Beethoven vs. Mozart - VOTE HERE!

[Michael]

Originally posted by Peter:
As a musician I simply do not see it in terms of competition - great music is great music no matter who wrote it.

[/B]

Peter, do you mean to say that this website could just as easily have been established as "The Mozart Reference Site" or "The Bach Reference Site"?
Why did you decide on Beethoven - not that anyone is complaining?

Michael

[Peter]

Originally posted by Michael:
Peter, do you mean to say that this website could just as easily have been established as "The Mozart Reference Site" or "The Bach Reference Site"?
Why did you decide on Beethoven - not that anyone is complaining?

Michael

Well aside from the music, I find Beethoven by far the most interesting personality of all composers. Most of the work for this site was done during my student days, long before the internet was around in the UK, so I had a load of information to draw from. I simply wouldn't have the time to do the amount of research needed for a website like this on any other composer.

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'Man know thyself'

[Stephen J. Wade]

Originally posted by Peter:
Well aside from the music, I find Beethoven by far the most interesting personality of all composers. Most of the work for this site was done during my student days, long before the internet was around in the UK, so I had a load of information to draw from. I simply wouldn't have the time to do the amount of research needed for a website like this on any other composer.

Devotion is a remarkable gift. So many things to learn from one another.


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Stephen

[Tashibabes]

I personally think BEETHOVEN IS THE BEST!
How can you possibly doubt his symphonies, or indeed his remarkable string quartets...particularly the late ones which are ravishingly beautiful. He is the master of the piano, slightly a rough edge, but still a master. A pianist Hummel, who was similar in style to Mozart's interpretation, was largely overshadowed, by Beethoven at that time. His sonata's particualrly Les Adieux, and Hammerklavier, are outstanding, as is his 4th piano concerto. Beethoven wrote less works, but they are by large (in my opinion) better and far more substantial. He put more thought into his compositions, taking time, where as Mozart wrote his in a fit of inspiration.
At the end of the day, its one's opinion but I'm afraid I prefer Beethoven!

[Chopin]

Beethoven, I would have to say, is greater than Mozart because of his great Sonatas: Pathetique, Moonlight, Appassionata. They have an almost human quality you cannot find in any of Mozart's pieces.

[Ludwig]

I have always think about that why is Mozart with the GREAT compositors , like Beethoven.His style isn't serious , like Beethoven's style.

[Opus131]

A little late in the discussion, but i wanted to add several points, and somewhat vindicate Mozart from the incredible amount of misconceptions shown by several of the posters here.

Now, i personally believe a comparison between the two composers it's hardly fair. Beethoven lived longer and had the luck to develop using both Haydn as well as Mozart himself as models, whereas the letters had absolutely nothing to built upon other then the frivolous galante style of their times.

Make no mistake, Bach senior was completely forgotten at the time and they pretty much had to rely on themselves to bring music back to the artistical level their talent demanded, and it had to be done discreetly to boot, hiding the complexity and ingenuity of their music within a superficial level of accessibility. Haydn eventually got to experience the compositional freedom Beethoven enjoyed thought his entire career. Mozart never did.

That been said, i will begin with saying that to me, Mozart is by far the hardest composer to comprehend.

It takes a great level of intimacy with his music to even begin to unravel his distinctive style.

The problem, i reckon, is in the dinstinction between the level of craftsmanship in art as opposed to it's aesthetical value.

A lot of people here can only seem to understand the latter. This isn't suprising considering the aesthetical value of art it's relatively easy to grasp. All you need to do is open your instincts and your emotions to whatever it is the artists is trying to express and simply allow yourself to absorb the message.

Music is very much like a language capable of expressing things in a way other form of communication could never hope to do.

However, music is also very much an art form and part of the enjoyment of it comes form the way we marvel at the genius and level of craftsmanship behind the work of those artists.

It is only with the latter that we truly understand the genius of Mozart in that his music contains a level of intricacy and perfection Beethoven was not able to match until he developed his later style.

Compare their melodic writing for instance. In the case of early and middle Beethoven melody is measured by it's level of straight forward beauty and consonant perfection. A Beethoven melody is quickly branded in a person brain and never forgotten.

In the case of Mozart, melody is dissonant and ever elusive.

In terms of structure, early and middle Beethoven centers around the way each musical idea is threated and expanded upon, often creating monumental constructions and developments.

Mozart on the other shows an almost meta-musical preoccupation where the outward musical structure is left to apparent conventional means whereas, quite behind the scenes there isn't a single bar of music left untouched by an incredible manipulation of rythmical textures and contrapunctual ingenuity.

Again, we don't see this in Beethoven until his later style.

Ultimately, i think Beethoven wrote the greater music, but relatively to age Mozart was definitely the more mature between the two and if he had lived longer, who knows ?

[Rod]

Originally posted by Opus131:

Ultimately, i think Beethoven wrote the greater music, but relatively to age Mozart was definitely the more mature between the two and if he had lived longer, who knows ?

Consider all the great masterpieces Beethoven wrote just in his 30's. Do you think if Mozart have lived a decade longer he would have outdone these efforts?

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Peter]

Originally posted by Rod:
Consider all the great masterpieces Beethoven wrote just in his 30's. Do you think if Mozart have lived a decade longer he would have outdone these efforts?

It isn't a competition! They both reached the summit of their art in different ways.

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'Man know thyself'

[Rod]

Originally posted by Peter:
It isn't a competition! They both reached the summit of their art in different ways.

Your tendency to seek avoidance of 'dissonance' is known to me Peter!

PS I emailed the op81a info to you.


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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Peter]

Originally posted by Rod:
Your tendency to seek avoidance of 'dissonance' is known to me Peter!

PS I emailed the op81a info to you.

I suspect you avoid K.465 more than I!



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'Man know thyself'

[Opus131]

Originally posted by Rod:
Consider all the great masterpieces Beethoven wrote just in his 30's. Do you think if Mozart have lived a decade longer he would have outdone these efforts?

Compare Mozart mature works to the music of his time (1780s) and do your own calculations.

Haydn berely had the time to write his first true masterpeices that Mozart was already experimenting with dissonance, something Beethoven didn't begin to put his hands on untill he was nearly 40.

[waldstein]

haendal is the greatest composer followed by j.s.bach and beethoven is the third.

[Rod]

Originally posted by waldstein:
haendal is the greatest composer followed by j.s.bach and beethoven is the third.

For me Handel is the only composer in Beethoven's league, thus for me the Mozart discussion is of no real consequence! I don't rate Bach so highly.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[lvbfanatic]

Oh Blather and Blither...

Only dunderheads can waffle at this obvious comparison...

Beethoven is the greatest and none has come before nor since to disprove the claim.

Is that the final answer???

For now you bet it is!

That is my final answer!



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A Calm Sea and A Prosperous Voyage