Classification-Three Beethoven's musical styles

Ming Chuan University
#14 劉植卉 Janet Liu
Time: 65202-Th 6:30~8:15
Classification Essay-12/1/2005

Reference:http://www.gate.net/~nnomoto/beethoven/sonatas2.htm

Title: Three Beethoven's musical styles
Group to be classified: Beethoven's main music career
Basis of classification: Piano sonatas
Controlling idea: 3 musical types
Order of the major type: Time / Chronological

Outline (Body: 2~4 paragraphs)

Paragraph 1 Introduction:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed thirty-two piano sonatas between the year of 1792 and 1822. It was the time when the Classic period was changing to the Romantic period. His piano sonatas show the changes of musical style in form, structure, and his life between 1792 and 1822.
Thesis statement:
Beethoven had three periods in his main music career: the first Vienna period (1792-1802), the middle period (1802-1814), and the last period (after 1815). Each period shows his different musical style.

Paragraph 2
Topic sentence:
Beethoven's music in his first decade in Vienna reflects a period of the Classic style absorption that modeled on the style of Haydn, Mozart, and other eighteen-century composers.
Bridge: it was the stage of imitation.
Supporting idea: Beethoven's first compositions of thirty-two piano sonatas were op. 2 three sonatas (dedicated to his teacher Haydn).
Examples: The first sonata in F minor, the second sonata in A major, and the third sonata in C major.
Concluding sentence: Beethoven proved his achievement and mastery that show the varied characters of the sonatas, the dynamic element in the first sonata in F minor, the more lyric character in the second sonata in A major, and the concert-type of virtuosity in the third sonata in C major.

Paragraph 3
Topic sentence:
Beethoven's compositions in his middle period (also known as his heroic style era) obviously show the Romantic approach.
Supporting idea: An increase in degree of contrast that affected the scoring and dynamics gave a varied strength to the music.
Example 1: Symphony No.5 in c min,Op.67
Concluding sentence: Climax and resolution tended to be delayed, and the development became extremely large.

Paragraph 4
Topic sentence:
In Beethoven's last period (also called isolated or creative era), he was almost totally deaf and more isolated than before.
Supporting idea: consequently, the last five sonatas he composed in the final period seem more communications between the composer (artist) and music (art) than communications between the composer and public audience
Example 1: “op.109 in E major”, “op.110 in A-flat major”,
Example 2: “op.111 in C
Concluding sentence: he achieved fulfillment in his compositions, and experimented non-standard (at that time) musical form, structure, and tonal plan in the last period.

Paragraph 5 Conclusion:
Those sonatas clearly show the change in his musical style and life, and Beethoven's music became the predecessor to many composers in coming ages.

Summary
This article classified the three Beethoven’s periods in his main music career.
In his first period in Vienna reflects the classical style absorption that modeled on the style of Haydn, Mozart, and other eighteen-century composers. And In his second period obviously show the Romantic approach. Finally, he achieved fulfillment in his compositions in the last unhearing period.

Classification Essay
Three Beethoven’s musical styles

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed thirty-two piano sonatas between the year of 1792 and 1822. It was the time when the Classic period was changing to the Romantic period. His piano sonatas show the changes of musical style in form, structure, and his life between 1792 and 1822. Beethoven had three periods in his main music career: the first Vienna period (1792-1802), the middle period (1802-1814), and the last period (after 1815). Each period shows his different musical style.

Beethoven's music in his first decade in Vienna reflects a period of the Classic style absorption that modeled on the style of Haydn, Mozart, and other eighteen-century composers; it was the stage of imitation. However, Beethoven's music in this period seems stronger but rougher in texture and dynamic contracts than those of his predecessors. Beethoven's early piano sonatas show characteristic of symphonies (or string quartets) rather than piano sonatas because of minuet movement, Mannheim rockets (sudden dynamic rise over a wide range in broken chord or tremolo), quartet harmonization, and a symphonic slow introduction.
Beethoven's first compositions of thirty-two piano sonatas were op. 2 three sonatas (dedicated to his teacher Haydn). Beethoven proved his achievement and mastery that show the varied characters of the sonatas, the dynamic element in the first sonata in F minor, the more lyric character in the second sonata in A major, and the concert-type of virtuosity in the third sonata in C major.

Beethoven's compositions in his middle period (also known as his heroic style era) obviously show the Romantic approach. An increase in degree of contrast that affected the scoring and dynamics gave a varied strength to the music. In addition, the scherzo movements replaced the minuets of the Classic four-movement sonata plan in many cases. Beethoven’s music in this period expressed much more instabilities in harmonic, tonal fashion, and rhythm. Climax and resolution tended to be delayed, and the development became extremely large. Most of his best known works are from this period.

In Beethoven's last period (also called isolated or creative era), he was almost totally deaf and more isolated than before; consequently, the last five sonatas he composed in the final period seem more communications between the composer (artist) and music (art) than communications between the composer and public audience, such as “op.109 in E major”, “op.110 in A-flat major”, and “op.111 in C”. However, he achieved fulfillment in his compositions, and experimented non-standard (at that time) musical form, structure, and tonal plan in the last period.

The piano sonatas, which Beethoven composed at the transition time from the Classic to the Romantic period, contain the musical elements that Beethoven received and adapted from his predecessors. However, those sonatas clearly show the change in his musical style and life, and Beethoven's music became the predecessor to many composers in coming ages.

Reference:
http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/?qid=1405101703250
http://www.gate.net/~nnomoto/beethoven/sonatas2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beethoven