Sunday, January 13, 2013

A Little Beethoven

  Today I'd like to share the first movement of one of my favorite Beethoven Sonatas, No. 8 in C minor, Opus 13. This piece is also known as "The Pathetique," meaning poignant or moving. This sonata embodies so much of what musicians love about Beethoven: his fire and passion alongside his masterful use of melody. He served as a bridge between the highly structured Classical Period and the more emotional and unstructured Romantic Period. This particular piece was written in 1798 and published in 1799, when Beethoven was 28 years old. The performer is the fabulous Daniel Barenboim.


Listening questions:

1. What do you think is happening in this piece? What story do you think Beethoven is trying to tell?
2. What is the mood of the piece?
3. How did Beethoven create changes in mood?
4. How would you describe Mr. Barenboim's hand, wrist, and arm position?

Thanks for listening, and please leave your answers in the comment section below with your initials.

2 comments:

  1. SP:

    1. Somebody is running away.
    2. I felt kind of scared.
    3. He did relly loud and soft.
    4. He was doing good lifts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AD:
    1. someone was waking up from a bad dream
    2. I was speechless
    3.It had a water-like tone
    4. He did crossing over

    ReplyDelete