The events of Beethoven's life are the stuff of
Romantic legend, evoking images of the solitary creator
shaking his fist at Fate and finally overcoming it
through a supreme effort of creative will. His
compositions, which frequently pushed the boundaries of
tradition and startled audiences with their originality
and power, are considered by many to be the foundation
of 19th century musical principals.
Born in the small German city of Bonn on or around
December 16, 1770, he received his ...(+)
The events of Beethoven's life are the stuff of
Romantic legend, evoking images of the solitary creator
shaking his fist at Fate and finally overcoming it
through a supreme effort of creative will. His
compositions, which frequently pushed the boundaries of
tradition and startled audiences with their originality
and power, are considered by many to be the foundation
of 19th century musical principals.
Born in the small German city of Bonn on or around
December 16, 1770, he received his early training from
his father and other local musicians. As a teenager, he
earned some money as an assistant to his teacher,
Christian Gottlob Neefe, then was granted half of his
father's salary as court musician from the Electorate
of Cologne in order to care for his two younger
brothers as his father gave in to alcoholism.
In his later years Beethoven, like many other
composers, turned to the music of J. S. Bach for new
ideas. However, Beethoven's admiration of the late
Baroque master began while he was still in Bonn.
Possibly as an homage to Bach's preludes and fugues in
every key, Beethoven composed two Preludes, both
employing each of the 12 major keys. These are less
successful works than his later contrapuntal
masterpieces, such as the Piano Sonata No. 28, Op. 101,
the first movement of the String Quartet, Op. 131, and
the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. It is possible that Beethoven
wrote the Preludes, Op. 39, as composition exercises
for his teacher, Christian Gottlob Neefe (1748-1798).
The Preludes were published in 1803 by Hoffmeister and
Kühnel in Leipzig.
Each Prelude opens in C major and travels around the
circle of fifths in the "sharp" direction -- C to G to
D, etc. -- and end up back at C major. The Baroque
conception of the pieces is most evident in the linear
writing, with independent inner voices.
The first Prelude of the pair is in common time and
opens with the theme in the right hand, imitated a
measure later in the left. The imitation ceases,
however, after only two measures. The piece is
generally in three voices with moments of four-voice
texture, notably in the C sharp major segment, which
for a moment abandons the eighth note pulse. The tune
of the very first measure remains consistent throughout
the Prelude, appearing at every change of key and for
long stretches in every measure. Beethoven stresses the
descending four sixteenth notes of the theme in the
sections in E flat and B flat, counterbalancing these
with upward motion in the F major passage before
returning to the theme in full to close in C major.
Cast in cut time, the second Prelude features a
quarter-note rhythm almost exclusively. The theme, only
four measures long, has fewer landmarks than the theme
of the first Prelude, and the music seems to meander
from key to key. The texture is consistently dense
except in a few places, such as the beginning of the E
major passage, which opens with one line in the left
hand only. Several keys -- D, A, F sharp and E flat --
appear for only one measure each. Once Beethoven
reaches C major and a nearly literal repeat of the
opening measures, he begins the process again, this
time allotting only one measure to each of the key
areas..
Source: AllMusic
(https://www.allmusic.com/composition/preludes-2-throug
h-all-12-major-keys-for-piano-or-organ-op-39-mc00023764
23)
Although originally composed for Piano, I created this
Interpretation of the 2 Preludes Through All 12 Major
Keys (Op. 39) for Woodwind Quartet (Flute, Oboe, Bb
Clarinet & Bassoon).
