This paper discusses Ludwig van Beethoven, a classical composer revered as a musical genius, who is celebrated for completing the Classical era in music history, yet is also categorized as a pioneer of Romantic music. The focus is on his late work, St...
This paper discusses Ludwig van Beethoven, a classical composer revered as a musical genius, who is celebrated for completing the Classical era in music history, yet is also categorized as a pioneer of Romantic music. The focus is on his late work, String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, also known as "Grosse Fuge," to shed light on his transition to a Romantic artistic world.
Despite Beethoven's acclaim, it's easy to overlook the significance of his post-middle-period works in the history of music. His late works, including Op. 131, were initially neglected after his death but began to be re-evaluated in the 20th century. These works reflect his desire to deepen and scale up the musical forms established by predecessors like Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Beethoven relentlessly altered the progression, harmony, and instrumentation of his compositions, thereby completing the Classical form and laying the groundwork for Romanticism.
Beethoven's innovations in musical form and structure were not only the climax of Classicism but also a precursor to Romanticism. The String Quartet Op. 131, in particular, is lauded as his masterpiece, introducing a new style marked by musical innovation and unpredictable creativity, paving the way for Romanticism. Beethoven, compared to Kant in philosophy, Napoleon in politics, and Goethe in literature, broke away from the standards of Haydn and Mozart. He introduced rapid shifts between tension and relaxation, daring transitions from one motif to another, and extracted the fullest expressive potential from instruments.
This paper delves into Beethoven's artistic exploration and creative musical approach. A detailed analysis of Op. 131 reveals the patterns and ideals in his late compositions and his influence on Romantic music. These works go beyond contemporary musical concepts, breaking traditional constraints and creating new Romantic patterns. Beethoven's late style reflects not only the rigor and objectivity of polyphonic musicbut also the emotional subjectivity of the Romantic era, making his creative philosophy complex and profound. For instance, the fugue at the beginning of Op. 131 exhibits a slow tempo and characteristics of religious meditation. His late style is a mediation between two phases, marked by deep self-reflection.
Beethoven maintained classical forms like the fugue, sonata, variations, and scherzo while innovating their combinations and sound structures. His desire to expand the breadth of music is evident in his numbering of movements and uninterrupted transitions between them. The key relationships in the seven movements include unconventional structural expansions like the Neapolitan Key and mediant relationships. His works, blending traditional classical structure with romantic elements, are regarded as innovative and wondrous. However, he did not completely abandon traditional Classical views, maintaining a progressive yet classical aspect filled with sophisticated composition and skillful tuning. These qualities contribute to the enduring love and admiration for Beethoven's works, highlighting his significant challenge and contribution to human art.