WoO36

[Peter]

Visit the new selected work page at www.kingsbarn.freeserve.co.uk/selected.html
for information on all 3 of these early piano quartets and an mp3 of the 1st movement of no.1 in Eb - It really is quite an amazing work, especially when one considers B was only 14 at the time!


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'Man know thyself'

[Michael]

If you can lay your hands on a recording of Mozart's violin sonata in G K379, it is worth playing the opening few minutes - especially after listening to the beginning of B's WoO 36 No.1. The themes are identical - but after that, Beethoven goes his own way.
The overall shape of the quartet is also based on the Mozart: beginning with an adagio, then an allegro and finally a theme and variations.
The allegro in the quartet is astounding - the mature Beethoven is in there in all his glory - even at 14!

M.

[Rod]

Originally posted by Michael:
If you can lay your hands on a recording of Mozart's violin sonata in G K379, it is worth playing the opening few minutes - especially after listening to the beginning of B's WoO 36 No.1. The themes are identical - but after that, Beethoven goes his own way.
The overall shape of the quartet is also based on the Mozart: beginning with an adagio, then an allegro and finally a theme and variations.
The allegro in the quartet is astounding - the mature Beethoven is in there in all his glory - even at 14!

M.

These quartets for me mark the real beginning for Beethoven as the composer we know him. With these works all the quality Beethovenian elements come together for the first time. I wish I had an fp version, that allegro would sound 10 times as electric.

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

[Peter]

Originally posted by Rod:
These quartets for me mark the real beginning for Beethoven as the composer we know him. With these works all the quality Beethovenian elements come together for the first time. I wish I had an fp version, that allegro would sound 10 times as electric.

I'm only amazed that such fine music has languished in relative obscurity for so long - the Allegro of no.1 is straight out of Haydn's Sturm und Drang period of the early 1770's and I wonder if B was familiar with works such as Haydn's "Farewell Symphony" - I know he was certainly familiar with C.P.E.Bach's music and it is interesting to see the infuence that composer had on Haydn as well as the young Beethoven.


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'Man know thyself'