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Beethoven Quiz

Terms in this set (17)

Who were Beethoven's composition teachers?
Haydn, Johann Schenk, Johan Albrechtsberger, Antonio Salieri, Christian Neefe
Who was Goethe?
Greatest German writer of his time. "Faust" was his major work. Also famous for "Sorrows of yearning" and "Egmont." He wrote many poems, and became, along with shakespeare, the main source for texts for the 19th century. He knew Beethoven and Mendelssohn.
What are the approximate dates and characteristics of each style period ? What specific pieces are from each style?
1) Until 1802 ~ Assimilating the music of his time and finding his own personal voice. Building on the classical style of Haydn and Mozart. First 6 string quartets, 10pf sonatas, three piano concerti, 2 symphonies.

2) From 1802-1814 ~ Rugged independence took hold. More innovations. Expansion of form. More varied key relations. More power and rhythmic drive. Most popular with public. Cyclical traits. Extreme motivic development. Biggest impact on next generation of romantics. Sym. 3-8, Egmont, Fidelio, Piano concerti 4 & 5, violin concerto, quartets 7-11, pf sonatas op.10-op.90.

3) From 1816-Until Death ~ Most personal and modern. Lost most of the audience. Reflective and introspective. Influence of baroque and fugues, canons, heavy ornamentation obvious. Continuity that is achieved by intentionally blurring the lines of divisions between phrases. Last five piano sonatas, string quartets 12-16, Missa Solemnis, 9th symphony, Diabelli Variations, Grosse Fuge.
Beethoven composed how many 1)Symphonies; 2)String Quartets; 3)Sonatas?
1-Symphonies) 9
2-String Quartets) 16
3-Sonatas) 32
List three subtitles for the piano sonatas...
1. Pathetique - Piano sonata op.13
2. Moonlight - Piano sonata op.14
3. Waldstein - Piano sonata op.53
4. Appasionate - Piano sonata op.57
5. Tempest - Piano sonata op.17
What is the Heiligenstadt Testament?
A letter to Beethoven's brother written in 1802 from the town of Heiligenstadt in which he describes the desperation of his hearing loss and how he was close to suicide, but his art (music) held him back.
What is a song cycle?
A group of songs performed in succession that suggest or tell a story.
What is program music?
Instrumental music associated with poetic, descriptive or even narrative subject matter. It aimed to absorb and transmute the subject wholly into music, so that the resulting piece included the program, but still transcended it, and remained in, a certain sense, independent of it. The amount of description in the program varied from composer to composer.
What were the major contributions of Beethoven's Symphony No.3 ,No.5, No.6, and No.9?
No.3) He increased the length and power of the traditional symphony

No.5) He adds 3 trombones, piccolo, and contrabassoon to the orchestra. There is also no break between the 1st two movements. The last movement now sums up the entire work. The music is cyclic both motivically and thematically.

No.6 "pastoral") Makes great use of the program style, being more a symphony of scenes and feelings. There is no break between the last 3 movements. The interpolated fourth movement makes a five movement symphony.

No.9) Is the longest symphony composed to date. It reverses the order of inner movements. Introduces a chorus in the last movement.
What was Beethoven's only opera and what was it's original title?
His only opera was "Fidelio" and it was original titled "Lenore".
Which beethoven symphony has a funeral march for the second movement, who was it dedicated to, and what was it's subtitle/nickname?
The 3rd symphony has a 2nd movement funeral march, was dedicated to Napoleon, and was subtitled "Eroica."
The mass in D from Beethoven's late period is known as what?
Missa Solemnis
What is the text from the last movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony called, who was it written by, and what is it's subtitle/nickname?
The text is called "Ode to Joy", written by Schiller, and subtitled the "Choral."
The Creatures of Prometheus is Beethoven's only what?
It's his only ballet.
The "Grosse Fuge" was composed for what ensemble?
string quartet
In addition to his piano sonatas, Beethoven wrote numerous sonatas for which two string instruments?
He wrote numerous sonatas for violin and cello.
Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 is subtitled what?
It's subtitled the "Emperor."
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