David Pitzer ... >I think I disagree. And how do you know that? Using the word "struggle" >above imparts some kind of program to this music. People and armies and >forces "struggle". Music does not. Anthropomorphic attributions to music, >to me, are not only unnecessary but deceptive. I don't think Beethoven had >any "real-world" struggle in mind when he wrote the 2nd movement to his 4th >piano concerto. It's a very interesting piece of music from a sheerly >musical point-of-view. Who know whose right about this. But I used the word "a struggle" for three reasons 1) the contrast between the two themes. One, the 1st, is so incredibly powerful in its nature - almost vicious, and the 2nd so incredibly gentle. 2) the interplay between the two - the 1st, the 2nd, the 1st again, the 2nd again, then part of the 1st, then part of the 2nd, ect (this even happens at the end of the piece 3) the victory - after the initial struggle and starting at measure 31, the piano part dominates the piece for the next 34 measures(almost 1/2 the piece) to the end as if it won something. Also concerning your comment in the above "People and armies and forces "struggle". Music does not" I think one might find many examples of struggles in music, especially Beethoven's. But maybe "conflict" is a better word. Bill Pirkle