here are some of the things in the Fugue I know. The main theme Sixteenth note rhythm Dotted rhythm Clumsy polyrhythm Iambic figures Trills Timestamps: 0:00 Overture (Allegro - Meno mosso e moderato) 0:44 Intense fugue #1 (Allegro) 4:46 Slow section (Meno mosso e moderato) 7:22 March/scherzo (Allegro molto e con brio) 7:56 Intense fugue #2 (Allegro molto e con brio - Meno mosso e moderato) 11:48 Coda (Allegro molto e con brio) (Yes, I learnt this from Richard Atkinson)
I find his later works his most satisfying. To me, they’re the works in which Beethoven lets his true voice out. He holds nothing back and expresses what the he is truly feeling. Most say this piece is incomprehensible, but even when I first heard it a few years ago, before I realised the importance of this piece, or even knew anything about it, I thought it was…..beautiful. Incomprehensibly beautiful. I think Beethoven wrote it to challenge everybody’s perception of beauty at the time.
And it's not even a single piece! It was composed as _part_ of a piece (the last movement of a string quartet), but jettisoned and replaced with something simpler when the publisher complained that it was too difficult and esoteric.
OMG there's greater depth to this work, than most people manage in an entire lifetime's work. Thanks for the beautiful graphics too, both hypnotic, and an expression of how wonderfully complex and beautiful this piece is.
At first I did not understand this piece. I took me a couple of times to fully comprehend this piece's complex melodic and harmonic structure, form, and its highly contrapuntal nature. In my opinion, this is not intended for easy listening. I noticed when I space out, I became lost, and confused with what was happening. I had to keep a focus for the full duration of this piece to fully grasp this piece. The way Beethoven develops the theme and squeezes so much out of it is amazing. This is one of the most complicated and well crafted works in classical music.
I understand why some have such a hard time with this monumental work. Still, to me this actually allows us to peek into Beethoven's musical mind. But Beethoven is not just a musical genius he is the musical genius who established the role of the independent musician, who defied Haydn's teachings (greatest composer alive at the time), aristocracy (from dating to direct confrontation, there are many princes but only one Beethoven), and even stood up to Napoleon, while repeatedly changing the course of music History through his works. I was very fortunate; the fuge grabbed me on my first listen and did not let go until the last note (in a way only Mozart had done in my infancy) so I loved it from then on, never had to make and effort to "get it". Yes there is raging turmoil, and harshness the likes of which would take 200 years to be common (relatively), but this is the least of it. There are moments of great beauty, playfulness, reflection - a lifetime in a quarter of an hour. Beethoven did write a 10th Symphony, he hid it in the last movement of a quartet; to me, it's no wonder he agreed to publish seperately. There is no doubt his minds ear retained perfect pitch, but this is not a friendly work. He's not holding back, not minding his matters but just truly testing and exploring himself and allowing us (humanity) to come along for the (bumpy) ride. If you read this far, try to hear it until you find something to hold on to, then follow it along. Take some time without listening to something else, let it settle. Some other day try it again, you might find the themes more familiar. So you might be able to hold on faster, eventually you will probably be in a better position to enjoy this piece and then allow it unravel, the rewards are very much worth the effort. To me, this is one of the greatest works of music written.
Cattle! Asses! :) Love your commentary as well as the great animation. It helps me to appreciate the music on more than one level and to understand it better, Thank you for all your videos. Appreciate all the comments too, I learn so much.
I have a CD edition of all of his string quartets by the Guarneri Quartet, and there it is subtitled _Lieb'_ in English _Luv_ . A pretty much rather dramatic interpretation. I have seen this subtitle rarely, not on WP for example, but it seems to be in one of the first scores that were published.
When I first listened to it, I found it too confusing but after the 2nd listen it became one of my favorite works of music ever written. Now I listen to it every day lol.
this piece is so genius! these people speaking these quotes must have been truly boxed in to a single way of hearing music. Beethoven was ahead of his time here, the counterpoint and structure of this is masterful. he weaves the tunes like threads, with such ease. the harmonic plan is so complex, he goes through so many moods and emotions in such a short period.
This performance has a sort of raspiness to it, the way I hear the bows on the strings at certain points. And given the tone of the piece, it feels so natural; that even upon my first hearing of this piece when I was struggling to follow the development, I could still appreciate this texture.
What a perfect piece. I can imagine Beethovens excitement making this. As a composer, every song you make gets worn out in your ears eventually. This is the only piece of music that is a continuous joy to listen to and is totally confounding. I am jealous, if i could make even one song that is this enjoyable my composers itch would be totally satisfied.
The first choice of mine, when my family forces me to play on christmas eve. And it is true, if you listen into it for a while you understand what Beethoven was trying to show.
Listen to it when you are in a fury and your mind is chaos. That allowed me to "get" it. And when the emotion part is clear, you can appreciate the counterpoint genius and discern parts you missed. Now my favorite piece of music ever.
This is my first time listening to this amazing piece and my first impression is that there is no way that Beethoven composed this. Then again it's only a testament to how great this man was and not to mention how ahead of his time he was. No one in history even comes close.
I cry every time. A lot. I dont even know why exactly. The combination of high and low/the sudden shift of the mood - makes me bend and curl. It is one build up to the last note. The first times I listen it - I was in tears because of somewhat incomplete end - I was screaming "-Why! why!" Now after few years I just genuinely scream the whole thing through "-Why! why!"
I'm envious. My wife connects in this deep, profound way to a lot of music (especially Mozart), but for me, it's much more rare (a countable number of times in my life, and only reliable when I'm under the influence of drugs). I recommend you watch the more-recent video of this, and the one for another late quartet video. ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html, and www.musanim.com/HeiligerDankgesang/
This is one of the most beautiful pieces. Along the whole song different moods are transmitted, but the essence prevails. It is the soundtrack of a person's lifetime. What a masterpiece.
I used to hate this piece. Now, after many years of studying contemporary composers and their music, this piece, as Stravinsky put it, contemporary in it's own rights, and for that I find this piece compelling and enriching. Thank you for the brilliant animation as always!
There are lots of people who think that this is meaningless noise when they first hear it but eventually think it's one of the best pieces they know, but there are none who start out liking it and eventually decide it's meaningless noise. This leads me to think that appreciating it involves some kind of learning.
Wow 13 years, and still ... this pulls and fascinates like the first view many years. I appreciate the new video, but I love how clear the architecture of the piece is here (so obviously, I'm glad we have both). Thank you for this amazing piece, as well as for making this incredible software available. And I'll be sure to thank you again many moons later just as I do now having seen this years ago already and expecting to see it many many more times through my life. Really what a fantastic piece, and what an incredible way of experiencing it :)
mind shattering composition; stravinsky influences all over the place. this piece is so wonderfully detailed you can't resist the urge to revisit it over and over again! Beethoven is godsend, as so many artists are
Well, Stravinsky was born over half a century after Beethoven passed away. Therefore, I think it's very unlikely that Beethoven was in any way influenced by Stravinsky, but who am I and what do I know? :\/
When I first heared this song in 2010 I didn't like it, but now I feel that the more and more I hear the more I love it. I found this very strange indeed.
Your experience is not uncommon. Some people love it on first hearing, but most don’t fully understand it right off the bat. What happens after varies: some people learn to love it, some don’t. I wrote this page about it: www.musanim.com/GrosseFuge/UnderstandingBeethovensGrosseFuge.html
It's one of those pieces where one can hear new things in it when relistening to it. It definitely grows on you. I feel this way, also, about Brahms's Third Piano Sonata.
This song, to me, sounds like the story of the universe from open to close. Who needs TV when you have musical encapsulation of all violence, nudity, and course language right here!
@@smalin I have, and while that version is fantastic, I do prefer the heartrate monitor-like graphics in this one. Lends better to my "this song is the heartbeat of time" fantasy
So genius, the largest, was classic, romantic and timeless with this and other amorphous and abstract pieces . Unfortunately not everyone can hear the genius of his deafness . Long live the Great Ludwig !
Beautiful to watch. The display reveals the intricacy of the parts of a complicated and aurally challenging piece of music that is not always easy to listen to in early hearings. The performance is captivating even on low fidelity electronic computer speakers.
You might want to watch this more recent version of the animated graphical score (which reflects more of the piece's structure): ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
I do hope you can watch my more recent version of the animation: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html And, if you're interested, you can read about my approach to this: www.musanim.com/GrosseFuge/GrosseFugeViewersGuide.pdf
@@smalin i have another question: Did you watch the old fantasia and the newer fantasia 2000 movie? And do you have an opinion in the context of music visualisation regarding this movie? (Btw i checker your wikipedia, you are my hero now)
Yes @smalin, I've not only watched but studied that latest version many times, along with reading your guide to your different versions of the Great Fugue, and now the Alexander String Quartet's rendition is my favorite
The cadence that ends one of the most intense sections of music that my ears have had the pleasure of being defiled by (at around 10:00) forms a humorous contrast with the baroque-like cadence at 10:34
The most dense of the fugues I've ever heard. I had to hear this fugue around ten times to finally "get it", or at least to come close to this. But I know I will never regret, for it is my favorite one.
Jesus, no wonder so many people have a hard time getting into classical... People keep demonizing others for liking certain composers and arguing about which composer did x or y better. It's just sad really. Respectful discussions about those subjects are fine, but people here act like their opinions are objective facts lol.
I love it, so different, so artisitic. I can appreciate to many it doesn't seem melodious but I love its experimentation. It's by Beethoven and he is the greatest classical genius, except for Bach. This is both combined.
Come back to this piece every five years for the rest of your life. Many people find that they weren't ready for this when they first heard it but, with more experience, came over to Stravinsky's point of view.
What would you say to people who, on first hearing this piece, respond like Amy Smith ("This music is what Trump's bowel movements sound like"), ex14vip ("Ok everyone, let's be honest to ourselves -- this piece is just a dud"), or Andrés Gómez5 ("I can think for myself, this sounds like shit")?
I would advise them to listen some of Beethoven's other late string quartets. All of them are relatively challenging pieces to understand, but they're worth it once you get the hang of it. In particular, I would recommend Quartet no. 13, for which this piece was originally the intended last movement. The 5th movement (the Cavatina) of No. 13 was said by Beethoven's assistant to be so adored by the master himself that speaking of it brought fresh tears to his eyes; I think the Cavatina is also one of the most beautiful and readily enjoyable movements of the late quartets. Although I've often heard the Grosse Fugue described as atonal music, I'm not sure that's totally accurate. I don't think Beethoven was simply scrapping tonality as the composers of the 20th century did; rather, I think that, by the end of his life, he had acquired such a mastery of tonal music that he was able to do things with harmony and melody so advanced that they are still almost inconceivable to this day. In the same way that Shakespeare's language was so rich and poetic that it's incomprehensible to some people, I think Beethoven's late quartets, and this piece in particular, are so musically rich that they come off as sonic gibberish to some.
Copying Beethoven sucks. It’s historically inaccurate, but I guess it’s intended to be a work of fiction. Some really cheesy, soppy dialogue, but the script at least mentions most of Beethoven’s most interesting works, for orchestra, for string quartet
Every time I come back to this song.. It feels like the perfect feeling of understanding that melodies that intrigue and melodies that cringe are equally perfect. This song to me only amplifies an inner belief that no matter what is written, it is well equal. How angry and careless one can be with that sort of knowledge :P
Zeet We'll talking theoretically this piece is a harmonical disaster with all it's wierd chord combinations and the vast sudden intervals that occur allthrough the piece.but notice that he didn't diminish the music theory in this fugue , i think he composed it this way to give this peice a deep harmony and change our way of listening .now talking as a music listener , try to flow with the music by your ears.let the music take you to a tip of a mountain then suddenly push you and you fall in a deep vally.this is what this piece is about ☺tips and valleys ...when you feel it you'll discover the true joy of this music
If I could listen to a last music before my death, it would be that. This is such an amazing masterpiece, I can't even describe how good it is. Kuddo Beethoven
Thank you so much for this and for your channel in general. I love it, and my 5.5 yo son is mesmerized by the graphical representation of the music. I wouldn't dream of sitting and listening with him to the whole Grosse Fuge, but I just did it twice in a row...
I currently live in Mannheim and pass the chateau on my daily commute. I absolutely love to listen to Jan Stamitz/Christian Cannabich and follow this up with Haydn, then the Eroica and then this while sitting by the river and looking at the chateau. What a great way to pass a summer evening. Also you don't get stabbed as much as you'd think.
Upon hearing this the first time I have to say I really like it. I like the apparent Dissonanzen. This sounds great to me. But I get why people won't like it, especially at the time it was written. It's progressive, probably too progressive for that time. And i enjoy the score art here.
smalin Thanks a lot for your link. I got to say that I prefer this version. The audio sounds softer and bassy here. The graphics look more colourful and flashy in the new video, though to me this is better since I'm a musician and this looks more like a score where I can see the instruments in relation and duration to each other, which I find interesting. It's very similar to how I write down ideas for melodies, when I don't have a recorder at hand. But that's just personal taste, so great job.
My first time hearing this, and I grew up in a house stuffed full with all kinds of classical, predominantly Beethoven...but I find this easier to understand than Stravinsky...
SMALIN I HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS SINCE I WAS A WEE TEENAGER I LOVE THEM THEY WERE A BIG PART IN FOSTERING MY LOVE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC CLASSICAL MUSIC IS MY FAVORITE I LOVE YOU MAN I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR EXISTENCE AND YOUR WORK LONG LIVE SMALIN!!!
I'd read before Stravinsky's comment on the contemporary nature of this piece, and remembered it while coming to grips with my latest listening, and there it was again at the end. I like very much your quotes throughout on the evolution of how musicians and critics have approached this piece as time has moved on. Thanks for tackling this monumental work!
It's amazing to think how that people couldn't appreciate this quality of this work- it's so ahead of its time there's no way it could. Notice the part crossing, shifting textures between Homophonic and Polyphonic, inner melodies, what sound like 9ths, 11ths, etc.
I always think of Beethoven as being the classical composer who captured the emotions of "triumph" and "wrath/anger" the most successfully. I have no way to back this up - it is pure association.
It's always been crystal clear to me, staggeringly beautiful and affords me the most rapturous of ecstasy. He needed to push tonality just one step forward to complete the the astonishing B flat Quartet. For me the B flat and A minor make him stand head and shoulders above any other Artist of music or of any other kind or discipline.
Yeah all you people who say Beethoven was completely deaf or mad about this are fooled by the incredible music history gossip scene. All the German successors took these late quarters seriously, not to mention that Beethoven's contemporaneous works were much more pleasant. Beethoven was experimenting with the Lydian and other modes at this time... Other classical composers did this too late in their careers. Listening to discredited biographers about Beethoven is like reading Weekly World News for world events.
Siv Jensen Ha! Maynard Solomon’s bio of LVB is one of the worst biographies ever written. His attempt, made entirely without evidence, to link LVB’s works to some half-baked Freudian daddy issues was inane. His prose style is also terrible. I ditched it after torturing myself by reading a bit more than a third of the whole.
Do you know that Beethoven said of Louis Spohr's music: 'He is too rich in dissonances; pleasure in his music marred by his chromatic melody.'" in 1825? books.google.ca/books?id=2MPXSVcdzPUC&pg=PA99 Lydian mode shows up even in Mozart Fantasia in C minor K475 (1785), which Beethoven derived so much to write his piano sonatas.
wow! the first few times I listen to this it was almost painful I am not musical in any sense of the word but found the history of the piece interesting. then I started thinking about it invertedly if that makes sense. And all the sudden I heard it. What a cool piece
Every now and then I listen to this again. I find it fascinating that the two most discordant parts of the piece are both made up of bits of that final melody clashing with itself. And then it always catches me by surprise when it resolves itself into that beautiful finish (all while sounding like something from Super Mario Galaxy; a testament to timelessness I suppose).
@TheMagicBolt Starting with the first long note at 3:25, the second violin (yellow) has the beginning of main theme: F, F, F#, E-flat, D (same shape as at the start of the piece). After the first five notes, though, it leaves the theme and participates (along with the 'cello, blue) in a short harmonic sequence (C7 --> F7 --> B-flat7 --> E-flat ...). And at 3:37, it's back to the main counter-theme (the one that starts first at 0:54).
Shosty is one of my favourite...but I can underestand that there's something strange in this... and I love it! Maybe my favourite Beethoven's piece of music too
If old Beetsy had more compositions like these (I'm aware of the late quartets), I'd definitely appreciate his common ranking as "greatest composer" more, because this is like a small tiny glimpse into the 20th century!
When I started on this project, I'd played a bunch of Renaissance music and studied the compositional methods of the time, and felt I understood it pretty well. From that starting point, Baroque music seemed "new" and yet pretty comprehensible. The progression of musical styles is not random: each period is built upon (and/or a reaction to) what came before. Doing it backward would be like trying to surf a wave backward. It's easier to go with the flow.
This is one of those pieces that take some time to appreciate. If you don't like it now, come back in a couple of weeks and check it out. I believe Beethoven fully knew what he was during when he composed this. And as for me, well, this is one of my most favourite compositions of his. It's unique, and I can feel the composer in the music. I love it.
"It's an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever" - Igor Stravinsky
I think this is the single greatest piece of music I've ever heard.
it's quintessential Beethoven... triumph over tremendous struggle... lots of people struggle with this work though... LOL
I feel like what makes or breaks this piece for you is how sensitive you are to dissonance and how accustomed you are to triads and chords as something you can relate to and be fond of. This piece is hard to take in when looking for harmony, since it seems to lack it in many areas, or invent its own harmony oddly enough. Personally I love the piece, it’s extremely intricate and moving in places, and I’ve always had a soft spot for fugues. Not that it is wrong to not enjoy this piece, people have their musical preferences, and just because I feel much of modern music to sound uniform, doesn’t mean they don’t require effort to put together, and it doesn’t mean people can’t enjoy them. It’s what you are musically used to, for the same reason isolated cultures may have their own sense of cords or harmonies.
As someone who has listened to the Rite Of Spring, Firebird, and several other Stravinsky and Beethoven works, I can attest to the Große Füge being amazing to hear.
good point. I have no classical background whatsoever, I have grown up on electro / rock / hiphop in all their forms and I have no problem with this piece at all. Maybe it is because I have a relatively 'fresh' ear for this
Mozart only lived to be 35 and look at how much he accomplished. I'm 37 and what do I have to show for?....
Smalin you have done a fabulous job with the graphs-makes hearing the music even better by seeing where the underlying notes come in
What an incredible piece of music. It must have seemed like it came from Mars in Beethoven's day. You can hear the influence on Bernard Herman and other modern orchestral composers. There are also elements that feel like modern Jazz. You can see why he wouldn't have wanted to develop and present this as an symphony. Finding a sympathetic ear in his time would have been difficult. As much as I love Mozart, Beethoven is still The Man. I'm constantly amazed at all the new things I find in his music even after years of listening to the same pieces. Great animation, too.
This is so incredibly ahead of its time
And Beethoven knew it to. He even said this is music for a later age.
So avant -garde for its time , difficult to follow , I can detect solitude, total disconnection from the world but Beethoven genius is very alive ..Let's .Imagine composing while deaf the frustration and anger must be overwhelming. Thank you Smalin to make it readable.
You might want to try the new version: ruclips.net/video/JG47mxCMfrI/видео.html
Greatest piece of music ever written, in my opinion. It speaks to me at such a personal level. It's like the Hamlet of music.
So true. Words fail, otherwise. Such as "devastating Beauty". Not sure what that even means, but it circumscribes the effect of Grosse Fuge on me. Anyone has to have experienced this music at a certain level to really "resonate" in like spirit with such an incomparable piece. I had the amazing fortune to hitch-hike to Bonn, in 1974, and after much disorientation amidst the post-rubble architecture, my patience at the central Platz was rewarded with finding his birthplace, wedged and dwarfed between skyscrapers.
Upstairs, after a tour group left the room, I was alone long enough until I heard casual footsteps down the hall, of a docent or official walking toward the room to talk with me.(I was there, as grace would have it, on Beethoven's Anniversary, March 26. I said that the only thing that would make my joy complete would be to see the Master's last piano, 1820 Broadwood, but unfortunately it was still in Vienna, per a biography recently released. The docent, or Haus Direktor?, said, "No, the Austrian government just returned it to Germany this year. There it is!" I thought the heirloom before me looked familiar! After I stared at it transfixed, being a piano recitalist by trade, he suggested, "Would you like to play it?" I was astounded with a full complement of chills in 8 part harmony of nerves, but he took out an ancient key, withdraw the leather cordon from the area blocking off the public, opened up what looked like a mitred cyrstal cover atop the keyboard, placed it nicely on the top of the instrument ~the Holy Grail of pianos, for its proximity to such music~ and let me play it...
Wow, that was a sign of the times. I doubt if you could do that today, but in 1974, March, society in general had more warmth.
The commentary by Stravinsky, avialable at Wikipedia (which has a superior and very spirited, spiritual, version), is so penetrating, "...an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will remain contemporary forever."
As Beethoven himself said, he was "Daedalus" who sought, and would find, the means to build himself a set of wings: those two, heard here, that flapped above time and space, and this work gives ample proof of his "Promethean" victory, as Pope Francis remarked years ago about him. "Bringing the gift of spiritual fire to humanity."
His adulthood deafness, in hindsight, as difficult as it was for him, seems like a not too high price to pay for that gift. And those wings!
"In natures such as these, it is the excess of suffering that determines the salutary reaction." ~Romain Rolland, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, from his classic work of music biography and criticism, "Beethoven The Creator" (translation: Edwin Newman).
And Exhibit A for my awkward and painful phrase: "Devastating Beauty". Yes, words simply fail. Only musicke can bridge that gulf.
When I first heard it at 18 on the radio in Newport Beach, California, during my first lessons with my piano teacher, a Jewish Holocaust survivor of 1940s Amsterdam, I was shocked at how "horrible" it was. After a few more hearings at a friend's who had it, I was falling in love with it, fast.
3 years later in Bonn, after stiffness from spending the night on the floor of a ballet studio for unsheltered people managed during the night hours by a German biker gang (long story), I had heard enough "modern" music for it to become ~permanently~ ensconced on the short list of my 10 favorite pieces of transcendental, eternal music.
From nadir to zenith,in my humble opinion, in just a few years? I don't what that says about me, musicologically, but it speaks volumes about the peculiar place of the piece. (it is an inexhaustible "fresh-springing well of ghostly knowledge" as Richard Whitford said of the original text, in his 16th century translation of "The Imitation of Christ").
@@johnervin8033 make a book out of that
@@AsrielKujo Ya, "Heiliger Dankgesang"...
I wrote a tighter, rapter, variation on a theme of that tale, at the comment thread for a wonderful 250th birthday piece "Beethoven in the Age of Endarkenment" which appeared 12.16.20 at the very engaging site, off-guardian.org . A German voice teacher who is now based in London found some value in the comment , if you find it there.
Ludwig, "Ludovicus" in Latin, 17 French Kings took that name (Louis):
"Glorious in Combat".
Seems fitting a name for our 250th Birthday Star, especially this strange year.
(For me, the only true glory of combat is in victory over any of those things that would make us less human, and Beethoven is an avatar of that quest.)
In the case of this piece, there are lots of people who find it cacophonous or unpleasant when they first hear it but come to find it beautiful and moving, but none who go the other way. This suggests that you need to learn something to appreciate it (and that not understanding or appreciating it is not simply a matter of taste).
The first time I heard it as a teenager sounded like scratching at a plate ... I've now discovered her incredible beauty.
That pfp lmao
Hands down the most complex piece of music I've ever heard. The dissonance is unsettling yet hypnotizing, and the visual accompaniment is crucial.
Be sure to check out the most recent version of the animation (which explains a lot more about how the piece is constructed): ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Jone Macjone no one cares. He didn’t even say anything about fugues so what are you even on about.
I have listen to many “dissonant fugues” from Bach and Mozart, And they are pretty cool. But this is also a good piece.
Like this isn’t a competition beetwen composers. No one cares. Just shut up and let us enjoy this great music without unmerited and unrelated criticism that you just copy and pasted from your other shitposts.
Jone Macjone basically every comment giving credit and praise to this piece, you just copy and paste the same unrelated trash.
Really, just shut up you opiated trash bag. This is music, not politics. You shouldn’t care if other people like a song you don’t.
@cobberManny lol that's one of the simplest fugues Bach has written.
If you'll accept suggestions for other complex compositions, let me offer the work of Samuel ascher-weiss for your consideration. Do a Google search for "shnabubula" (his artist name) followed by "God plays dice"
I found this animation back in 2010 when I was a lot younger. Out of all of the videos on this channel, this one, with its bold colors and eclectic source material, has left the biggest impression on me. It was my introduction to the Große Fuge. This video and the quartet are still some of my favorites!
I hope you've checked at the latest version ... ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
I agree... whoever posted this deserves a medal in terms of making this ultra-knotty piece more readily understandable.
Here are some of the things in the Fugue I know.
The main theme
Sixteenth note rhythm
Dotted rhythm
Clumsy polyrhythm
Iambic figures
Trills
Timestamps:
0:00 Overture (Allegro - Meno mosso e moderato)
0:44 Intense fugue #1 (Allegro)
4:46 Slow section (Meno mosso e moderato)
7:22 March/scherzo (Allegro molto e con brio)
7:56 Intense fugue #2 (Allegro molto e con brio - Meno mosso e moderato)
11:48 Coda (Allegro molto e con brio)
(Yes, I learnt this from Richard Atkinson)
I find his later works his most satisfying. To me, they’re the works in which Beethoven lets his true voice out. He holds nothing back and expresses what the he is truly feeling. Most say this piece is incomprehensible, but even when I first heard it a few years ago, before I realised the importance of this piece, or even knew anything about it, I thought it was…..beautiful. Incomprehensibly beautiful. I think Beethoven wrote it to challenge everybody’s perception of beauty at the time.
The single greatest piece of music ever written.
And it's not even a single piece! It was composed as _part_ of a piece (the last movement of a string quartet), but jettisoned and replaced with something simpler when the publisher complained that it was too difficult and esoteric.
+smalin I still don't find it enjoyable.
As a classical player, I find this amazing. But each to their own :D
This is ridiculously good.
A real masterpiece, this piece was way ahead of its time !
Please check out that latest version of the animation: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Fell in love at first listen, but my affinity has only grown since. What a delight, and this video only brings out its beauty.
He was telling future generations of composers that he knew what they would do to better him, and that he could do it better than them.
OMG there's greater depth to this work, than most people manage in an entire lifetime's work.
Thanks for the beautiful graphics too, both hypnotic, and an expression of how wonderfully complex and beautiful this piece is.
Be sure to watch the latest version of the video: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
At first I did not understand this piece. I took me a couple of times to fully comprehend this piece's complex melodic and harmonic structure, form, and its highly contrapuntal nature. In my opinion, this is not intended for easy listening. I noticed when I space out, I became lost, and confused with what was happening. I had to keep a focus for the full duration of this piece to fully grasp this piece. The way Beethoven develops the theme and squeezes so much out of it is amazing. This is one of the most complicated and well crafted works in classical music.
You might want to check out this more explanatory version of the score: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
I understand why some have such a hard time with this monumental work. Still, to me this actually allows us to peek into Beethoven's musical mind. But Beethoven is not just a musical genius he is the musical genius who established the role of the independent musician, who defied Haydn's teachings (greatest composer alive at the time), aristocracy (from dating to direct confrontation, there are many princes but only one Beethoven), and even stood up to Napoleon, while repeatedly changing the course of music History through his works.
I was very fortunate; the fuge grabbed me on my first listen and did not let go until the last note (in a way only Mozart had done in my infancy) so I loved it from then on, never had to make and effort to "get it". Yes there is raging turmoil, and harshness the likes of which would take 200 years to be common (relatively), but this is the least of it. There are moments of great beauty, playfulness, reflection - a lifetime in a quarter of an hour. Beethoven did write a 10th Symphony, he hid it in the last movement of a quartet; to me, it's no wonder he agreed to publish seperately. There is no doubt his minds ear retained perfect pitch, but this is not a friendly work. He's not holding back, not minding his matters but just truly testing and exploring himself and allowing us (humanity) to come along for the (bumpy) ride.
If you read this far, try to hear it until you find something to hold on to, then follow it along. Take some time without listening to something else, let it settle.
Some other day try it again, you might find the themes more familiar. So you might be able to hold on faster, eventually you will probably be in a better position to enjoy this piece and then allow it unravel, the rewards are very much worth the effort. To me, this is one of the greatest works of music written.
Thank you.
Cattle! Asses! :) Love your commentary as well as the great animation. It helps me to appreciate the music on more than one level and to understand it better, Thank you for all your videos. Appreciate all the comments too, I learn so much.
So i don't know what possessed Beethoven to write this, but I thank the gods he did, one of the most amazing pieces of music ever
Be sure to check out this (more recent) animated graphical score for it: ruclips.net/video/LwhJdXj-GOQ/видео.html
I have a CD edition of all of his string quartets by the Guarneri Quartet, and there it is subtitled _Lieb'_ in English _Luv_ .
A pretty much rather dramatic interpretation.
I have seen this subtitle rarely, not on WP for example, but it seems to be in one of the first scores that were published.
When I first listened to it, I found it too confusing but after the 2nd listen it became one of my favorite works of music ever written. Now I listen to it every day lol.
You are not alone, but you are lucky. See www.musanim.com/GrosseFuge/GrosseFugeViewersGuide.pdf for background on my work with it.
this piece is so genius! these people speaking these quotes must have been truly boxed in to a single way of hearing music. Beethoven was ahead of his time here, the counterpoint and structure of this is masterful. he weaves the tunes like threads, with such ease. the harmonic plan is so complex, he goes through so many moods and emotions in such a short period.
This is the most complete piece of music ever written
This performance has a sort of raspiness to it, the way I hear the bows on the strings at certain points.
And given the tone of the piece, it feels so natural; that even upon my first hearing of this piece when I was struggling to follow the development, I could still appreciate this texture.
What a perfect piece.
I can imagine Beethovens excitement making this. As a composer, every song you make gets worn out in your ears eventually.
This is the only piece of music that is a continuous joy to listen to and is totally confounding. I am jealous, if i could make even one song that is this enjoyable my composers itch would be totally satisfied.
This piece of music is so astounding. Work of a genius.
The first choice of mine, when my family forces me to play on christmas eve. And it is true, if you listen into it for a while you understand what Beethoven was trying to show.
I don't know too much about classical music. But I love this piece, one of my favourites of all times.
Please try the new version: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Listen to it when you are in a fury and your mind is chaos. That allowed me to "get" it. And when the emotion part is clear, you can appreciate the counterpoint genius and discern parts you missed. Now my favorite piece of music ever.
This is my first time listening to this amazing piece and my first impression is that there is no way that Beethoven composed this. Then again it's only a testament to how great this man was and not to mention how ahead of his time he was. No one in history even comes close.
I cry every time. A lot. I dont even know why exactly. The combination of high and low/the sudden shift of the mood - makes me bend and curl. It is one build up to the last note. The first times I listen it - I was in tears because of somewhat incomplete end - I was screaming "-Why! why!" Now after few years I just genuinely scream the whole thing through "-Why! why!"
I'm envious. My wife connects in this deep, profound way to a lot of music (especially Mozart), but for me, it's much more rare (a countable number of times in my life, and only reliable when I'm under the influence of drugs). I recommend you watch the more-recent video of this, and the one for another late quartet video. ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html, and www.musanim.com/HeiligerDankgesang/
I also feel like I'm going to have a heart attack (in the good sense) when listening. Specially in the crisis of the 2nd fugue.
I think I'd ask why more at the end of op132
This is one of the most beautiful pieces. Along the whole song different moods are transmitted, but the essence prevails. It is the soundtrack of a person's lifetime. What a masterpiece.
This video has gotten 1 million views. Praise mankind.
I used to hate this piece. Now, after many years of studying contemporary composers and their music, this piece, as Stravinsky put it, contemporary in it's own rights, and for that I find this piece compelling and enriching. Thank you for the brilliant animation as always!
Be sure to check out the latest version: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Alas i was unable to complete it.
There are lots of people who think that this is meaningless noise when they first hear it but eventually think it's one of the best pieces they know, but there are none who start out liking it and eventually decide it's meaningless noise. This leads me to think that appreciating it involves some kind of learning.
After 200 years, this still reaches a new frontier in classical music.
people may hear this dissonant, but the most beautiful, sublime music ever written.
Beethoven was clearly Iluminated, I read something in Wikipedia that said that he represented the music of the Future with this piece
Wow 13 years, and still ... this pulls and fascinates like the first view many years. I appreciate the new video, but I love how clear the architecture of the piece is here (so obviously, I'm glad we have both). Thank you for this amazing piece, as well as for making this incredible software available. And I'll be sure to thank you again many moons later just as I do now having seen this years ago already and expecting to see it many many more times through my life. Really what a fantastic piece, and what an incredible way of experiencing it :)
This is like... butchering an elephant with a hand saw but without any blood shedding. Absolutely brutal but intricate.
Interesting...?
Keep listening to it, and report back in a few years. Lots of people who don't like this piece at first, come to love it after a while.
mind shattering composition; stravinsky influences all over the place. this piece is so wonderfully detailed you can't resist the urge to revisit it over and over again! Beethoven is godsend, as so many artists are
Well, Stravinsky was born over half a century after Beethoven passed away. Therefore, I think it's very unlikely that Beethoven was in any way influenced by Stravinsky, but who am I and what do I know? :\/
He was writing for the 21st Century. A genius work!!! The the mountains and valleys of this work. Mood swings were never better put to music.
When I first heared this song in 2010 I didn't like it, but now I feel that the more and more I hear the more I love it. I found this very strange indeed.
Your experience is not uncommon. Some people love it on first hearing, but most don’t fully understand it right off the bat. What happens after varies: some people learn to love it, some don’t. I wrote this page about it: www.musanim.com/GrosseFuge/UnderstandingBeethovensGrosseFuge.html
It's one of those pieces where one can hear new things in it when relistening to it. It definitely grows on you. I feel this way, also, about Brahms's Third Piano Sonata.
One of the greatest quartets.
+Edward Yang Agreed.
This song, to me, sounds like the story of the universe from open to close. Who needs TV when you have musical encapsulation of all violence, nudity, and course language right here!
I hope you've watched the more recent version of this: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
@@smalin I have, and while that version is fantastic, I do prefer the heartrate monitor-like graphics in this one. Lends better to my "this song is the heartbeat of time" fantasy
Ah yes, in fact everyone calls this the grosse Rape fugue uwu
@@AsrielKujo e
So genius, the largest, was classic, romantic and timeless with this and other amorphous and abstract pieces .
Unfortunately not everyone can hear the genius of his deafness . Long live the Great Ludwig !
Beautiful to watch. The display reveals the intricacy of the parts of a complicated and aurally challenging piece of music that is not always easy to listen to in early hearings. The performance is captivating even on low fidelity electronic computer speakers.
You might want to watch this more recent version of the animated graphical score (which reflects more of the piece's structure):
ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
What a great piece of music.
This is so fucking radical. Thank god that i am alive to experience this.
I do hope you can watch my more recent version of the animation:
ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
And, if you're interested, you can read about my approach to this:
www.musanim.com/GrosseFuge/GrosseFugeViewersGuide.pdf
@@smalin great, the new version is even better. How long did you work on the new one? I can't comprehend how many hours and work it took you.
@@seeling_liebe I didn't keep track of my time, so I can't give you an exact answer, but I do know that I worked on it on an off for several months.
@@smalin i have another question: Did you watch the old fantasia and the newer fantasia 2000 movie? And do you have an opinion in the context of music visualisation regarding this movie? (Btw i checker your wikipedia, you are my hero now)
One of my favourite pieces.
The video with which I first came to know the Great Fugue ... so happy to see it now has over 1.4 millions views ❤️
I hope you've watched the latest version ... ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Here it is a list of Academic Music:
ruclips.net/p/PL3bN3qL-ZFiHLXyolzwjgG7xPAJagtbRI
Yes @smalin, I've not only watched but studied that latest version many times, along with reading your guide to your different versions of the Great Fugue, and now the Alexander String Quartet's rendition is my favorite
The cadence that ends one of the most intense sections of music that my ears have had the pleasure of being defiled by (at around 10:00) forms a humorous contrast with the baroque-like cadence at 10:34
4:47 So calm and beautiful than what came before it. It’s absolutely amazing.
And it's limit is... 2?
ken chapin No, this is the harmonic series. It’s a divergent sum.
The most dense of the fugues I've ever heard. I had to hear this fugue around ten times to finally "get it", or at least to come close to this. But I know I will never regret, for it is my favorite one.
You might find that the "motivic view" version of the animated graphical score helps: ruclips.net/video/z6NLY5Jp1wM/видео.html
Play it backwards. That's the joke. Nobody ever got it.
Anai Bendai How is that a joke?
smalin I was kidding - that's how.
Try this new version: ruclips.net/video/JG47mxCMfrI/видео.html
Jesus, no wonder so many people have a hard time getting into classical... People keep demonizing others for liking certain composers and arguing about which composer did x or y better. It's just sad really. Respectful discussions about those subjects are fine, but people here act like their opinions are objective facts lol.
This song is like a broken emotional ride. Like trying too piece the puzzle to make since. What a guines
This is so beautiful.
I love it, so different, so artisitic. I can appreciate to many it doesn't seem melodious but I love its experimentation. It's by Beethoven and he is the greatest classical genius, except for Bach. This is both combined.
Don't overlook the more recent version of the animated graphical score: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Come back to this piece every five years for the rest of your life. Many people find that they weren't ready for this when they first heard it but, with more experience, came over to Stravinsky's point of view.
I distinctly remember the first time I heard this piece. It made absolutely no sense at all to me. Now, I'm listening to it and it's breathtaking.
What would you say to people who, on first hearing this piece, respond like
Amy Smith ("This music is what Trump's bowel movements sound like"), ex14vip ("Ok everyone, let's be honest to ourselves -- this piece is just a dud"), or Andrés Gómez5 ("I can think for myself, this sounds like shit")?
I would advise them to listen some of Beethoven's other late string quartets. All of them are relatively challenging pieces to understand, but they're worth it once you get the hang of it. In particular, I would recommend Quartet no. 13, for which this piece was originally the intended last movement. The 5th movement (the Cavatina) of No. 13 was said by Beethoven's assistant to be so adored by the master himself that speaking of it brought fresh tears to his eyes; I think the Cavatina is also one of the most beautiful and readily enjoyable movements of the late quartets.
Although I've often heard the Grosse Fugue described as atonal music, I'm not sure that's totally accurate. I don't think Beethoven was simply scrapping tonality as the composers of the 20th century did; rather, I think that, by the end of his life, he had acquired such a mastery of tonal music that he was able to do things with harmony and melody so advanced that they are still almost inconceivable to this day. In the same way that Shakespeare's language was so rich and poetic that it's incomprehensible to some people, I think Beethoven's late quartets, and this piece in particular, are so musically rich that they come off as sonic gibberish to some.
www.classicalnotes.net/classics3/grossefuge.html
prezi.com/wsktoe5nyn9m/analysis-of-beethovens-groe-fuge-op-133/
ruclips.net/video/9TjEZ-xpk9o/видео.html
I most certainly agree with this statement.
-What do you think?
-I think it's ugly.
-Ugly? You think it's ugly? Of course it's ugly, but is it beautiful?
Dante Abyssal wait what?
Sorry I don’t understand :(
@@LpsBlueDiamond its a movie reference
Taufik Al-Kahfi thx
Copying Beethoven sucks. It’s historically inaccurate, but I guess it’s intended to be a work of fiction. Some really cheesy, soppy dialogue, but the script at least mentions most of Beethoven’s most interesting works, for orchestra, for string quartet
Before reading Stravinsky's quotation, I was writing in my book that I could stand the Great Fugue if I had listened to the Spring's Rite before.
in this piece beethoven thought the way some of the composers who were writing in the 20th century. i really love this piece.
Every time I come back to this song.. It feels like the perfect feeling of understanding that melodies that intrigue and melodies that cringe are equally perfect. This song to me only amplifies an inner belief that no matter what is written, it is well equal. How angry and careless one can be with that sort of knowledge :P
Six months after first listening to this video four times over a week, it is still amazingly amazing. Great recording too!
gorgeous music to my ears .I don't know how people don't like it😕
Because its deeply discordant in many parts. Can you not hear it?
Zeet We'll talking theoretically this piece is a harmonical disaster with all it's wierd chord combinations and the vast sudden intervals that occur allthrough the piece.but notice that he didn't diminish the music theory in this fugue , i think he composed it this way to give this peice a deep harmony and change our way of listening .now talking as a music listener , try to flow with the music by your ears.let the music take you to a tip of a mountain then suddenly push you and you fall in a deep vally.this is what this piece is about ☺tips and valleys ...when you feel it you'll discover the true joy of this music
If I could listen to a last music before my death, it would be that. This is such an amazing masterpiece, I can't even describe how good it is. Kuddo Beethoven
Be sure to check out the latest version of the animated graphical score: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
Thank you so much for this and for your channel in general. I love it, and my 5.5 yo son is mesmerized by the graphical representation of the music. I wouldn't dream of sitting and listening with him to the whole Grosse Fuge, but I just did it twice in a row...
אלעד הן How much classical music do you and your son listen to (apart from my videos)?
+אלעד הן 2 in a row? take it easy man, his brain must rest
I currently live in Mannheim and pass the chateau on my daily commute. I absolutely love to listen to Jan Stamitz/Christian Cannabich and follow this up with Haydn, then the Eroica and then this while sitting by the river and looking at the chateau. What a great way to pass a summer evening.
Also you don't get stabbed as much as you'd think.
It has an introduction, and it's a double fugue (two themes), and it has lots of variations, but the technique is essentially fugal.
Upon hearing this the first time I have to say I really like it. I like the apparent Dissonanzen. This sounds great to me. But I get why people won't like it, especially at the time it was written. It's progressive, probably too progressive for that time. And i enjoy the score art here.
Please let me know your opinion of the latest version of this video: ruclips.net/video/pxdPuS7HAHg/видео.html
smalin Thanks a lot for your link. I got to say that I prefer this version. The audio sounds softer and bassy here. The graphics look more colourful and flashy in the new video, though to me this is better since I'm a musician and this looks more like a score where I can see the instruments in relation and duration to each other, which I find interesting. It's very similar to how I write down ideas for melodies, when I don't have a recorder at hand. But that's just personal taste, so great job.
My first time hearing this, and I grew up in a house stuffed full with all kinds of classical, predominantly Beethoven...but I find this easier to understand than Stravinsky...
You might want to watch the new version: ruclips.net/video/JG47mxCMfrI/видео.html
Thank you
i cant believe he composed this while he was deaf. like damn fucking respect.
Before he was deaf, he composed away from the piano (that is, in silence). So, being deaf probably didn't make as much difference as you're imagining.
@@smalin
But he also developed severe tinnitus, which can really screw with your ability to think about much else.
SMALIN I HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS SINCE I WAS A WEE TEENAGER I LOVE THEM THEY WERE A BIG PART IN FOSTERING MY LOVE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC CLASSICAL MUSIC IS MY FAVORITE I LOVE YOU MAN I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR EXISTENCE AND YOUR WORK LONG LIVE SMALIN!!!
I'd read before Stravinsky's comment on the contemporary nature of this piece, and remembered it while coming to grips with my latest listening, and there it was again at the end. I like very much your quotes throughout on the evolution of how musicians and critics have approached this piece as time has moved on. Thanks for tackling this monumental work!
anyone who sees this video will instantly recognize Beethoven for the genius that he is
So beautiful. Definitely high on my list of classical music.
Wow. Wow. I've finally begun to enjoy it!
It's amazing to think how that people couldn't appreciate this quality of this work- it's so ahead of its time there's no way it could. Notice the part crossing, shifting textures between Homophonic and Polyphonic, inner melodies, what sound like 9ths, 11ths, etc.
I always think of Beethoven as being the classical composer who captured the emotions of "triumph" and "wrath/anger" the most successfully. I have no way to back this up - it is pure association.
It's always been crystal clear to me, staggeringly beautiful and affords me the most rapturous of ecstasy. He needed to push tonality just one step forward to complete the the astonishing B flat Quartet. For me the B flat and A minor make him stand head and shoulders above any other Artist of music or of any other kind or discipline.
Yeah all you people who say Beethoven was completely deaf or mad about this are fooled by the incredible music history gossip scene. All the German successors took these late quarters seriously, not to mention that Beethoven's contemporaneous works were much more pleasant. Beethoven was experimenting with the Lydian and other modes at this time... Other classical composers did this too late in their careers.
Listening to discredited biographers about Beethoven is like reading Weekly World News for world events.
Siv Jensen Ha! Maynard Solomon’s bio of LVB is one of the worst biographies ever written. His attempt, made entirely without evidence, to link LVB’s works to some half-baked Freudian daddy issues was inane. His prose style is also terrible. I ditched it after torturing myself by reading a bit more than a third of the whole.
Do you know that Beethoven said of Louis Spohr's music: 'He is too rich in dissonances; pleasure in his music marred by his chromatic melody.'" in 1825? books.google.ca/books?id=2MPXSVcdzPUC&pg=PA99
Lydian mode shows up even in Mozart Fantasia in C minor K475 (1785), which Beethoven derived so much to write his piano sonatas.
@Jone Macjone Yes, Bernstein said that...but Bernstein was wrong: ruclips.net/video/Mjct5M8JzL4/видео.html
wow! the first few times I listen to this it was almost painful I am not musical in any sense of the word but found the history of the piece interesting. then I started thinking about it invertedly if that makes sense. And all the sudden I heard it. What a cool piece
Try this new version: ruclips.net/video/JG47mxCMfrI/видео.html
The third theme is hauntingly beautiful. Pure genius.
This fugue is a masterpiece. The Great Fugue announced the music of the future.
BEETHO ROASTING THE AUDIENCE IS SENDING ME
Brilliant work.
That’s really neat! My eyes appreciate what my ears cannot.
For a more explanatory version, try this: ruclips.net/video/JG47mxCMfrI/видео.html
Every now and then I listen to this again. I find it fascinating that the two most discordant parts of the piece are both made up of bits of that final melody clashing with itself. And then it always catches me by surprise when it resolves itself into that beautiful finish (all while sounding like something from Super Mario Galaxy; a testament to timelessness I suppose).
@TheMagicBolt Starting with the first long note at 3:25, the second violin (yellow) has the beginning of main theme: F, F, F#, E-flat, D (same shape as at the start of the piece). After the first five notes, though, it leaves the theme and participates (along with the 'cello, blue) in a short harmonic sequence (C7 --> F7 --> B-flat7 --> E-flat ...). And at 3:37, it's back to the main counter-theme (the one that starts first at 0:54).
"I don't really hear anything dissonant in this"
-guys used to Shosty and Schnittke
It's really good. I daresay it's Beethoven's best composition.
I would agree as Beethovens greatest, it's his most harmonically interesting work
Shosty is one of my favourite...but I can underestand that there's something strange in this... and I love it! Maybe my favourite Beethoven's piece of music too
If old Beetsy had more compositions like these (I'm aware of the late quartets), I'd definitely appreciate his common ranking as "greatest composer" more, because this is like a small tiny glimpse into the 20th century!
I do like Alfred Schnittke and I love Bach so this piece is like a discordant frenzied baroque stew of all the finest food I could eat.
The only thing I've been listening to for the past month.
Thank you, a joy to watch!
When I started on this project, I'd played a bunch of Renaissance music and studied the compositional methods of the time, and felt I understood it pretty well. From that starting point, Baroque music seemed "new" and yet pretty comprehensible. The progression of musical styles is not random: each period is built upon (and/or a reaction to) what came before. Doing it backward would be like trying to surf a wave backward. It's easier to go with the flow.
This is one of those pieces that take some time to appreciate. If you don't like it now, come back in a couple of weeks and check it out. I believe Beethoven fully knew what he was during when he composed this. And as for me, well, this is one of my most favourite compositions of his. It's unique, and I can feel the composer in the music. I love it.