Legacy
edit
Some scholars have described Beethoven as being the most well - known composer both in his own lifetime after Haydn died[1], as well as today.[2][3] The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians called Beethoven "the most admired composer in the history of Western music".[4] Richard Wagner wrote that Beethoven showed "the only possible way" for music to develop further.[5] Sergei Prokofiev argued that Beethoven had left a permanent influence on music.[6][7]
The musicologist Scott G. Burnham writes the following in a summary in section 19 of the Beethoven article in the 2001 NG:
"The Beethoven we know today cannot be separated from the history of his critical and popular reception. No other Western composer has been amplified to the same degree by posterity; and none has come to embody musical art the way Beethoven has. More than a composer, he remains one of the pre-eminent cultural heroes of the modern West."
Musicologist Michael Broyales writes about Beethoven:
"his music or his name was borrowed by musicians working in many styles - swing, rock 'n' roll, hard rock, metal, disco, rap, and even country."
He then states that this attests to Beethoven's significance in modern music:
"In many places name recognition played a role in the borrowing. The variety and extent of Beethoven's uses in popular music and their occurrence over many decades speaks both to his attraction by musicians and to his deep presence in American culture." [8]
Norman Lebrecht argues that "Without Beethoven, there could be no Wagner, Verdi or Mahler, no Nina Simone, Michael Jackson or John Williams; no Alana, Lizzo or Justin Bieber."[9]
The Yale University Library writes that "In the transition between the Classical and Romantic, he [Beethoven] is the dominant figure." [10] Additionally, his third symphony is considered to be the first symphony from the Romantic era. [11][12]
Criticism
editNot everyone had a positive outlook on Beethoven. Richard Taruskin wrote that despite his admiration, "Beethoven has been among the most feared, resisted, and even hated of composers"[13]. A conversation between Igor Stravinsky and Marcel Proust was overheard by Clive Bell, a biographer of Proust. He heard Stravinsky saying that he detests Beethoven, and, when asked about the late sonatas and quartets, he replied by saying "Pire que les autres" which translates to "the worst of all. "[14]
- ^ Edmund Morris (writer). THE UNIVERSAL COMPOSER Beethoven. p. 3 August 2024.
"After Haydn died in 1809, Beethoven, not yet forty, became the world's most famous composer.
- ^ Edmund Morris (writer). THE UNIVERSAL COMPOSER Beethoven. p. 3 August 2024.
"After Haydn died in 1809, Beethoven, not yet forty, became the world's most famous composer. He remains that almost two centuries later.
- ^ Lewis Lockwood. The Music and Life BEETHOVEN. p. 0.
"IN THIS BRILLIANT PORTRAYAL of the world's most famous composer, Lewis Lockwood interweaves his discussion of Beethoven's life and works while placing them in their historical and artistic contexts.
- ^ Richard Taruskin. THE OXFORD HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC VOLUME 2. p. 691.
- ^ Richard Taruskin. THE OXFORD HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC VOLUME 2. p. 738.
- ^ Gary O'shea. "A permanent influence": Beethoven's impact on Prokofiev's Piano writing. Musical times Publications ltd. p. 49. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Francis King (1979). Serge Prokofiev: Prokofiev by Prokofiev. London. p. 41.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Michael Broyles (2011). "11". Beethoven in America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 292. ISBN 9780253357045.
- ^ Norman Lebrecht. WHY BEETHOVEN. pp. 322–323.
- ^ {{cite web |author1=Richard Boursy |title=The Dawn of Romanticism |url=https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/boundaries-of-romanticism/page/dawnofromanticism
- ^ Robin Attfield: Environmental Thought – A Short History Wiley, 2021, ISBN 978-1-509-53667-2
- ^ James Hamilton-Paterson: Beethoven's Eroica: The First Great Romantic Symphony. Basic Books; Illustrated Edition, 5 December 2017, ISBN 978-1541697362
- ^ Richard Taruskin. THE OXFORD HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC VOLUME 2. p. 691.
- ^ Richard Taruskin. THE OXFORD HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC VOLUME 2. p. 693.
Proust said: "Doubtless you admire Beethoven". Stravinsky replied by saying "I detest Beethoven". "But mon cher maltre [my dear master], surely those late sonatas and quartets...?" Asked Proust. Stravinsky responded "Pire que les autres" which translates to "the worst of all."