Whoa. Before this subthread gets way out of hand, I must confess myself
guilty of once again, not stating my position to the minute degree that is
often necessary on the list. By Beethoven's impulsive composing I did not
mean that he just threw in any notes that came to mind at the moment. Of
course there is structure to Beethoven's music. I am just wondering how
much of it was prestructured before he began composing and how much he
"maintained a structure" as he went along.
There are two approaches to writing a novel (and a composition). One
is to outline the plot, characters, their relationship to each other and
the plot, etc. and filling the details. In this mode, if during writing
a great idea comes to you, you must follow the outline. This is how
bureaucracies do things. The second is to start with a good idea, and let
it evolve as it goes along, maintaining a structure, of course. In this
more flexible style, a writer can have the impulse to introduce a new
character, change the sex or personality of a character, etc. This is how
a small business does things. Its the difference between maintaining a
structure as you go, vs. starting with a structure, unchangable, and
filling it in with details.
The extent to which Beethoven pondered over every note is a manifestation
of his desiire for perfection. (If one reads George Sand's description of
how Chopin composed? - Same thing).
Since a previous thread on "movement binding" yielded no agreement that
there was any criteria for binding, any grand plan by Beethoven would
have to be at the movement level - controvesial conclusion I know. In
Beethoven's day, there was still a tendency to follow sonata form to some
degree (compare with the Liszt concertos) and that itself dictates the
overall form somewhat.
I think that Beethoven started with an idea like the idea of a strong,
masculine theme doing combat with a weak feminine theme - 2nd movement,
4th piano concerto - or a powerful germ that could be the basis of an
entire work (5th), or a theme made up of the 1st 5 notes of the scale
(9th). These general ideas were sketched but, and I am sure others would
disagree, I think such a musical genius would have not confined himself to
some mandatory plan (sketch) for a piece. I think he layed down something
that gave him an idea for something else, then he had an even better idea
(impulse) that may have required his changing something he had already done
(to maintain the structure). This explains why works are set aside to be
finished later, and new ones started. If there is a grand scheme, one
wouldn't get stuck, just follow the plan dictated by the meta-composition.
He was a great improvisor, don't forget and often changed passages while he
was playing a composition.
This all started with the use of a "meta-composition" with which I was
disagreeing, absent any description of that.
Its is, in fact, impossible to tell if a great work was outlined first,
or its structure maintained during impulsive composing. Beethoven could
probably picture the entire composition in his mind in a general sense in
the same way that we can picture it having become familar with it, but I
think he allowed that picture to change as he went along. (Was is Schumann
who said "Composing is easy, you just remember and song that nobody has
thought of before?") Some of the things I see, its hard to imagine that he
had that in some plan from the very beginning, looks like impulse to me.
Bill Pirkle
|