Beethoven - Seven Bagatelles, Opus 33

The Romantic vision of Beethoven with wild eyes and disheveled hair hunched over his writing desk illuminated by an almost spent candle as he scribbled out serious masterpiece after serious masterpiece, is about as far from the truth as it gets. Beethoven was an early riser and did most of his composing in the morning.  He spent many of his afternoons wandering about in the countryside with his sketchbook in his pocket so he could capture any ideas that would come to him.  He spent his evenings in various activities such as reading or in the local tavern, but seldom composing.

The raw material for his compositions that were contained in his sketchbooks were mulled over, added to or subtracted from as his artistic taste dictated. Many of his longer works went through a long period of gestation and revision before they came to their final form. While Beethoven's craft and skill as a composer is evident, his frame of mind did not always lean towards storming the heavens.

Beethoven had a sense of humor that worked its way into his compositions. Sometimes the long and serious works had moments of humor, as is heard in the third movement of the Sixth Symphony In F Major 'Pastorale', where the orchestra mimics a village band, or the imitation of an oomp-pah-pah band in the quite serious 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony In D Minor.  The piano sonatas also have their humorous moments (and movements) as well.  Sometimes Beethoven's sense of humor took over a complete piece, as happened in some of the Bagatelles For Solo Piano, opus 33. 

The term bagatelle is of French or Italian origin and means something of little value, a trifle, and was first used as early as 1717 by the French Baroque composer François Couperin. Beethoven wrote three sets of bagatelles, a total of 24 with opus numbers as well as an additional 6 individual bagatelles without opus numbers. One of the without opus number bagatelles is arguably one of Beethoven's most well known pieces, Für Elise.  His first set of bagatelles opus 33, was written in 1802-1803 and contains seven works. It would be a mistake to take the term bagatelle literally. These are short pieces, but they aren't all fluff and stuff. Pieces like these were Beethoven's laboratory; he used them to experiment in writing for the instrument he knew very well:

I. Andante grazioso, quasi allegretto -  Written in the key of E-flat major, the first bagatelle of the set is graceful, though somewhat heavily seasoned with grace notes in the melody. A short middle section in a minor key provides contrast, after which the first section is repeated.

II. Scherzo. Allegro -  It is not certain if all seven of the pieces in this opus were written between 1802-1803, but this scherzo follows a general pattern of music Beethoven labeled as 'scherzo' at about the same time. Piano sonata Opus 14, No. 2 In G Major of 1799 includes a scherzo as the final movement. Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Opus 36 written in 1803 also has a scherzo movement.  Beethoven followed the experiments of Haydn in writing scherzos, but Beethoven's were quite unique. This scherzo is in C major and begins with a rhythmically quirky figure:

With sudden changes in dynamics, a mix of slurred notes and staccato notes and rests, Beethoven trips the ear as we try to grasp the pulse of the music. This first section is repeated, and just as the listener is beginning to get the feel of the rhythm Beethoven changes things abruptly with a section in A minor that has the melody played in octaves in the right hand to a triplet accompaniment. Like a swelling ocean wave a crescendo from piano to fortissimo spans a 3-bar section, and rapidly dies down to piano, only to do it again before the end of the minor section. The minor section is repeated, and the opening scherzo returns. The trio is of a more mellow mood, as runs of thirds in the right hand spell out the simple theme. The trio repeats, after which the scherzo returns but with some syncopation thrown in for good measure. A short coda begins to wind down the music, but the final bars hammer out a C major chord in the right hand alternating with a low C in the left.  The accents shift for a few bars until the music ends on the low C in the second beat of a measure.

III. Allegretto - The third piece is in F major. The first phrase is in the home key, but Beethoven throws the ear another curve ball when the second phrase unexpectedly shifts to the key of D major. This section repeats. The next section begins with a very short development of the initial phrase before the initial phrase is repeated. This section also repeats. Another development section begins and leads back to the beginning material which is now decorated with grace notes. A short coda ends the work solidly in F major.

IV. Andante -  A graceful theme in A major begins the piece, and shifts to a contrasting section in A minor. The A major theme returns and is varied. The melody shifts to the bass, and a shor coda brings the music to a quiet ending.

V. Allegro ma non troppo - Written in C major, this is another scherzo in all but name. Ascending arpeggios bring the music to rest upon a high A after some hand crossing, after that both hands descend in triplets before the hands move in contrary motion. The right hand plays trills to the chords in the left hand.  The next section has both hands playing triplet figures along with long bass notes in the left and the melody in the right. The middle section is in C minor, with the melody in right hand octaves with low triplets in the bass. The C major scherzo begins again, but it not a verbatim repeat as Beethoven makes changes.  A coda of longer duration begins and ends the piece in C major.

VI. Allegretto, quasi andante - Written in D major, this piece carries the added instruction Con una certa espressione parlante (with a kind of speaking voice) along with the tempo indication. It is a gentle, lyrical and short bagatelle that ends not long after it begins.

VII. Presto -  After the gentleness of the preceding bagatelle, this one comes as a surprise. Written in A-flat major, the music begins with pianissimo thirds in the left hand for 4 measures in a beginning that may have been an experiment for what was to become a similar opening in the scherzo of Symphony No. 3 In E-flat Major 'Eroica'. The motive of this scherzo staggers into the picture in the right hand:

 The second section follows the same general pattern. The next section begins with a low note in the bass played fortissimo, with pianissimo arpeggios in both hands for eight measures.  This section has the added effect of Beethoven instructing the player to hold the damper pedal down the entire time, thus the bass note rings out while the arpeggios quietly spread over the bass, an effect that could only be done on the piano. The first section repeats with slight variations. The extended pedal music also repeats. One more time the first section repeats, again with slight variations.  Large chords played forte in both hands begin the coda, are then repeated in a different chord position and fortissimo. The right hand plays a variant of the opening motive under strongly accented chords and the movement comes to a quiet ending.

Sarasate - Concert Fantasy On Themes From Gounod's 'Faust'

The French composer Charles Gounod is remembered mostly for his operas, with Faust being his most popular. The opera was loosely based on Johann Goethe's play Faust : eine Tragödie, Part One.  The legend of Faust, a scholar that trades his soul to the devil so he can gain unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures, is a German legend that was first published in 1593, but the legend is probably much older than that.  Goethe's version was published in 1808, with a second part published after his death.

Gounod's opera premiered in 1859 but it wasn't until a revival of the work in 1862 that it became popular. At one time Faust was the most popular opera in the repertoire, and Pablo de Sarasate was evidently quite  taken with the opera, for he wrote two fantasies on themes from it, with the later opus 13 fantasy being the subject of this post.

The writing of fantasies on other composer's works was a mainstay of 19th century concert life as well as music publishing.  Tunes from popular operas (the 'hits' of the 19th century) were used by many performer/composers to showcase their virtuosity.  Hearing opera performed live was beyond many music lovers, and the fantasies, variations (or as Liszt called them paraphrases) on popular tunes was a way music lovers could hear the latest works.

Charles Gounod

Sarasate wrote Concert Fantasy On Themes From Gounod's 'Faust'  in 1874 for violin and piano and as with many of his other fantasies on popular works by other composers, he made a version for soloist and orchestra.

The work begins with dramatic chords played by the piano. The soloist enters and the fireworks begin straight away.  After some appropriately heavy and 'damned' music followed by more lyrical music, Sarasate segues to music from Act 2, At The City Gates.  Faust has already made his pact with  Méphistophélès. At the city gate Méphistophélès sings his aria Le veau d'or (The Golden Calf), a spiteful song about greed and the wickedness of man.  Sarasate translates some of the harshness of the original with the embellishments he gives to the aria.  The set of themes are from the Garden Scene, Act 3 of the opera. Méphistophélès and  Faust are in Marguerite's garden where Faust attempts to seduce her.  Faust kisses her, but she sends him away. But soon she longs for him and calls for his return. The final theme used is from the final scenes of Act 2, the famous Waltz From Faust.

Beethoven - Piano Trio In D Major Opus 70, No. 1 'Ghost'

The form of the piano trio, usually for the combination of violin-cello-piano (but also any two instruments with piano) became popular in the home during the 18th century. In the 37-year span of 1760-1797 Joseph Haydn wrote 45 piano trios. The early ones were dominated by the keyboard with the other instruments more or less accompanying.  With his later piano trios Haydn began to balance out the three instruments until they were in almost equal partnership. Mozart wrote 6 piano trios and did even more than Haydn in balancing out the contribution of the three instruments.

Both older composers influenced Beethoven, who worked the form to perfection with his 12 trios. The most well-known of the piano trios for violin-cello-piano is the Piano Trio In B-flat Major Opus 97 'Archduke'  written in 1811.  Three years previous to that work he wrote the two piano trios of Opus 70.  The first trio of that opus is in D Major, and is close in popularity to the 'Archduke' .  This trio also has the nickname Ghost, taken from the atmosphere of the 2nd movement. The Ghost trio was Beethoven's return to the form after he wrote his first trios ten years before.  Unlike most of his other piano trios, this one is in only three movements:

I. Allegro vivace e con brio - The first movement begins with a declaration of equality between all three instruments as they all play the same motive over a 4-octave span:

This motive acts as an introduction, but it recurs in different guises through the first movement. After the introduction, a theme is heard in the cello. This theme is related to the introductory material and goes through a short development before another theme is heard first in the strings, and then the piano. The exposition is repeated. The development begins with the introductory material and dissects it into smaller pieces that goes through imitative statements between the instruments. The recapitulation reworks the introductory material to a different key before the first theme is heard. This theme is also reworked and expanded. The second theme is given a slightly different treatment until a short coda brings back the first theme once more until a fragment of the introduction closes this short sonata form movement.

II. Largo assai ed espressivo -  Written in D minor, this movement is the longest of the trio. The movement begins with a stark dialogue between strings and piano:

With foreign harmonies and unstable tonality, the movement is one of the most strange Beethoven ever wrote. There is evidence that at the writing of this trio Beethoven was also thinking about writing an opera based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, with the music of this movement based on sketches of music for the Witches' Scene.  With deep tremolos in the piano like a creeping spectre and sharply accented chords like the howling of a damned spirit, it is no wonder the nickname of Ghost has lasted for so many years. After one last howl, the music tries to settle into a more calm major key mood, but the end comes quickly with short and dry notes in the piano and pizzicato in the strings on the key note of D.

III. Presto -  The finale resembles the opening movement as both are rather short in length and begin with a short motive that returns:

But the final movement is in a much needed more humorous mood to balance out the 2nd movement. All tension is broken as the finale makes its way to the end.

Bruckner - Motet 'Os Justi Meditabitur' WAB 30

After Anton Bruckner's father died in 1837, he was sent to the  monastery in the town of St. Florian as a choirboy.  While there he studied singing as well as organ and violin playing. The monastery of St. Florian in the town had a pipe organ that was originally built in the late Baroque era, which Bruckner played quite often.  The organ came to be called in later years the Bruckner Organ and the composer was buried underneath it after his death in 1896.

Bruckner was Austrian and Catholic with the years he spent in St. Florian as a youth and later as a young adult were formative. He was a devout Catholic all his life and some of the first music he was acquainted with was sacred music. While he is more well known for his symphonies, he wrote a considerable amount of music for the church. At first his compositions reflected his younger days as it was traditional and conservative, but by the time he had completed his studies with Simon Sechter (whom he began lessons with after he had been composing for a few years) he had been exposed for the first time to the music of Wagner and Liszt. 

He was slow to develop as a composer (he didn't write his first symphony until 1863 when he was 39 year old, and this symphony was an assignment from one of his last teachers). His progress as a composer can be seen clearly from his sacred compositions, the first which was written in 1836 up to the last written in 1892, but most of his vocal works differed from the symphonic works. The sacred works reflect Bruckner's faith in that they were written simply (and the later ones very skillfully) and reverentially.  

The motet Os Justi Meditabitur was written in 1879 at about the same time as the 6th Symphony.  It written in response to a group of church music reformers known as the Cecilians.  This group of Catholic priests and musicians was in reaction to the modernization of church music since the Enlightenment.  Bruckner's work is a motet that was intended as a gradual, a piece of music connected with the ritual of the Eucharist (Communion in the Protestant church).  The motet is written in the key of F but uses no sharps or flats in either the key signature or the written notes, thus it is in Lydian mode, the fifth mode of eight in the system of church modes instituted sometime in the 8th century.  The motet is for a usual four-part a capella choir, but there are two places in the work where it is written in eight parts. Bruckner dedicated the work to Ignaz Traumihler, who was choir director at St. Florian as well as a Cecilian.  The text is taken from Psalm 36 in the Latin Vulgate, verses  30-31:

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks what is just.
The law of his God is in his heart:
and his feet do not falter.
Alleluia

Monteverdi - Beatus Vir SV 268

The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 and is considered one of the most important musicians in the history of music. He was a transitional composer that was as adept at composing music in the style of the Renaissance era as he was in the newer style of the Baroque era.

He received training in music as a choir member as well as at the University of Cremona.  He worked as a singer and violist and had some motets published as early as 1582. He also became music director and conductor at various courts until he was appointed music director and conductor at St. Mark's Basilica in Rome.

He composed nine volumes of madrigals in his many years as a composer (over 150 works) and it was in the later volumes of madrigals that he began to include more and more compositions in the new Baroque style of composition. As with any innovator, Monteverdi received his share of criticism as his new style was attacked for being crude and taking license with the traditional composing methods. Monteverdi weathered the criticism and continued to innovate the art of music. He began to compose opera in 1607 with L'Orfeo, based on the Greek tragedy of Orfeus. This is the oldest opera that is still performed with any regularity.  Monteverdi wrote for an orchestra of about forty players and was one of the first composers to assign music to specific groups of instruments, although the work wasn't orchestrated in the modern sense and still followed the Renaissance tradition of giving the players a certain amount of freedom in  execution. The video below gives an idea of how Monteverdi's orchestra may have sounded as the first few minutes of L'Orfeo are played:


 Monteverdi also composed many sacred compositions such as the collection titled Selva morale e spirituale (Moral And Spiritual Forest) that was printed in 1640 and 1641. This collection contains 37 works for various combinations of voices and instruments. Included in this set is one of Monteverdi's most recognized works, his setting of Psalm 111 from the Latin Vulgate (Psalm 112 in the Protestant Bible), known from the first two Latin words of the psalm as Beatus Vir.  It is scored for 6 - part choir (2 sopranos, 1 alto, 2 tenors, 1 bass)  2 violins, 3 viols or trombones and continuo. It was composed around 1630. The motet begins with a feeling of rejoicing. The middle section becomes more subdued and dramatic until  the rejoicing returns with the opening music of the Beatus vir. The music ends with a beautiful and reverent Amen.

Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum, in mandatis ejus volet nimis.
Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
Potens in terra erit semen ejus, generatio rectorum benedicetur.
His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Gloria et divitiae in domo ejus, et iustitia ejus manet in saeculum saeculi.
Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis, misericors et miserator et iustus.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Iucundus homo, qui miseretur et commodat, disponet res suas in judicio,
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
quia in aeternum non commovebitur. In memoria aeterna erit iustus,
Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.
ab auditione mala non timebit. Paratum cor ejus, sperare in Domino,
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
non commovebitur, donec despiciat inimicos suos.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
Dispersit dedit pauperibus; justitia ejus manet in saeculum saeculi, cornu ejus exaltabitur in gloria. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.
Peccator videbit et irascetur, dentibus suis fremet et tabescet. Desiderium peccatorum peribit.
The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Rachmaninoff - Vocalise Opus 34, No. 14

The term vocalise can be traced back to the Italian/French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully as well as other French composers of the Baroque period who wrote songs without words that were known for their value as exercises in vocal technique, as etudes for the voice. Later vocalise were written specifically for teaching purposes.  In the 19th century these exercises for voice were sometimes written with piano accompaniment to further train the singer in execution and style.  The beginning of the 20th century saw composers writing wordless music for soloists as well as choruses. These works treated the voice more as music of expression rather than technical studies.


Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote his opus 34 set of Fourteen Songs to various texts with the final song Vocalise being one of his most popular and well known works. The songs of opus 34 were originally written for solo voice and piano, with Vocalise being the final song written in 1915.  The other 13 songs in the set are seldom performed, but Vocalise was an audience favorite from the start. The song has been transcribed for many different instrumental combinations, with individual instruments like the violin or cello playing the vocal part. Rachmaninoff himself transcribed the work for soprano and orchestra and orchestra alone.

Vocalise is one of Rachmaninoff's most beautiful melodies. The soloist sings no words, but in a constant vowel sound. The soloist covers two octaves as the melody begins in a whisper, reaches a climax and ends in a whisper.  As with many of Rachmaninoff's melodies, there is a hue of Russian melancholy about it. The original version is written in the key of C-sharp minor.

Beethoven - Adelaide, Opus 46

Germany has a long tradition of Lieder (songs) that began as early as the 12th century with the sung poems of the troubadors as well as church music and folk song.  Late in the 18th century the Romantic Movement began in Europe, and flowered in Germanic countries somewhat later than other areas. Writers, poets and playwrights such as Goethe, Heine, Herder and many others attempted to create a synthesis of philosophy, art and science.  As the movement grew, so did the use of highly dramatic, emotional and psychological prose. But not all Germanic Romantic literature was serious. There was room for humor as well as tension, simple words that reflected the wonder of nature as well as author's soul-searching seriousness.

Lieder for solo voice and bass continuo that were written in the Baroque era gave way to songs written for voice with keyboard accompaniment. C.P.E. Bach was an early composer of this kind of lied which moved away from the complexity of polyphony and figured bass to a simpler style. Haydn, Mozart and other composers of the Classical era continued to develop the form, but lied was considered a lesser form in the late 18th century.

Before Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792 he had already written lieder in Bonn.  Beethoven had become a voracious reader, perhaps to try and make up for a poor general education. He came to know the early Romantic writers and set many poems to music.  With over 60 lieder, Beethoven showed at least a passing interest in the form. He carried on a young tradition of voice and piano compositions that led the way to the first true master of German Lieder, Franz Schubert.

One of Beethoven's most popular songs  is set to a poem by Friedrich von Matthisson, a poet of the Romantic movement.  The song was written after Beethoven settled in Vienna. It was published in 1797 and was dedicated to the poet. In 1800 Beethoven sent a copy of the song to Matthisson along with a letter:

Friedrich von Matthisson

MOST ESTEEMED FRIEND,- You will receive with this one of my compositions published some years since, and yet, to my shame, you probably have never heard of it. I cannot attempt to excuse myself, or to explain why I dedicated a work to you which came direct from my heart, but never acquainted you with its existence, unless indeed in this way, that at first I did not know where you lived, and partly also from diffidence, which led me to think I might have been premature in dedicating a work to you before ascertaining that you approved of it. Indeed, even now I send you "Adelaide" with a feeling of timidity. You know yourself what changes the lapse of some years brings forth in an artist who continues to make progress; the greater the advances we make in art, the less are we satisfied with our works of an earlier date. My most ardent wish will be fulfilled if you are not dissatisfied with the manner in which I have set your heavenly "Adelaide" to music, and are incited by it soon to compose a similar poem; and if you do not consider my request too indiscreet, I would ask you to send it to me forthwith, that I may exert all my energies to approach your lovely poetry in merit. Pray regard the dedication as a token of the pleasure which your "Adelaide" conferred on me, as well as of the appreciation and intense delight your poetry always has inspired, and always will inspire in me. When playing "Adelaide," sometimes recall 

Your sincere admirer, 
BEETHOVEN.

Beethoven's worrying about whether Matthison liked the song turned out to be for nothing. A collection of Matthison's poems was published in 1825 and in the introduction Matthison wrote:

Several composers have animated this little lyrical fantasy through music; I am firmly convinced however that none of them so threw the text into the shade with their melody as did the genius Ludwig van Beethoven in Vienna.

Adelaide was very popular in Beethoven's day and it went through many editions. As written, the song couild be sung by soprano or tenor voice, but it has been transposed to make it more suitable for other voices:

Adelaide
Alone does your friend wander in the Spring garden,
Mildly encircled by magic light
That quivers through swaying, blossoming boughs,
Adelaide!

 In the mirroring stream, in the snow of the Alps,
In the dying day's golden clouds,
In the fields of stars, your image shines,
Adelaide!

Evening breezes whisper in the tender leaves,
Silvery lilies-of-the-valley rustle in the grass,
Waves murmur and nightingales pipe:
Adelaide!

One day, o wonder! upon my grave will bloom
A flower from the ashes of my heart;
And clearly on every purple leaf will gleam:
Adelaide!