in his sonatas and symphonies. Accordingly, this
first program begins with several pieces, comparatively small in
compass, but directly illustrating the variety of his humoristic
tendencies. All of these little pieces, moreover, have that accent of
intense individuality mentioned above--an accent very much more
observable in Beethoven than in any of his predecessors, and surpassed
only by Schubert and Schumann later. The latter, it may be
anticipated, is the most humoristic of all composers of instrumental
music.
There are certain conditions of largeness in a piece of music intended
to say something without words, and to work up to an imposing climax,
which give it a different form from what is practicable in pieces
having a text for doing a part of the talking. In order to reach a
great effect, an instrumental music piece has to last for some time,
and to continue quite a while in the same movement, as to rate of
pulsation and frequency of measure accent. It has to work within a
single tonality--remain in one key or revolve around one key in such a
manner as to preserve its own unity as a single being. Hence arise the
long movements of the sonata and symphony. It is not possible to
arrive at similar impressions upon hearers by the use of shorter,
disjointed movements. Only by carrying a movement on for some time,
and so developing it as to impress some one idea as central, and at the
same time to arrive eventually at some kind of a climax or goal, can a
serious instrumental movement become expressive and effective.
In Mozart these long movements have nothing like the unity of those of
Beethoven. A beautiful variety prevails, and the main ideas are
repeated a sufficient number of times; but it is for beauty rather than
for completing a cycle of moods or a cycle of soul-experiences. Or if
a cycle, then a cycle of pleasant and youthful experiences. In
Beethoven this is not the case. When he is much in earnest he takes
plenty of time for saying his say, and says it so thoroughly that you
are quite sure of what he is at. This will be shown in the present
program by means of the Sonate Pathetique, and phases of the manner
will appear in all the selections.
PROGRAM.
Selections of a quasi-lyric character:
Menuetto in E-flat. Opus 31, No. 3.
Menuetto in D major. Opus 10, No. 3.
Subject from Allegretto from Sonata, opus 90. Thirty-two measures.
Andante from Sonata, opus 27, No. 1.
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