The Character of a Genius, Essay Example

This week, I attended a classical music concert that showcased the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. Excerpts from a total of ten compositions were strung together in a manner that highlighted various periods of his professional life. The career of Beethoven in particularly interesting because he was considered a musical genius from an early age, as he was able to write music as smoothly as many people can write words (Davies, 2002). One of Beethoven’s most famous pieces, his Fifth Symphony, was performed during this concert. It was particularly enjoyable due to the way that a small orchestra was able to repeat the sound that was originally created by a larger group.

Although only the first movement was played, I was able to recognize the piece immediately. One aspect of the performance that stood out to me in particular was the band’s ability to crescendo and decrescendo in a manner that emphasized the power of the song itself. I was amazed that they were able to shift the volume and feeling of the piece so quickly and efficiently. Many music historians that Beethoven wrote the piece to reflect his mental state (Hatten, 1994). During the time in which it was written, he was dealing with deafness, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Yet, others believe that the piece was meant to represent the French Revolution due to a feeling of political resonance.

Despite the meanings that Beethoven’s work had to him as an artist, his works continue to have many different meanings to many different listeners today. Each rendition of these works have its own flare, and the performance I viewed is no exception to this. I am certainly a fan of Beethoven and I enjoyed watching his music be performed live for the first time. In the future, I hope to continue to listen to live versions of my favorite recordings so that I will be capable of experiencing the full emotion exerted by these artists and to allow myself to understand what I think they represent.

References

Davies, Peter J. (2002). The Character of a Genius: Beethoven in Perspective. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.

Hatten, Robert S. (1994). Musical Meaning in Beethoven. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.