John Wilkins -

As the Sound Faded: An Examination of Beethovens Choral Music

Submitted by: John Wilkins This a er is resented in artial fulfillment of the re!uirements for "ntroduction to #raduate Studies in Music $M%S &''( Missouri State %niversit) * +ecem,er *'-.

John Wilkins *

As the Sound Faded: An Examination of Beethovens Choral Music

"n the s an of /& )ears0 1ud2i3 van Beethoven 2as attri,uted- 2ith com osin3 over 4/' ieces of music5* 6f those com ositions0 onl) ei3hteen 2ere 2ritten for chorus0 includin3 the Christus am lberge3 and the 7inth S)m hon)5 $For the interest of time0 this a er 2ill discuss onl) choral music0 includin3 the aforementioned 2ork0 The 7inth S)m hon)5( There seems to ,e a sti3ma attached to Beethoven that his choral 2ritin3 is su,8 ar and often times too difficult to erform5 The !uestion is: Wh) is the music so difficult9 "t is documented that at a )oun3 a3e Beethoven ,e3an to lose his a,ilit) to hear5 The recise dates are unkno2n0 ,ut Beethoven does 3ive reference in the Heiligenstadt Testament0 2ritten in -:'*0 to havin3 suffered 2ith constant treatments for his illness for six )ears5; +oes the music 2ritten after -&<4 sho2 an) evidence of this ailment9 +ividin3 his com ositional life into three eriods: -&<'8-:''0 -:'-8-:-/0 and -:-48-:**= or re80 eri80 and ost hearin3 loss0 and usin3 music com osed in each of these eriods0 " 2ill discuss the correlation ,et2een his increasin3 hearin3 loss and its effect on his choral com ositions5 6n *' Fe,ruar) -&<'0 the Em eror Jose h "" of Austria0 the ,eloved em eror of reform0 died5 >is ,rother0 Max Fran?0 2as elector of Bonn0 2here the )oun3 Beethoven 2as livin3 at the time5 When the Legesellschaft, the literar) societ) of Bonn0 met @ust ei3ht da)s later0 the) found it

There is question as to whether all 650 pieces are Beethoven compositions. Kerman, Joseph, Alan Tyson, et al. "Beethoven, Ludwig van." The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Volume 3. London, England: 2001. 3 Christ on the Mount of Olives 4 van Beethoven, Ludwig. Heligenstdter Testament. Berlin, Germany: Verffentlichung des Internationalen Musiker-Brief-Archivs, 1964. 30-32
1 2

John Wilkins . necessar) to have a memorial cele,ration to ex ress the feelin3s felt in Bonn5 The societ) ex ressed its 2ishes that: Either ,efore or after the s eech somethin3 musical 2ould ,e erformed: a cantata 2ill make s lendid effect: a local )oun3 oet has su,mitted a text toda)0 2hich is certainl) 2orth) of a colla,oration of a masterA / But the com oser that took on the ro@ect 2as not )et kno2n as a master0 it 2as a nineteen8)ear8 old student 2ho 2ould soon make his mark on the 2orld of art and music0 Beethoven5 The Cantata on the +eath of Em eror Jose h "" 2as an am,itious 2ork 2ritten for orchestra0 four soloists0 and a four8 art chorus5 "t never sa2 a erformance in Beethovens lifetime ossi,l) ,ecause of the difficult) of the orchestral arts and little time to rehearse5 %nfortunatel) there is not a historical documented reason the 2ork 2as never erformed5 "n com arison 2ith choral com ositions later in Beethovens life0 this 2ork roves to ,e less challen3in3 and !uite sin3a,le5 The ran3e for each voice art is not terri,l) difficult and the tessitura is neither too hi3h nor too lo25 The 6xford Music 6nline +ictionar) defines tessitura as0 BA term used to descri,e the art of a vocal com ass in 2hich a iece of music lies C 2hether hi3h or lo20 etc5 The tessitura of a iece is not decided ,) the extremes of its ran3e0 ,ut rather ,) 2hich art of the ran3e that is most used5D4 "ndeed0 the so rano art reaches an A flat a,ove the tre,le clef0 onl) a fe2 times in ,oth the first and the last movement0 ,ut this is onl) sustained for a short duration0 makin3 it attaina,le 2ithout addin3 stress to its sin3ers5 6nl) three of the seven movements in the 2ork include the chorus5 The middle movement is an aria 2ith chorus0 2herein the choir does not carr) a melod) of its o2n0 ,ut sim l) acts as a secondar) accom animent 2ith the orchestra0 to su ort the so rano soloist5 The last movement is almost identical to the first movement0 in ,oth rh)thm and
5

For,es0 Elliot5 Notes: Cantata On the Death of m!eror "ose!h ##5 7e2 Eork0 7E5: #5 Schirmer0 "nc0 -<4;5 """8"F5 Grint5 "Grove Music Online." Oxford Music Online. n pag. Web. 29 Nov 2013

John Wilkins ; itches0 veerin3 onl) sli3htl) from the ori3inal0 makin3 its sin38a,ilit) all the more eas) for the chorus5& "t stands to reason that Beethoven must not have ,e3un to ex erience the effects of deafness at this eriod in his life0 ,ecause althou3h the music is challen3in3 and am,itious0 it is 2ell 2ithin the arameters of choral com ositions of this time5 As Beethoven ,e3an to lose his hearin30 2e enter a different hase of his choral 2ritin35 The Mass in C Ma@or 6 us :4 2as commissioned ,) Grince 7ikolaus "" EsterhH?) in -:'& to cele,rate the name da) of his 2ife5 $These are the same EsterhH?)s that em lo)ed >a)dn5( Beethoven conducted the mass for its remier on -. Se tem,er -:'&0 2here it 2as not 2ell received5 Grince 7ikolaus 2rote0 BBeethovens Mass is un,eara,l) ridiculous and vile5 " am not convinced that it could in honest) ,e u,lished5 " am an3r) and ashamed a,out it5D: The Cam,rid3e Com anion to Beethoven states that the iece 2as not 2ell rehearsed ,efore its erformance and this ma) have contri,uted to its oor rece tion5 The Mass 2as scored for four soloists0 chorus0 and orchestra5 >o2ever0 this 2ork sho2s much more com lexit) than the Cantata discussed reviousl)5 Gerha s the com lexities made this 2ork more difficult for listeners to see the value of 2hat la) ,efore them0 such as the Grince5 This 2as the first Mass settin3 ,) Beethoven and even thou3h it 2as not 2ell received at first0 the iece 2as ver) dear to him5 The I)rie ,e3ins 2ith a stand8alone aca ella ,ass section @oined !uickl) ,) the other three arts and the orchestra0 somethin3 that until no2 had not ,een attem ted to start such a 2ork5 The soloists enter s oradicall) throu3hout this section makin3 the continuit) of the lines some2hat cho )5 Throu3hout the 2ork0 there is a ver) difficult choral

so rano line5< While all of the other arts of the chorus are sin3in3 in a comforta,le tessitura0 the
7

Beethoven, Ludwig Van. Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II (1790). New York: G. Schirmer, Inc. 1964. Print. Stanle)0 #lenn5 The Cambridge Com!anion to $eetho%en5 Cam,rid3e0 En3land: Cam,rid3e %niversit) Gress0 *'''5 **.5 Grint5 Beethoven, Ludwig van. Mass in C Major Opus 86. 1807. New York: Broude Brothers. Print. Vocal Score.

John Wilkins / so rano is ushed to sin3 re eated hi3h and loud notes5 Beethoven 2as documented 2ith havin3 the medical ro,lem of tinnitus5-' Geo le 2ith ac!uired deafness usuall) develo tinnitus0 2hich is hearin3 ,u??in3 or rin3in3 in the ears0 not to ,e confused 2ith hearin3 music or voices0 ho2ever0 it is ,elieved that Beethoven actuall) had the a,ilit) to hear each instrument in his head as he 2as com osin35-- Could he not hear 2hat he 2as su,mittin3 his so rano to0 or is it merel) that Beethoven 2anted the so rano line to move u 2ard to encoura3e intensit)9 6vercomin3 a disease that could drive a non8musical erson insane to 2rite such a 2ork is ,oth ins irin3 and ama?in35 "t stands to reason that Beethoven must have found a 2a) to deal 2ith this ailment like he did 2ith the other challen3es of his life0 2ith the faith he had in humanit) and his o2n determination to com ose the music he still had inside of him5 Beethovens 7inth S)m hon) in + ma@or stands as a monument for ne2 and 3round,reakin3 material that had never ,een seen ,efore5 Finished in -:*;0 the S)m hon) is in four movements5 Three of the movements are 2ritten for orchestra0 ,ut in the last movement Beethoven does somethin3 that has never ,een done ,efore in a s)m hon)0 he adds a choir5 The text for the fourth movement BAn die FreundeD 2as a oem ,) Friedrich Schiller0 a oet Beethoven had ,een influenced ,) lon3 ,efore he 2rote the 7inth S)m hon)5 >e carried sketches of 2hat 2as to ,ecome his 7inth S)m hon) )ears ,efore the Ghilharmonic Societ) of 1ondon commissioned it in -:-&5 "n -&<.0 a friend of Schillers 2rote to his 2ife that Beethoven 2ould set the 2ork0 ,ut for some reason Beethoven decided not to5 -* Beethoven adds his o2n text as a re!uel to Schillers ori3inal oem to add to the theme of love of the ,rother and not the s!ua,,lin3 the) are currentl) en3a3ed in:
10 11

Beethoven: 1oss of >earin3 5J $eetho%en5 ,eethoven52s0 n5d5 We,5 *' 7ov5 *'-.. Hindley, Peter, and Nick Kitson. Mental Health and Deafness. London, England, Philadelphia, PA: Whurr Publishers Ltd, 2000. 258-259. Print. Kinderman, William. Beethoven . 2nd. New York, NY.: Oxford University Press, 2009. 15. Print.

12

John Wilkins 4 6h Freunde0 nicht diese TKneL Sondern lasst uns an3enehmere 6h friends not these tonesL 1et us raise our voices in more

anstimmen0 und FreundenvollereL Gleasin3 and more @o)ous soundsL-. A solo ,aritone sin3s the added text ,) Beethoven0 as if to call the 2orld to action5 This solo voice art is 2ritten to ex lore ,oth the hi3her and lo2er ran3es of the ,aritone and does so effectivel)5 Geter +avies The Character of a &enius0 descri,es the B6de to Jo)D as0 Ba solemn h)mn on the exalted theme of @o) to #od for his love and ultimate freedom of the ,rotherhood of humankind from sufferin35D-; >is 3oin3 deaf0 chan3ed his dis osition drasticall)0 2here he 2as once a rank8 ullin3 )oun3 lad0 the fear and anxiet) of 3oin3 deaf drove him to contem late suicide5 7ot onl) did his 3ro2in3 deafness affect his music0 ,ut he also lost 3uardianshi of his ne he2 Iarl in -:-<0 as a direct result of his deafness5-/ "t is not uncertain then 2h) the music of the B6de to Jo)D starts off soundin3 less than @o)ful0 des ite 2hat its title ma) ,e5 Friedrick Ierst !uoted Beethoven sa)in30 B#ood sin3in3 2as m) 3uide= " strove to 2rite as flo2in3l) as ossi,le and trusted in m) a,ilit) to @ustif) m)self ,efore the @ud3ment8seat of sound reason and ure taste5D -4 As Beethovens deafness increases0 2e anal)?e 2hether he still strove to romote 3ood sin3in35 +urin3 movement "F of the Ninth Sym!hony0 the an die 'reunde, the chorus sin3s 2ith 3reat intensit)0 2hich is demanded ,) the hi3h tessitura and loud d)namic markin3s0 onl) occasionall) returnin3 to a mana3ea,le ortion of the ran3e5 Accordin3 to the Scherer ex eriment discussed in +avids0 The Ne( )oice *edagogy0 even for a trained
13

14

15

16

JSchillerMs 6de to Jo)5J $eetho%en: The #mmortal5 75 55 We,5 ** 7ov *'-.5 Nhtt :OOlucare5comOimmortalOode5htmlP5 Chronology Davies, Peter . The Character of a Genius: Beethoven in Perspective. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002. 66. Print. Beethoven Timeline: Chronology Landmarks of the Life of Beethoven. Ludwig van Beethovens Biography. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Kerst, Friedrich. Beethoven: The Man and the Artist, as Revealed in His Own Words. New York, NY.: Dover Publications, Inc., 1964. 25. Print.

John Wilkins & sin3er0 rolon3ed loud sin3in3 2ill have a ne3ative effect on the voice5-& "n addition0 2hen sin3ers are forced to sin3 in a demandin3 tessitura0 either hi3h or lo20 for lon3 eriods of time0 this ma) cause vocal fati3ue or even in@ur)5-: 1istenin3 to the 7ikolaus EsterhH?) Sinfonia and Chorus0 3ives the listener a rime exam le of the strain this uts on its sin3ers5-< When the recordin3 reaches the climactic cadences ,) the choir at measure .*4 on the 2ord B#ottD or B#odD0 )ou can hear the so rano strain for the desired itch and intensit)5

*'

17

18

19

David, Marilee. The New Voice Pedagogy. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, inc., 1995. 53-54. Print. Smith, Brenda, and Robert T. Sataloff. Choral Pedagogy. Second Ed. San Diego, CA.: Plural Publishing, inc.,2006. 128. Print. Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony no. 9 Chorale. Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia and Chorus Cond. Bla Drahos. Naxos, 1996. Web Beethoven0 1ud2i3 Fan5 Ode to "oy, nglish Translation and )ocal Score+ 7e2 Eork: C5F5 Geters0 -<-45 Grint5 Focal Score5

20

John Wilkins : The an die 'reunde has hi3h tessitura for all arts0 ver3in3 on ushin3 ran3es5 The d)namic markin3s of fortissimo ush sound deci,els to ne20 almost unheard of hei3hts5*- "t is a 2onder if Beethoven understood the vocal demands of his 2ork0 or if he sim l) could not hear the strain that this 2as uttin3 on his sin3ers5 Because of its ne2 use of chorus0 s)m honic com osers that follo2ed 2ould have to face the 3iant that is the 7inth S)m hon) and live u to its 3randeur0 des ite its toll on the voices of its chorus5** After close examination of these 2orks0 2e can discern from Beethovens com ositions that as tensions in his life 3re20 so did the demand on the voices of his chorus mem,ers5 "n his first com ositional eriod0 2hen his hearin3 had not )et left him0 Beethoven 2rote easil) sin3a,le melodic lines that a3reed 2ith ,oth ran3e and tessitura of the sin3ers and 2ithout ushin3 his sin3ers to extremities of d)namic markin3s5 +urin3 the second com ositional eriod0 2ith the onset of his hearin3 loss0 2e see that Beethoven ,e3ins to 2rite so rano lines 2ith ran3e and tessitura difficulties0 ,ut still 2ithin the mana3ea,le confines of health) sin3in35 "n his third eriod0 his deafness full) u on him0 2e see that Beethoven demands the most from his sin3ers5 >e 2rote vocal lines at the extremes of ,oth ran3e and tessitura5 We see that his deafness mi3ht have ,een a contri,utin3 factor to ,oth the set of itches and the d)namic markin3s5 With that said0 its not that Beethoven could not 2rite choral music effectivel) or safel)0 ,ut he is merel) misunderstood as a choral com oser5

21

22

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125.1824. New York: Dover Publications, 1976. Print. Score. Cooper, Barry ed. The Beethoven Compendium: A Guide to Beethoven's Life and Music. London, England: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1991. 216. Print.

John Wilkins <

Bi,lio3ra h) JBeethoven: 1oss of >earin3 5J $eetho%en5 ,eethoven52s0 n5d5 We,5 *' 7ov5 *'-.5 Nhtt :OO2225,eethoven52sOlossQofQhearin35htmlP5 Beethoven0 1ud2i3 van5 Cantata on the Death of m!eror "ose!h ## ,-./015 7e2 Eork: #5 Schirmer0 "nc5 -<4;5 Grint5 Beethoven0 1ud2i3 van5 Heligenst2dter Testament5 Berlin0 #erman): FerKffentlichun3 des "nternationalen Musiker8Brief8Archivs0 -<4;5 .'8.*5 Grint5 Beethoven0 1ud2i3 van5 3ass in C 3a4or O!us 56+ -:'&5 7e2 Eork: Broude Brothers5 Grint5 Focal Score5 Beethoven0 1ud2i3 Fan5 Ode to "oy, nglish Translation and )ocal Score+ 7e2 Eork: C5F5 Geters0 -<-45 Grint5 Focal Score5 Beethoven0 1ud2i3 van5 Sym!hony no+ / 7Chorale8+ 7icolaus Esterha?) Sinfonia and Chorus Cond5 BRla +rahos5 7axos0 -<<45 We, Nhtt :OOsmsu5naxosmusicli,rar)5com5 rox)5missouristate5eduOcatalo3ueOitem5as 9cidS:5//.;&:P5 Beethoven0 1ud2i3 van5 Sym!hony No+ / in D 3inor, O!+ -9:5-:*;5 7e2 Eork: +over Gu,lications0 -<&45 Grint5 Score5

John Wilkins -' BBeethoven Timeline: Chronolo3) 1andmarks of the 1ife of Beethoven5D Lud(ig %an $eetho%en;s $iogra!hy5 *'-.5 We,5 *' 7ov5 *'-.5 Nhtt :OO2225lv,eethoven5comOBioOBio3ra h)Chronolo3)5htmlP5Beeth Coo er0 Barr) ed5 The $eetho%en Com!endium: < &uide to $eetho%en=s Life and 3usic+ 1ondon0 En3land: Thames and >udson 1td50 -<<-5 *-45 Grint5 +avid0 Marilee5 The Ne( )oice *edagogy+ 1anham0 Mar)land: Scarecro2 Gress0 inc50 -<</5 /.8 /;5 Grint5 +avies0 Geter 5 The Character of a &enius: $eetho%en in *ers!ecti%e5 West ort0 CT: #reen2ood Gress0 *''*5 445 Grint5 For,es0 Elliot5 Notes: Cantata On the Death of m!eror "ose!h ##5 7e2 Eork0 7E5: #5 Schirmer0 "nc0 -<4;5 """8"F5 Grint5 J#rove Music 6nline5J O>ford 3usic Online5 n a35 We,5 *< 7ov *'-.5 Nhtt :OO2225oxfordmusiconline5com5 rox)5missouristate5eduOsu,scri,erOarticleO3roveOmus icO*&&;-9!STessitura TsearchS!uickT osS-TQstartS-P5 >indle)0 Geter0 and 7ick Iitson5 3ental Health and Deafness5 1ondon0 En3land0 Ghiladel hia0 GA: Whurr Gu,lishers 1td0 *'''5 */:8*/<5 Grint5 Ierst0 Friedrich5 $eetho%en: The 3an and the <rtist, as ?e%ealed in His O(n @ords5 7e2 Eork0 7E5: +over Gu,lications0 "nc50 -<4;5 */5 Grint5 Ierman0 Jose h0 Alan T)son0 et al5 JBeethoven0 1ud2i3 van5J The Ne( &ro%e Dictionary of 3usic and 3usicians5 Folume .5 1ondon0 En3land: *''-5 Iinderman0 William5 $eetho%en 5 *nd5 7e2 Eork0 7E5: 6xford %niversit) Gress0 *''<5 -/5 Grint5 SchillerMs 6de to Jo)5J $eetho%en: The #mmortal85 75 55 We,5 ** 7ov *'-.5 Nhtt :OOlucare5comOimmortalOode5htmlP5 ronology

John Wilkins -Smith0 Brenda0 and Uo,ert T5 Sataloff5 Choral *edagogy5 Second Ed5 San +ie3o0 CA5: Glural Gu,lishin30 inc50*''45 -*:5 Grint5 Stanle)0 #lenn5 The Cambridge Com!anion to $eetho%en5 Cam,rid3e0 En3land: Cam,rid3e %niversit) Gress0 *'''5 **.5 Grint5

Landmarks o