Humour in Beethoven's Music

[PDG]

Did anyone mention the last movement of Symphony no.8? From memory, he extricates himself from F sharp minor back to the root F major during the first recapitulation. An incredible artistic achievement.

In fact, listening to it again, the full orchestra also announces with the "wrong" chord, there are reverant nods to the 7th in A, strange stabs at development, deceptive, near-unleashing of the reigns, all sorts of chaos, and yet.....the Master of the Hounds remains, one LvB. Beethoven held this work in very high regard.

[This message has been edited by PDG (edited 08-28-2006).]

[Sorrano]

And how about that grave, misleading introduction to the 4th Symphony?

[Fidelio]

The Eroica....After the first two vast movements of struggle and pain, the symphony becomes lighter and returns to joy, wit and humour.

[Fidelio]

I believe a Dr.Cassandra Carr from Seattle University has published articles on humorous music and humour in Beethoven's music.

Fidelio

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Must it be.....it must be

[Joy]

Lots of really good choices here. I agree with the opening of the 4th Symphony and 'Rage Over a Lost Penny' especially after having in mind what he was writing about supposedly the man lost a penny and was scurrying under a couch in search of it while Beethoven looked on. The 4th mm of the 2nd Symphony perhaps should be included and I love the 2 mm of the 8th symphony the 'metronome' movement. Lots of good ones!

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Frankli]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the title "Rage over a lost penny" and the story behind the music invented by Schindler or Diabelli?
Anyway, whatever, it's a very funny piece.

[Michael]

Originally posted by Sorrano:
And how about that grave, misleading introduction to the 4th Symphony?

Ditto for the third Razumovsky!

Michael

[Fidelio]

Originally posted by Frankli:
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the title "Rage over a lost penny" and the story behind the music invented by Schindler or Diabelli?
Anyway, whatever, it's a very funny piece.

Rondo a capriccio in G Major Op 129 'The rage over the Lost Penny' was composed about 1795 and found amongst Beethoven's papers after his death in an unfinished state. Diabelli bought the manuscript, made the neccessary additions and published it shortly afterwards in 1828. It's popular title is on the original manuscript, though not in Beethoven's handwriting and is not clear whether he sanctioned it.
The work has been fully studied by Erich Hertzmann (Musical Quarterly Vol. XXXII. Otto Albrecht discovered the original autograph in 1945

[Athea]

I was also thinking of symphonies no.4 and 8 and the end of Beethoven's song about flea is really funny. And what about his piano sonatas no.6 and 10? Did anyone mention it? But there is certainly more and more humorous pieces!

[robert newman]

Thanks a lot. I will check that reference Fidelio provided. Appreciated.

[Sorrano]

The final movements of the 1st two piano concertos may not necesarily be considered as outright "funny" but they are certainly very lively and jolly!

[106oven]

Humour

How about the recapitulation in the first movement of the Eroica? The horn attempts to play the main theme, but has come in too early and is interrupted and shouted at by the whole orchestra, before the cellos do the job properly.

[Peter]

How about the recapitulation in the first movement of the Eroica? The horn attempts to play the main theme, but has come in too early and is interrupted and shouted at by the whole orchestra, before the cellos do the job properly.

Welcome to the forum - Well of course Ries missed the joke at the first rehearsal of the Eroica and paid the price!

[susanwen]

I don't remember all the details, but in an episode of "Keeping the Score," Michael Tilson-Thomas told this story of Beethoven's Third Symphony. Another pianist of Beethoven's time challenged LvB to an improvitation contest, and Beethoven took one of that man's compositions and turned it upside down and mocked it, and that became the opening of the third movement of the Eroica.

[glindhot]

My favorite bit of Beet for humour is the introduction of the 4th movement of the 9th Symphony. The orchestra breaks out into a confusion of sounds only to be rebuked by the basses. The cacophony repeats to again receive the displeasure of the basses. Then each of the themes of the previous movements perform a kind of talent quest, but each is rejected with varying degrees of dissatisfaction by those extremely demanding basses. Then a new theme is propounded, to be immediately greeted with pleasure by the basses. The various parts of the orchestra play around with this new theme until that infernal clamour breaks out for a final time only to be told to shut up by the human voice. After all this fun the "Joy" song is sung.