The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume IIThayer, Alexander Wheelock
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The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock
Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827
They were renewed the present winter, and new performances of
Beethoven’s first two Symphonies, and the Concerto in C minor (Op.
37)--pianoforte part by Ries[29]--prepare the way for the production
of “an entirely new symphony”--“a long composition extremely difficult
of performance, in reality, a tremendously expanded, daring and wild
fantasia”; wanting “nothing in the way of startling and beautiful
passages, in which the energetic and talented composer must be
recognized; but often it loses itself in lawlessness”; the writer
“belongs to Herr van Beethoven’s sincerest admirers, but in this
composition he must confess that he finds too much that is glaring and
bizarre, which makes a survey too difficult; and the principle of unity
is almost wholly lost sight of.” It was the “Sinfonia Eroica”--its
first semi-public production. Its first really public performance
was in the Theater-an-der-Wien, on Sunday evening, April 7th, where
it began the second part of a concert given for his own benefit by
Clement. The programme announces it thus: “A new grand symphony in
D-sharp by Herrn Ludwig van Beethoven, dedicated to his Serene Highness
Prince Lobkowitz. The composer has kindly consented to conduct the
work.”
[Sidenote: PUBLIC PERFORMANCE OF THE “EROICA”]
Czerny remembered, and told Jahn, that on this occasion “somebody
in the gallery cried out: ‘I’ll give another kreutzer if the thing
will but stop!’” This is the key-note to the strain in which the
Symphony was criticized in communications to the press, that are now
among the curiosities of musical literature. The correspondent of the
“Freymüthige” divided the audience into three parties.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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