Klarinet Archive - Posting 000330.txt from 1995/08

From: Gary Bisaga <gary@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: Beethoven Op. 11
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 07:47:31 -0400

Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.EDU> wrote:
>According to
>the research I did, Beethoven was contemptuous of this simpleminded work
>and, indeed, having performed the work a number of times, we have found
>that these variations are rather sophisticated musical jokes which could
>easily have been Beethoven's way of thumbing his nose at this melody.

Or more likely, from my study of Beethoven has indicated, just his way
of transforming it into much better music. Aren't many great pieces
of music really simple little tunes, turned via the composer into
masterpieces? (E.g. any of of Beethoven's symphonies, most of which
are based on arpeggiations or diminutions on a major triad.) In fact,
Beethoven's "33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli" (op. 120) does the
very same thing. A simple but nice little tune (not a waltz actually)
by a somewhat-well-known-at-the-time Viennese music publisher is
transformed (transfigured?) into Beethoven's greatest set of
variations. I don't doubt that Beethoven showed contempt for the
tune; it's just that it would be very like him to be contemptuous
externally but then use the tune as a basis for creation (I think it
was Stravinski who said "All artists borrow ideas from others; the
great ones steal them outright." :)

Gary