{"id":6580,"date":"2020-09-11T02:06:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T06:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/?page_id=6580"},"modified":"2020-12-25T06:48:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-25T11:48:23","slug":"v-von-generation-zu-generation-with-beethovens-appassionata-from-vienna-to-virginia-and-back-again","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/archive\/glossen-45-2020\/v-von-generation-zu-generation-with-beethovens-appassionata-from-vienna-to-virginia-and-back-again\/","title":{"rendered":"V. Von Generation zu Generation: Beethoven\u2019s Appassionata"},"content":{"rendered":"

With Beethoven\u2019s Appassionata<\/em> <\/strong><\/h1>\n

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<\/h1>\n

from Vienna to Virginia<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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<\/h1>\n

and Back Again<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Nichole Dorobanov, Virginia Beach, Virginia<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Vienna is the Old World\u2019s capital of music and the country where the American blockbuster film The Sound of Music<\/em> was later filmed. Because Vienna was once considered the undisputed classical music center in Europe, many famous composers and pianists gravitated there. One notable resident was Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was a famous pianist and composer and the link between German Classicism and German Romanticism. While Beethoven\u2019s first set of compositions evoked the spirit of Haydn in form and temperament, he later evolved and transitioned into an entirely new musical mode. One of Beethoven\u2019s most famous Sonatas is the Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57<\/em> (commonly known as the Appassionata<\/em>, meaning \u201cpassionate\u201d in Italian).<\/p>\n

Considered to be a difficult and demanding sonata, it is widely performed by many famous pianists such as Claudio Arrau, Artur Schnabel, and Daniel Barenboim. The Appassionata<\/em> is one of my favorite sonatas because of the drastic contrasts and styles between each movement. My favorite movement in the sonata in particular is the finale, \u201cAllegro ma non troppo \u2014 Presto.\u201d It is similar to the first movement in terms of tempo, but there is an exciting presto in the coda. This movement is fast, strong, direct, and boastful, full of many forte dynamics and to be performed with ideal timing to accompany the dynamics. The composition is perfect for an audience pleaser.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a>Nichole Dorobanov playing Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major<\/em> with the Old Dominion University Symphony Orchestra on April 7th<\/sup>, 2017 at Thalia Lynn Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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German music is not easy to define as there are many genres and styles. German classical music went through many stages from Mozart in the 18th<\/sup> century, to Wagner in the 19th<\/sup> century, and to Schoenberg in the 20th<\/sup> century. Weber\u2019s dark opera, Der Freisch\u00fctz<\/em> with the famous Wolf\u2019s Glen scene, is an example of uncanny German Romanticism. German classical music also reflects German and European history; Beethoven once admired Napoleon and dedicated his Eroica<\/em> Symphony to him. However, after Napoleon proclaimed himself to be Emperor, Beethoven scratched out his name and dedicated the symphony to fallen heroes instead.<\/p>\n

Beethoven\u2019s Appassionata<\/em> is a piece in which one can easily express whatever emotion one feels. Piano music, particularly in German music, is just one of the ways one can express one\u2019s emotions.<\/p>\n

As a concert pianist, it is important to not only like the piece, but to also find a way to express oneself through music by phrasing, dynamics and tempo. One feels it immediately if one finds a good piece that resonates with one\u2019s emotions. It is a good sign if the performer is excited to play it and cannot wait to play it whenever there is a chance.<\/p>\n

If a piece puts a smile on one\u2019s face, the audience will smile too. If one does not like a piece, then it will be impossible for the pianist enjoy, but also for her to have proper expression during a performance. The lack of identification with a musical piece can lead to audience confusion and at worst, a lack-luster performance.<\/p>\n

The best kind of music for my direct emotional expression is the German Classical and Romantic musical tradition, and the Appassionata <\/em>is a perfect vehicle for it. For a gentle and elegant emotion, the second movement contains these features. Overall, the Appassionata<\/em> explicitly invokes a wide range of emotions and is considered a bridge between the Classical and Romantic period. Beethoven is a master of reigning in the refined and restrained Classical form and ushering in the wild, emotional and more ardent Romantic form to the European audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Beethoven\u2019s Appassionata   from Vienna to Virginia   and Back Again \u00a0 Nichole Dorobanov, Virginia Beach, Virginia   Vienna is the Old World\u2019s capital of music and the country where the American blockbuster film The Sound of Music was later filmed. Because Vienna was once considered the undisputed classical music center in Europe, many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4340,"featured_media":0,"parent":6396,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6580","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6580\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/glossen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}