The question we try to answer in this article is about the role of the soloist player in a keyboard concerto. Should this musician conduct the performance as well or just play the part? Who does what and how the traditions changed during the history of music? The genre of the keyboard concerto was relatively new by the time Beethoven …
What is the full name of Beethoven’s Second Symphony? Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36. Beethoven later made a transcript of the symphony for piano trio under the same opus number. When was the Second Symphony composed? Beethoven composed his Second Symphony in the summer and fall of 1802, mostly in Heiligenstadt. When and where was the premiere? …
What is the full name of Beethoven’s First Symphony? Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21. When was the First Symphony composed? Beethoven composed the First Symphony around 1799-1800, at age 29. When and where was the premiere? It was in April 2, 1800, Burgtheater in Vienna. When was the First Symphony published? It was first published by Hoffmeister …
The tempo of the first movement in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is 108 half notes per minute (bpm), originally Allegro con brio. Beyond this obvious one sentence answer there are many mysteries and interesting anecdotes concerning the Fifth Symphony, especially the first few notes, the famous fate motif! One of the curious topics regarding the first movement is the tempo. In …
The Mannheim school The expression Mannheim school refers both to an orchestra, which was based in the southwest German city of Mannheim, and to their musical innovations in instrumental music. The orchestra was under the patronage of art loving Elector Duke Karl Theodor (reigned 1743–99). Many contemporary visitors to Mannheim were amazed by the excellence of the local orchestra, which …
In this article we take a short journey in the history of opera discovering the roots and the development of this art form. Opera in Italy The word opera comes from the Italian phrase opera in musica – work in music. The name represents all the efforts that build up an opera. The text (libretto, booklet), the music itself, …