Listening to the Ninth.

[Enrique]

There is a section in the third movement where, no matter how distracted you were up to that moment, you must listen. The penalty for not doing so is to miss it, none less. OK, I'm not in a concert and I make the turntable pickup go backwards a bit. Not so easy, believe me.

It happens after the theme in andante moderato has already made its second appearance and is marked adagio. From now on, you may have heard the Ninth a thousand times but you will be irresistibly haled up to the end of the movement and maybe you are now in now mood to have more music.

Yes, the first movement. For many people the first movement is the best of all the four and I am one of them. I won't say, like Woody Allen did in one of his pictures, that one of the things he would take to I do not remember where, was the slow movememt of the 41th. He could have chosen better.

But I think the slow movement of the Ninth is one of the wonders of the world, a thing, of course, that nobody has a need to say in front of certain people, but that should be said once in a while, no matter how redundant or presumptuous that makes us look.

[Peter]

Again you've singled out a remarkable passage, especially the wonderful horn entry. As for the first movement I'm also in agreement - that awesome power is something totally new in music, but of course many imitators in the future.

[Roehre]

Again you've singled out a remarkable passage, especially the wonderful horn entry. As for the first movement I'm also in agreement - that awesome power is something totally new in music, but of course many imitators in the future.

A horrible solo for the fourth horn, IIRC, almost without any "preparation time" swim or sink. Not the most loved passage by hornplayers, I'm afraid.

But what a beautiful music it it.

[Enrique]

In connection with this passage, how should I read horns in E flat when written in G-clef in the second line? A minor third above or a major sixth below? And when written in F-clef in the fourth line? For things to make sense in this passage it should be below in the first case and above in the second one.

[Enrique]

I know Beethovenn considered himself very good at writing variations and also that he indeed was. Having heard about the Diabelli Variations in our forum I listened to a couple of them and blushed when I noticed I did not remember them (although I knew them by name of course). I also learned they are held in high esteem. But what about the variations on the first theme here, which almost the entire movement consists of? They are of a very simple type, the same type as in the Fifth's 2nd movement.

Shouldn't these be considered his finest set of variations? As variations in themselves, perhaps no, precisely because of their simplicity. But as a piece of music, I would not exchange these with ten Diabelli Variations put together.

[Peter]

I know Beethovenn considered himself very good at writing variations and also that he indeed was. Having heard about the Diabelli Variations in our forum I listened to a couple of them and blushed when I noticed I did not remember them (although I knew them by name of course). I also learned they are held in high esteem. But what about the variations on the first theme here, which almost the entire movement consists of? They are of a very simple type, the same type as in the Fifth's 2nd movement.

Shouldn't these be considered his finest set of variations? As variations in themselves, perhaps no, precisely because of their simplicity. But as a piece of music, I would not exchange these with ten Diabelli Variations put together.

Beethoven's skill as an improviser laid the foundations for his greatness with variation form - some said that his improvisations even surpassed his written compositions! The Diabelli set are not only regarded as amongst the greatest sets of variations, but by some as Beethoven's greatest piano work as well. The sheer inexhaustible flow of his imagination and inventiveness is mind boggling. However I can understand your preference for the slow movt of the 9th - for sheer beauty it wins the prize! Personally though I think when we're talking about music at this level, adjectives such as the greatest, finest etc become superfluous.

[Enrique]

In short, you agree with me. However, I'll make a duty of listening to the Variations with full dedication (unluckily the only way to listening to music) and, no doubt, will add this to the set of great (musical) discoveries in my life.