It was not often the case that Beethoven was open to work with a musical idea that was not his own. When his friend Johann Maelzel approached him in 1813 about a promising idea that required the cooperation of the two, Beethoven said yes. The result was the Wellington’s Victory. Prelude to Wellington’s Victory In June 1813, Portuguese, Spanish …
In this article, find all the most frequently asked questions and answers about the musical metronome! What is a musical metronome? A metronome is a device that makes a click or some other sound at regular intervals. This interval can be set by the person using a metronome. These intervals are measured in beats per minute (BPM). Most mechanical …
Humans like to use categories, labels or boxes to simplify the infinitely complex world. This building is baroque, that painter is impressionist, and Beethoven is… Well, what was he? A classical composer or romantic? Maybe both? Keep reading to find out! The classical period of music This era of music succeeded the baroque and the style dominated western music for …
Copyright for music was non-existent in Beethoven’s time. Piracy and unauthorized publishing were commonplace. What practices did composers follow to make the best out of their sometimes desperate situation? Read on to find out! Music publishing gathered speed in the second part of the eighteenth century. Partly because of the emerging middle-class society and their ever-growing need for new …
In his life Beethoven always aimed ever higher, creating more and more ambitious compositions for eternity. He wished to leave something behind. Today, in deep space, on a spacecraft that traveled further from Earth than any other human made object, there is a phonograph record carrying his music. What is Voyager 1 and 2? Voyager 1 (and its twin, …
In this article we discover who was Jérôme Bonaparte, why did he invite Beethoven to his court and how the composer used this offer as bargaining chip for advancing his positions in Vienna. Who was Jérôme Bonaparte? The youngest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, Jérôme Bonaparte (15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, as Girolamo Buonaparte. He was the eighth – surviving – child of …