In late 2019 I jumped into a rabbit hole…and landed in a wonderland.
And as happens so often for wonderful journeys, the doorway was discovered in a library.
My county’s main library is a beautiful edifice, with two floors of stacks. I have often walked around, waiting for something to catch my eye. On this day, I ambled into a new section and saw something I didn’t realize was a part of the collection; a number of packages containing Great Courses media.
I had seen advertisements for Great Courses before, offering college level subjects encompassing myriad subjects. But the prices seemed daunting; it had never occurred to me to look for them in a library.
And then I came upon one: “How to Listen to and Appreciate Great Music” by Professor Robert Greenberg – 48 CDs of the history of Western music, from ancient Greece to Twentieth century works. It was too delicious a prospect to pass up.
And boy, was it worth it. Professor Greenberg proved to be a jovial guide through centuries of musical development, providing fantastic context to each era and displaying snippets of some of the finest music ever composed. There was nothing dry in these lectures; his wit and insights made for one of the best tours of my life.
And, most wonderful of all, he helped me to understand Beethoven.
With the benevolence of the library, I then listened to Professor Greenberg’s Great Courses lectures “Beethoven, His Life and Music” (8 CDs), “Beethoven Symphonies” (32 CDs), “Beethoven Piano Sonatas” (24 CDs), Beethoven String Quartets” (24 CDs) and “The Symphony” (24CDs).
Total: 160 CDs. At @ 50 minutes each, 8,000 minutes. One hundred and thirty-three hours of university-level lectures.
Followed, of course, by listening to the works.
And then I listened to all of it again. It was difficult to give up my student/teacher relationship with Professor Greenberg.
I am of an age where bucket lists have become more of a focus. All I can say is that I’m thrilled that this opportunity presented itself when it did.
Growing up, most music from 40 years previous was uninteresting. One hundred years in the past? Why care?
But nearly everyone is not only familiar with Beethoven’s best-known work; the themes seem imprinted on the DNA of humanity.
The four note “Fate Knocks at the Door” beginning of his Fifth Symphony is perhaps the most well-known theme that music has ever produced. The “Ode to Joy” from the fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony is recognized and beloved worldwide 200 years after its initial performance.
The heartbreaking first movement from the “Moonlight Sonata” (followed by the raging fury of the third movement, as though pulling himself out of despair into new resolve).
The anodyne beauty of “Fur Elise”.
Once heard, they become a part of you.
And this is the barest of samplings. Yes, some works feel of their time. But so much of the music is timeless – it has proven through the intervening generations to speak directly to the listener as though brand new.
It could be argued, with some justification, that the modern concert hall would not exist without Beethoven. From the website of the Boston Symphony Orchestra: “Beethoven is the only composer whose name was inscribed on one of the plaques that trim the stage and balconies [of Symphony Hall]; the other plaques were left empty since it was felt that only Beethoven's popularity would remain unchanged.”
Though many composers have since contributed masterpieces to the classical repertoire in the ensuing centuries since his death, Beethoven remains the sine qua non of the form.
Timing is everything – and Beethoven was both of his time and an iconoclast within it. A full appreciation takes time to learn – but many are not aware that he was the Jimi Hendrix of the relatively new instrument, the piano. Mozart, slightly older than Beethoven, played the harpsicord – an instrument that could not produce dynamics. Ludwig took lessons on the pipe organ and transferred his love of dynamics to the new and evolving instrument – to the point of wrecking the early pianos in performance with his furious attack. Appearing in Vienna from Bonn as a teen with attitude, he bowled over the epicenter of European culture in much the same way the Jimi Hendrix Experience knocked London flat when Jimi arrived. He left the competition in the dust.
Even as Beethoven’s output covered the full spectrum of human emotion and some of the most beautiful music ever composed (the third movement of the Ninth Symphony is simply magnificent in this aspect) his envelope-pushing attitude stayed a part of his compositional genius throughout his career. Many point to the odd-numbered symphonies as the greatest examples of his revolutionary approach (not sure about the Seventh concerning that), but from the First Symphony on he introduced tension, rhythm and dynamics into Western music in a manner never heard before. One of his last string quartet pieces, the Grosse Fugue, is astonishing, considering the fact that the ensemble was designed as small size chamber music. Watching a performance, it looks at times as though the players are marionettes being shaken furiously by a mad puppeteer.
As with all music, experiencing it live is without doubt the best way to appreciate Beethoven’s artistry and genius. Through the medium of the internet, one can easily access a good approximation by observing much of Beethoven’s music through performances posted on YouTube and other sources.
2020 was the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s death, and many concerts were planned in honor of the maestro. Unfortunately, many of those programs were scuttled due to the lockdowns of that year.
Happily, major orchestras have plans to present many programs this year and next.
For those who have experienced a live performance in the past, the coming months should provide some wonderful opportunities to renew the experience. For those who wish to dip one’s toes, try out some of the internet’s many offerings for starters (symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, trios, etc.). It’s hard to beat the price.
And if your library happens to include Professor Robert Greenberg’s Great Courses lectures, you can decide how far down the rabbit hole you wish to go.