Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German
composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most
admired composers in the history of Western music; his
works rank amongst the most performed of the classical
music repertoire. His works span the transition from
the classical period to the romantic era in classical
music. His career has conventionally been divided into
early, middle, and late periods. The "early" period,
during which he forged his craft, is typically
considered to have las...(+)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was a German
composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most
admired composers in the history of Western music; his
works rank amongst the most performed of the classical
music repertoire. His works span the transition from
the classical period to the romantic era in classical
music. His career has conventionally been divided into
early, middle, and late periods. The "early" period,
during which he forged his craft, is typically
considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to
around 1812, his "middle" period showed an individual
development from the "classical" styles of Joseph Haydn
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes
characterized as "heroic". During this time he began to
suffer increasingly from deafness. In his "late" period
from 1812 to his death in 1827, he extended his
innovations in musical form and expression. He was born
in Bonn, Beethoven's musical talent was obvious at an
early age, and he was initially harshly and intensively
taught by his father Johann van Beethoven. Beethoven
was later taught by the composer and conductor
Christian Gottlob Neefe, under whose tutelage he
published his first work, a set of keyboard variations,
in 1783. He found relief from a dysfunctional home life
with the family of Helene von Breuning, whose children
he loved, befriended, and taught piano. At age 21, he
moved to Vienna, which subsequently became his base,
and studied composition with Haydn. Beethoven then
gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist, and he was
soon courted by Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky for
compositions, which resulted in his three Opus 1 piano
trios (the earliest works to which he accorded an opus
number) in 1795.
His first major orchestral work, the First Symphony,
appeared in 1800, and his first set of string quartets
was published in 1801. During this period, his hearing
began to deteriorate, but he continued to conduct,
premiering his Third and Fifth Symphonies in 1804 and
1808, respectively. His Violin Concerto appeared in
1806. His last piano concerto (No. 5, Op. 73, known as
the 'Emperor'), dedicated to his frequent patron
Archduke Rudolf of Austria, was premiered in 1810, but
not with Beethoven as soloist. He was almost completely
deaf by 1814, and he then gave up performing and
appearing in public. He described his problems with
health and his unfulfilled personal life in two
letters, his "Heiligenstadt Testament" (1802) to his
brothers and his unsent love letter to an unknown
"Immortal Beloved" (1812).
After Beethoven's death, many works were published with
the master's name. Most were transcriptions from famous
works, or part of famous works. However, in some cases,
the works are apocryphal. This was done on purpose to
make money using Beethoven's name. These works, for
piano, came mainly from the USA and were published in
1830-1840, when the catalogue of Beethoven's works was
not well known. The 6 Waltzes (Anh 14) is not generally
believed to be the work of Beethoven although published
using his name. Apocryphal works such as this waltz
still have real strength and virtuosity.
Beethoven may not have been the author of the 6
Ecossaises (WoO 83); a small assemblage of dances.
Little is known about their origin, though they were
published in 1807. The Ecossaise, a dance with origins
in both England and France, despite the word's Scottish
derivation, did not figure prominently in Beethoven's
output, though he did produce one in E flat for piano,
WoO 86, and ones in D and G for wind ensemble, WoO 22
and 23, respectively.
The six for piano here are really played as one piece
rather than as a set or collection. Each dance theme
(or variant) is presented and then followed by the same
refrain, which thus serves to bridge and unite all the
material. The refrain has a hearty character as it
dances jauntily up the keyboard on each of its
appearances. The mood throughout the piece is playful
and humorous, the pacing lively, the writing
challenging in its mixture of elegance and rollicking
fun. Each thematic segment lasts but a few seconds --
likewise for the refrain -- the whole passing by
quickly, with a duration of a bit less than two
minutes. The music is delightful and infectious
throughout, even if the fingerprints of Beethoven
cannot be clearly discerned.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven)
Although originally composed for Piano, I created this
Interpretation of the 6 Scottish Dances in Eb Major
(WoO 83) for Flute & Concert (Pedal) or Celtic Harp.
