The 2005 Documentary "Beethoven's Hair"

[Hollywood]

This morning on Austria's ORF 2 TV station I watched the U.S. documentary film "Beethoven's Hair" (2005). Here is some info on it but it is in german: http://tv.orf.at/program/orf2/200505...403001/213937/

I have not read the book but I would like to get a copy of it for my collection. I really enjoyed this film and found it interesting how they tried to follow the whereabouts of the lock of Beethoven's hair that Ferdinand Hiller cut from Beethoven's head the day after his death in 1827. To see what kind of pain and suffering that Beethoven went through in his adult life was so sad to watch and to wonder how he managed to endure it all without taking any pain medication. If only the people who knew him or met him back then could have had any idea of the pain he was suffering from, then maybe they all would have had more understanding and patience towards him. Beethoven was way stronger in spirit and body than anyone can imagine. But through such suffering did Beethoven produce such wonderful music.

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Andrea,
I saw this documentary a few weeks ago on CBC and it WAS facinating .A must for every
LvB fan.The way the scientists and scholars
eyes glazed over when they had the object,a curl of streaky grey hair in a glass locket, in their hands sent shivers up my spine.
space

[Uniqor]

Beethoven suffered mainly through his progressing deafness and unfullfilled love life. While the latter is something that many have suffered, the former is relatively rare - especially for musicians - which would be basically the worst thing that could happen.

The man's ears, is the real huge problem. That hearing decline had lasted half of his life, which must have excerted a constant strain on him. I think that basically shaped his art, which expressed the sentiment of strugle and sense of ergency. Without music as the means of emotional outlet, he would've actually shoot himself, given that he had no one close by his side.

I'm interested in why he had no one really close to him - why such a successful man had not a family? Compared with others, he only lived half a life, in that sense, he failed as much as he succeeded. This failure must've had an enourmous restrain on his creativity. His music came out as to counter life and very self-absorbed; it lacked a breath of clear air and a smell of gental rain.

As a conclusion I think: Beethoven's music succeeded not in romanticise (work with/for) life, but in dramaticise (work without/against) it.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
As a conclusion I think: Beethoven's music succeeded not in romanticise (work with/for) life, but in dramaticise (work without/against) it.

I don't think from listening to the music you can deduce the life of Beethoven. It is however possible to discern certain genaeral characteristics such as a strong confidence giving way in later years to a more reflective and serene approach. Never does his music really reveal the depth of his emotional and physical suffering, not for him the sheer despair of Tchaikovsky or Mahler.

My own theory as to why Beethoven never married is because of a contradiction in his nature, wanting something whilst realising it couldn't work. Yes he wanted the comforts, companionship and stability of home life but I think deep down he realised that such a life could never work for him. There can be no doubt that he had a problem relating sex and love - his reaction to his brothers' wives reveals this. This must explain why he always pursued unattainable women.
He wasn't of course the only great composer not to marry!

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'Man know thyself'

[This message has been edited by Peter (edited 05-17-2005).]

[Uniqor]

Why on earth would he think that? Had he involved in any proper relationship before and failed? What's he afraid of?

I didn't say that you could work out the man's life from the music. But surely the life must shaped his music. His music is just not easy going, it's full of the contrary. All his piano sonatas could bear the name "tempest" without a problem, and his symphonies are storms that make you tremble in the concert hall. I believe that's his general feel towards his life.

Nobody be eccentric and bad tempered for nothing. I suspect that his childhood musn't had been very pleasent at all. He started his musical career with an exploding ambition to destroy, renew and show off. He definitely wasn't a normal man, and that's why his music wasn't normal music.

Nevertheless, he's moral and strong enough to succeed in the mainstream, and I respect him for that - his genius helped him to turn his troubles into such affectionate art.

[This message has been edited by Uniqor (edited 05-18-2005).]

[Peter]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
Why on earth would he think that? Had he involved in any proper relationship before and failed? What's he afraid of?

I didn't say that you could work out the man's life from the music. But surely the life must shaped his music. His music is just not easy going, it's full of the contrary. All his piano sonatas could bear the name "tempest" without a problem, and his symphonies are storms that make you tremble in the concert hall. I believe that's his general feel towards his life.

Nobody be eccentric and bad tempered for nothing. I suspect that his childhood musn't had been very pleasent at all. He started his musical career with an exploding ambition to destroy, renew and show off. He definitely wasn't a normal man, and that's why his music wasn't normal music.

Nevertheless, he's moral and strong enough to succeed in the mainstream, and I respect him for that - his genius helped him to turn his troubles into such affectionate art.

[This message has been edited by Uniqor (edited 05-18-2005).]

Well yes he was known to have had several relationships with women in his younger years. However I don't think that in any of these that we know of the relationships were more than platonic, even in the case of one of his most passionate, Josephine Von Brunsvik who makes it clear in a letter to Beethoven that she does not wish for a physical relationship.

Yes of course his life must have affected his music - you can't have one without the other. I don't think all the sonatas can be called Tempest, they are not all of the same nature as the D minor. For example sonatas such as Op.26, Op.28, Op.90 and Op.110 are of a lyrical nature. Nor is there anything stormy about symphonies 1,2,4. Yes there is this tempestuous quality to some of Beethoven's music, but I don't think he should be type-cast in this way as an angry bad-tempered man - he was also often very good humoured and this wit is also a characteristic of his music. It is also perhaps surprising for someone who suffered so much, that most of his music is positive and optimistic, never descending to the pessimism and despair that Tchaikovsky wallows in in the finale of his 6th symphony.

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'Man know thyself'

[Hofrat]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
All his piano sonatas could bear the name "tempest" without a problem.

[This message has been edited by Uniqor (edited 05-18-2005).]

Please do not put credence in the nicknames given to Beethoven's works. Most of them were not Beethoven's invention, including "tempest."


Hofrat

[Joy]

A lot of times Beethoven wrote just the opposite type of music to what was happening to him in life. For example, his 'upbeat' 2nd symphony was written during the time he was in great depair ovver his deafness and wrote the famous Heiligenstadt Testament.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[~Immortal Beloved~]

Thanks for sharing the news with us. Yes I got the book by the way.

I could imagine everything to what happen to beethoven. I remeber reading Beethoven's hair in the beginning...I was in tears. whatever I'm in the piano or reading books reading the letters and all that stuff. I think of him the king of of mountain.

[Uniqor]

Sure, there are exceptions, but Beethoven does equal to strong & hard in general. In fact this impression is so deep in my mind that his lyrical ones don't seem that soft nor easy to me. I mean: how could he write any easy-going music, given the way his life was, consequently his temperment was? If you want a relaxed morning in the sun, then just don't put Beethoven on.

Well Hofrat, when somebody asked what sonata in d implied, Beethoven anwsered: "Just read Shakespear's Tempest." Anyway, what I meant was that in all his piano music, periods of softness are always followed by storms of hammering. No hammering, no Ludwig. And that's the nature of De Sturm.

[Hofrat]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
When somebody asked what sonata in d implied, Beethoven anwsered: "Just read Shakespear's Tempest." Anyway, what I meant was that in all his piano music, periods of softness are always followed by storms of hammering. No hammering, no Ludwig. And that's the nature of De Sturm.

The fact that the D-minor sonata is stormy, while Shakespeare's play (despite its title) is not, has led to much speculation as to Beethoven's real intentions. Does "Tempest" refer to the play's title only? Does it suggest irony? Does it imply relationships between themes in the sonata to characters in the play? Beethoven left no clues to his meaning beyond the music itself.


Hofrat

[Peter]

Originally posted by Hofrat:
The fact that the D-minor sonata is stormy, while Shakespeare's play (despite its title) is not, has led to much speculation as to Beethoven's real intentions. Does "Tempest" refer to the play's title only? Does it suggest irony? Does it imply relationships between themes in the sonata to characters in the play? Beethoven left no clues to his meaning beyond the music itself.


Hofrat

Firstly Beethoven never called this sonata 'Tempest' and secondly the story surrounding this comes from the incredibly unreliable and discredited Schindler. One does not need to have read Shakespeare's Tempest to either perform or understand Beethoven's sonata and the reason Beethoven left no clues beyond the music is because there are none!

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'Man know thyself'

[Peter]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
Sure, there are exceptions, but Beethoven does equal to strong & hard in general. In fact this impression is so deep in my mind that his lyrical ones don't seem that soft nor easy to me. I mean: how could he write any easy-going music, given the way his life was, consequently his temperment was? If you want a relaxed morning in the sun, then just don't put Beethoven on.

I can't agree with your assessment of Beethoven as hard and not relaxing - what could be more relaxing than the Pastoral symphony itself? Just listen to the first 2 movements alone if you want sunny relaxation! Virtually any of the slow movements are relaxing and lyrical - I'd be quite happy with any of them with a nice glass of wine in the sun!

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'Man know thyself'

[Uniqor]

I'm not trying to exagerate anything here. For example as you mentioned, the 2nd movement of the 6th, it makes me so exited! for me it's not about the tranquil landscape, but the exaltingly grateful heart of the composer - and when listening to it, I dream of bring in the vienese countryside -the Crescendo turns me on!

"Tempest" or not, I couldn't care less. For me, that piano sonata is all about a storm - no other music never ever reminds so much of the darkness and excitation under lightening and cloud.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Uniqor:
I'm not trying to exagerate anything here. For example as you mentioned, the 2nd movement of the 6th, it makes me so exited! for me it's not about the tranquil landscape, but the exaltingly grateful heart of the composer - and when listening to it, I dream of bring in the vienese countryside -the Crescendo turns me on!

"Tempest" or not, I couldn't care less. For me, that piano sonata is all about a storm - no other music never ever reminds so much of the darkness and excitation under lightening and cloud.

Well I think it's great that this music inspires such vivid images for you! No two people will necessarily see a work the same way, but having a good imagination of what a composer is trying to say shows real musical intelligence. Your enthusiasm is tangible!

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'Man know thyself'