Painting of Beethoven composing at the piano by Hermann Junker
Today is Beethoven’s 240th birthday. (Maybe. Several sources claim he was born on December 17, which means we share a birthday. No matter.) So make yourself a nice cup of tea, nestle into a comfortable chair, and be sure to listen to something by him today. Here are some of my favorites:
- Piano Concerto No. 4. I took a class in college on Beethoven and my professor believed that this piece was inspired by the recent publication in Vienna of Ovid’s Metamorphoses into German. The three movements were, in his mind, expressions of Orpheus charming the animals, descending to Hades to redeem Eurydice, and being torn apart by the Bacchantes. It may be sacrilege for some to think of Beethoven as having written “program music,” but my prof made a very convincing case, and it makes the music all the more powerful.
- Sonata No. 32, opus 111. I love how the third movement is echoed in Scott Joplin’s piano music 100 years later.
- Piano Concerto No. 5, the “Emperor.” Peaceful. Heard this for the first time in the movie “Dead Poets’ Society.”
- Symphony No. 3, the “Eroica.” Majestic, beautiful. Beethoven originally dedicated this piece to Napoleon, but when the once-inspiring leader crowned himself emperor, Beethoven scratched out the dedication so vigorously he tore the paper.
- Symphony No. 5. Classic.
- Symphony No. 6, the “Pastoral.” Beautiful, reminiscent of Beethoven’s own walks which would last for hours sometimes. The first movement was used to great effect on a Simpsons episode when the kids’ favorite cartoon went off the air and there was nothing to do but go outside and play.
One could go on, but these are what I reach for when I want to listen to Beethoven these days. What a legacy.
Shimshonit 
Nice post and happy early birthday!
What a beautiful way to celebrate an amazing man. Thank you for posting this! :)
How wonderfully rounded your selections are…inspired by Ovid, going on to influence Joplin, contemporary film, and even The Simpsons. The quintessential definition of classic.
I read this morning that Lucy Van Pelt told Schroeder that the tradition on Beethoven’s birthday is for boys to give girls expensive gifts.
Happy Birthday a day early!
This is the music I listen to when I need more peace.
I did not realize today was his birthday. Beethoven is such a complex artist and man. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to still hear beautiful music in your head while being completely deaf. Congrats on being freshly pressed.
Oh how you’ve played upon my tuned up heart strings. I love me some history since that’s what I do. Beethoven rocks. Congrats on FP!
Wow – Happy birthday to you too! We share the same birthday also – Dec 17th. Did you know the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane on Dec 17th?
Thanks for the nice post!
to think how revoluntionary and “new” his music was back in the day is amazing. what a legend :] always loved playing his pieces
Cool stuff. Thanks for celebrating Beethoven. I truly admire the abundant talent he expressed.
Happy birthday, Beethoven. Wonderful image.
happy birttday
[…] Today is Beethoven's 240th birthday. (Maybe. Several sources claim he was born on December 17, which means we share a birthday. No matter.) So make yourself a nice cup of tea, nestle into a comfortable chair, and be sure to listen to something by him today. Here are some of my favorites: Piano Concerto No. 4. I … Read More […]
As his music lives, so too do we live on; if his music should ever die, so too shall we.
Personally, I am partial to the 5th and 7th (second movement is unbelievable) symphonies; however, I suspect that the 9th is his true master piece. It is not quite to my own taste, but in many ways it redefines what a symphony at all is and could (stylewise) possibly be seen as the delimiter between the classical and romantic eras.
happy happy happy….
I’ll never forget wanting to learn his “Moonlight Sonata” when I was a beginning piano student. I relished playing the adagio section of the “Pathetique”sonata. Great post…well deserving of a FP status!
happy birthday!
I feel Beethoven as one of the most creative and influential musicians in the history of Western music, his work is too full of feelings, from the sublime, to dense and dark passions. I applaud Beethoven and humanity to preserve his work. I also recommend the pathetic sonata, the seventh symphony, the Ninth Symphony, the Missa Solemnis, and his late string quartets.
Happy Birthday, Beethoven Sir :) A master in his compositions and music.
“Dead Poets Society” was an excellent film, and Beethoven’s music only helped to make it better.
what about the string quartets?
opus 18 no.4 1st movement wow
opus 18 no.1 slow movement wow
the late quartets wow
yahoooo…..happy b’day Mr. Beethoven ^_^
That’s it! Happy Birthday Beethoven!
Congrats on being freshly pressed, and yes, Happy Birthday to Beethoven, indeed! I found myself listening to him all day in homage. Good list of tunes, too!
As a piano performance major, Beethoven was my favorite classical composer to play. There is so much emotion in all of his work! Thank you for remembering him!
Happy bday to u…Happy bday to u…Happy bday…Happy bday………..Happy bday to u
I never forget Beethovens Birthday.I celebrate it with flowers and candles and ofcourse Beethovens thrilling music.
Just 10 years waiting and we will celebrate his 250 birhday anniversary.
Awe, he shares a b-day with my favorite auntie :) Thanks for the info!
Who could disagree with “Happy Birthday, Beethoven”? Talk about a genius, a much overused word these days. This guy was the real thing. Thanks for bringing it up.
It is such a honor that people still admire you even you’ve gone for hundreds of years.
Great post ! Happy Birthday to you.
Thanks for the reminder. Long live the music of this visionary great master.
And happy birthday to you!
Great post, thanks for sharing ! Lucky day
Happy Birthday Beethoven, I totally agree with michaeleriksson…he is a master no doubt. Thanks for sharing this post.
Thanks for recognizing his talents and spreading the information about bethoven. He was a wisdomful man :)
Beethoven is not one of my favourite classical music composers. I’m more of a baroque music fan. But I’m glad the subject matter of your blog was chosen in “Freshly Pressed” on a well-known, gifted “celebrity from several centuries ago.
Admittedly I’m always interested in seeing how other bloggers use MistyLook wordpress.com template.
Cool way to post your blog. Happy birthday to you, of course.
And “I wish you a merry christmas–and a happy new year!”
nice :)
Happy birthday to you.
Ludwig is one of my all time favorites.
[…] Happy Birthday, Beethoven (shimshonit.wordpress.com) […]
happy birthday to you.
Thank you all for your kind congratulations, your thoughtful comments, and your birthday wishes. (It was a good one.)
Hippie Cahier: I’m game for any occasional that calls for “presents to pretty girls.”
notesfromrumbleycottage: His deafness just shows that the man had music not just in his ears but in his soul. At the conclusion of the Ninth Symphony’s premiere, the audience roared with applause, and the soprano soloist had to turn him around to see everyone on their feet clapping. That always makes me teary to think about.
Barbara Sherry Rose: I hope you had a happy birthday, too.
J DUBBS: I think about that too. He really did shake things up in the music world, and to this day it’s a debate whether to categorize him with the Classicals or the Romantics. He really straddled those two eras, having qualities of both in what he composed.
calogeromira: I’d never seen this painting before and was pleased to have found something that looked like Beethoven in action rather than simply posing. He’s still a young man in the painting, but as time went on and his deafness grew more profound, he had the legs of his piano taken off so he could sit on the floor and compose. While he may not have been able to hear the notes, he could still feel the vibration in the floor.
michaeleriksson: I also love the 7th and 9th, and was privileged to be able to sing in the choir in a performance of the 9th symphony once. That was thrilling.
VCRolab: Thanks for sharing your selections.
cormac: I don’t know his string quartets as well. Thanks for sharing your favorites.
Rachel: Lucky you, to have played his works.
Louise: Imagine having given people a gift such that they celebrate your birthday in grand style every year. Good for you.
Jean: I too love the Baroque composers (Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto is one of my all-time favorites), but Beethoven’s birthday is so easy for me to remember.
randomgirl3814: A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too.
happy birth day to you
Happy (obviously belated) Birthday to Beethoven!! :)
Happy Happy Happy Birthday !!