Music 3812
Study Guide #15
Ludwig van Beethoven

Assignment: Grout and Palisca, Chapter 15
            Read: 533-537
            Skim: 537-541 (bottom)
            Read: 541 (bottom)-547
            Skim: 547-554
            Read: 554-557
            Skim: 558-560
            Read: 560

Study Questions:

1. What musicians influenced Beethoven during his formative years?--p.533*

2. What is the historical importance of Beethoven?--p. 533-534 How did he com-
      pose?--p. 534-535**

3. What is the "Heiligenstadt testament"?--p. 535

4. What are the general characteristics of Beethoven’s three style periods?--p.
      535-536

5. What are the unusual peculiarities of the first movement of Beethoven’s Sym-
      phony No. 3?--p. 543 What are two possible interpretations for the thematic
      structure of the exposition (and recapitulation)?--p. 543, 545 How do the
      sketches clarify the question of a new theme in the development?--p. 543-544
      (and NAWM 106) What is "dramatic" about this work?--p. 544-545***

6. What are the dramatic and musical characteristics of Fidelio?--p. 546-547

7. Be able to describe the various elements of Beethoven’s late style--p. 554-556

8. How does Beethoven handle form in his Quartet in C# minor, No. 14, Op. 131?
      How can this be equated with the Classic sonata scheme?--p. 557

9. What influence did Beethoven have on the Romantic movement of the 19th
      century?--p. 560****

*The text also discusses the influence of other composers in specific genres of composition on p. 537-540.

**It will be instructive to compare Beethoven with Mozart on this point.

***It will be instructive (if somewhat tedious!) to study the sketch material in the commentary to NAWM
      106, because this will give you a clear concept of the way Beethoven worked.

****Not mentioned here (or later) is the influence that Beethoven had on Wagner and his concept of music
      drama as a "Total Art Work."