1. Ludwig van Beethoven Chevron NSO “Symphony Goes to School” Program Prepared by Shawn Bennett and Timothy Brennan © NSO 2015

2. fast facts o Born in Bonn, Germany o 1770 - 1827 (age 56) o Played piano, organ, violin, and viola o One of the most famous and influential composers of all time.

3. just FYI… He wrote this…

4. musical era Beethoven began his composing career in the Classical era (~1750- 1820), but his innovative musical style bridges the Classical and Romantic (~1810-1910) periods. Most Romantic composers credit Beethoven as one of their major influences/inspirations.

5. personal life Around the year 1800, Beethoven’s hearing began to deteriorate. While he never stopped composing in his lifetime, many of his later compositions are quite dark in character as they were composed in almost total deafness and depression. He may never have known what they sounded like, outside of his own head.

6. legacy After Beethoven’s death, music had changed dramatically. This is evident by the very noticeable differences between 18 th century music and 19 th century music. He wrote for a bigger orchestra, his compositions were longer, and he wrote music that had programmatic meaning. Seriously, have a listen to these two orchestra pieces. Beethoven did that. What do you notice is different? 18 th Century (Mozart)19 th Century (Mahler)

7. compositions o 9 Symphonies o 5 Piano concerti o 1 Violin concerto o 32 Piano Sonatas o 16 String Quartets o 1 Opera (Fidelio) o 2 Masses o 1 Oratorio o Numerous chamber works/orchestral overtures String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18

8. composition spotlight Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 – Mvt. 2 1812

9. composition spotlight Fun Fact: Mvt. 2 of Symphony 7 was used on the soundtrack of the 2010 British historical drama film, The King’s Speech

10. Symphony no. 7 Beethoven’s 7 th Symphony was composed in 1811/12 and premiered in 1813 at a war veterans charity concert. The second movement, which we just heard, is often described as a “solemn march to war.” Beethoven may very well have programmed this symphony to be about the Napoleonic wars, even though the fourth movement has been described as the “apotheosis of the dance.” Maybe he just wanted a happy ending? Have a listen to the fourth movementfourth movement

11. compositions of note o Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” o Symphony No. 5 “Fate” (slide 3) o Symphony No. 9 “Ode to Joy” Symphony No. 9 “Ode to Joy” o Piano Sonata No. 14 “Pathetique” Piano Sonata No. 14 “Pathetique” o Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” o String Quartet Op. 133 String Quartet Op. 133

12. see the performance! MASTERWORKS 1 September 25 th, 2015 The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra also featuring Jan LisieckiJan Lisiecki