Beethoven - "The Greatest Composer Who Ever Lived"

[darkruler528]

MOZART FTW

then Beethoven

(srry i love both but i like more of mozarts song. Beethovens turkish march was a vain attempt to beat the original)

[mozaaar]

I have always reckoned myself among the greatest admirers of Mozart, and shall do so till the day of my death.

Ludwig van Beethoven ..... Says enough my friends, Beethoven learned from the master

[obtica1]

Beethoven's 9th, Complete...

youtube.com/watch?v=EmV35VPRT9­s

[ToneSpectra]

@sstuddert Personally, I think this is a problem with music that came after Beethoven: music that is ABOUT something, something else other than music. I prefer music that is just about music, about exploring new sound worlds, not about Romeo & Juliet, or some Earthly struggle, or politics. That's why I have a problem with opera; the structure is governed too much by story, and story has nothing to do with the art of music. I have the same problem with music that exists just to 'decorate' lyrics

[ToneSpectra]

It's not really right to call any one composer 'the greatest', for just as Picasso couldn't do everything Rembrandt did, Beethoven couldn't do everything Bach or Mozart did. Mozart spent years studying Bach, which one HAS to go through to do what he did, and so both Bach and Mozart would have been better at writing cannons and fugues than Beethoven who studied it to a lesser extent. Also Mozart died too young and his late works showed that Beethoven would have had some tough competition indeed!

[dalecampbl9]

if Beethoven were alive today, he can make millions writing 1000s of pop tunes for various fake singers to lip synch to.

[karlakor]

Arthur Rubinstein, at age 90, said, "Nothing in art can be the best. If I were questioning somebody and asked you, for instance, who do you really think is the greatest of all times? Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, . . .What would you do? Each one of them is a world by itself. A world!“ These are wise words from one of the great musicians of our times.

[karlakor]

I despair when I hear such an important figure in the world of music as Leonard Bernstein declare that Beethoven is "the greatest composer who ever lived". That means, necessarily, that Beethoven is a greater composer than Johann Sebastian Bach and a greater composer than Mozart. This is nonsense. Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven stand at the summit of music, but there can be no choosing among them. Each is a world unto himself.

[lindzyIsAwesome]

im asuming beethoven is bernsteins favorite composers

[develish16]

I enjoy reading comments by Americans about classical music :P

[develish16]

I enjoy listening to Americans discussing classical music :P

[obtica1]

G.O.A.T = Greatest Of All Time

Beethoven

[UMSMASTA]

he's the G.O.A.T.!!!

[philippemexes87]

Personally my favourite is Brahms....but the best are Wolfgang and Ludwig there's no doubt...don't know who's the best between them...but they are the best

[sstuddert]

@philippemexes87 Bach and Beethoven are beyind Mozart.

[HenriNioto]

When you hear Beethoven's "music", you don't hear sounds. You hear pure art...

[HenriNioto]

Beethoven is not the greatest composer ever. Beethoven is the greatest Beethoven ever ; of course because he's the only Beethoven ever. He would have been the greatest composer if he had created music. But he has not created music. He certainly created something, but it's not music. It's much more than music...

[SuperstarRichardG]

@HenriNioto

you're not making any sense....but anyway, Viva Ludwig, the greatest composer of all time!

[Sivlemaniac]

from when is this? I knew that Bernstein is a big Beethoven-Fan, but im a bit surprised about his statment is the best ever, because he once said theb Beatles were the greatest composers since mozart. And Mozart was before Beethoven.

[sstuddert]

@Sivlemaniac well, he obviously wasn't serious when he said that because just about every composer from the common practice era were greater than the beatles and Mozart is definately not greater than Beethoven.

[Sivlemaniac]

from when is this?

[01Theophilus]

This a very peaceful composition of Bathoven's music. I love the fact that they play his music in Pride and Prejudice!!

[JackETProductions]

I much prefer impressionist/modernist composers. Although I respect Beethoven.

[MisterQuizzz]

Beethoven and Bach are the greatest composers... and Mozart... and Wagner too... and Chopin! Chopin is the greatest composer! And Handel! And also...

[Dodo251]

@MisterQuizzz Chopin the greatest composer? Hardly.

[sstuddert]

@MisterQuizzz Beethoven and Bach? of course. Wagner and Handel? sure. Mozart? yeah, why not. CHOPIN?!?! no, sorry, he's not even as great as Rossini.

[MisterQuizzz]

@sstuddert HEY shut up! Chopin is better than many classical composers such as Rossini, Handel, Haydn, Brahms, Schumann and Bartok. Do you know Bartok? It seems you don't know your classical music very well...

[sstuddert]

@MisterQuizzz no, he's not even as good as Rossini, and Rossini is far inferior to all of the other composers you just mentioned, including bartok. Chopin wrote some nice piano music, but he is, by no means, one of the great geniuses of the 19th century, let alone of all time.

[karlakor]

@sstuddert Chopin is one of the great geniuses of the 19th century, there is no question about it. His music embodies a harmonic sense and piano style that is far beyond anything his contemporaries were doing, and virtually ALL of his piano music is still in the standard repertoire. There are very few composers of whom that can be said.

[sstuddert]

@karlakor "a harmonic sense and piano style that is far beyond anything his contemporaries were doing" - really? more so than Liszt?

I'm not saying Chopin is a bad composer, I'm saying that, next to composers like Beethoven, Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner and Brahms, he can not be considered "truly great", and that's only the 19th centruy.

[thegoddescomposer]

bach and beethoven 2 big gift of god for the whole world

[Tyrfingr]

I think Beethoven said about Bach that he was the master of harmony.

[shaneholden20]

@jennaofthecuckooclan Haha Lovely comment :)

[theworldGodonlyknows]

@jennaofthecuckooclan lmao well it's true

[SuperFlannigan]

Beethoven was GREAT multiplied by a thousand!! But Bach was and remains the greatest and is up there all by himself. Mozart is a close second.

[sstuddert]

@SuperFlannigan Mozart isn't as great as Beethoven.

[Enix5548]

Sorry Beethoven but Bach is the greatest composer.

[einsteinlisztbach]

Yes and no. Beethoven composed music that was ahead of it's time. Now we find the music of Beethoven very beautiful. But not then. Bach was a genius in his own style. The other composers after Beethoven were very inspired by Beethoven, all of them. So... Beethoven created a whole new way of music; Romantic (9th Symphony), Rock (5th Symphony) and Jazz (Grosse Fuge). Not in terms of instrumentation, but in how it was written. And that makes Beethoven so special than the other composers.

[sstuddert]

@Enix5548 hey, at least you're not one of those idiots who thinks Mozart is the greatest.

[sstuddert]

2:25 - 2:32

There you go Dominic, I even have Bernstein on my side.

[Valkyrie91a]

To chopinandliszt, here is a quote about the two: "The chief distinction of the "Pathetique"is that it is the first great example of the modern piano sojata, originating with Beethoven and never equalled by creations in the same form by his predecessors--even Mozart only approaches its perfection in his C major and C minor Fantasias. But music being so subjective no two people will ever agree on the greast! The heartending Adagio Cantabile of Sonata Op 13 will always bring me to tears!

[ppchak77]

I think it is imprudent to compare the two. Firstly, Beethoven himself wanted to study with Mozart.. secondly, if one created Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnies while he was deaf, the other wrote first concerto, symphony and opera at the age of 4, 7 and 12, respectively. However, it is not just how early one shows a spark, but what he leaves behind.. the legacy. Most of the great conductors of the last century have spent time with Beethoven. I would take the ninth and Emperor concerto than 46/27

[Valkyrie91a]

Oh yes ppchak77, The Ninth and the Emperor, without question my favorites!

[sstuddert]

@ppchak77 I don't see how Beethoven's intent to study with Mozart makes a difference, nor do I see how Beethoven's deafness or the fact that Mozart wrote a concerto and an opera by the age of 12 makes a difference. Compare the music itself, that will make a difference.

[Libby56]

his great.. but second only to mozart.. i believe composers like them will never be seen again..

[Valkyrie91a]

Beethoven truly was the greatest, and all of his greatest work was done when he was stone deaf! Imagine hearing this music only with your mind. Ludwig Rocks!

[Tolstoy111]

Beethoven was never 'stone deaf'. He had a hearing disability and had his good days even later in life.

[chopinandliszt]

Beethoven became deaf gradually, but Mozart died so early. One must also consider what Beethoven said;

"I've always counted myself amongst the greatest admirers of Mozart and shall remain so until my last breath."

[Laxplayer027]

Beethoven was great, yes. But so was Mozart, Bach, Brahms, etc.

Bach could modulate keys like no other. Nobody has ever come close to him in modulation.

[thegoddescomposer]

i think Beethoven was (still is) THE BEST EVER COMPOSER IN INTIRE WORLD OF MANKIND his music his emotions is the deepest of the feelings of the mankind,

did u even heard the Missa Solemnis opus 123 on the 3th movement Credo with the difficult fuga in the end with the text I Wait For The Life Of The World To Come, imagine how close he must be with god,

[BoggiDTerminator]

Bernstein's rendering of the 1st Piano Concerto is amazing! The passion and joy clearly shows through. Do you have Bernstein's complete recording of this concerto?

[zyx1236]

sorry to disappoint you, but in my opinion he's only second - to me, Bach was the greatest.

[SonofDostojevskij]

Beethoven is the god of music, he reached where music cant be more fantastic!!!

[Doronicus]

His like will never be seen again. Beethoven has the ear of God.

[Seanze329]

@Doronicus So god's deaf?

[jeunehomme9]

Yes. The subjectively "greatest" composer that ever lived...

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 no, that's quite ignorant, have you heard of Beethoven's late period? you might want to look into it.

[sicnarf25]

notice the qoutations around this title....the true greatest is mozart, no qoutations needed.

[sstuddert]

@sicnarf25 Mozart isn't even in the same league as Bach or Beethoven.

[jeunehomme9]

@sstuddert

Well, Chopin, Saint Saens, Ravel, and Debussy, all great musicians and composers in their own right, held Mozart in higher regard than Beethoven and placed him second to JS Bach. Your impassioned and ignorant assertions that Mozart isn't in their league would never be confused with objective criticism/informed opinion no matter how much you flood youtube with them.

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme

i'm not one to take another composer's word for it, I'm able to judge for myself, but since you brought it up, Wagner, Brahms, Berlioz, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Liszt, Bruckner, Mendelssohn and Schumann all admired either Beethoven or Bach (or both) above any other composer. As for my "impassioned and ignorant assertions", I could explain to you why Beethoven is the greater composer but, quite frankly, can't be bothered to spend 57 comments explaining what should already be obvious.

[jeunehomme9]

@sstuddert

The opinions I posted only confirm what I already knew. Wagner and Mendelssohn admired Beethoven most when they were young, Wagner looked to Mozart for inspiration in his operas. It was Wagner who said "the most tremendous genius raised Mozart above all masters, in all centuries and in all the arts” Von Weber, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Rossini, Brahms,..all looked to Mozart. His operatic output alone make him one of the greats, to say nothing of the piano concertos, quintets, and masses.

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 Excuse me, Wagner and Brahms owe far more to Beethoven and Bach than they do to Mozart. The fact that you are even comparing Wagnerian opera to Mozart opera is ridiculous. Wagner's "operas" were music dramas, there is a clear distinction and it was Beethoven's combination of poetry and symphony that influenced Wagner in this regard - he himself described Beethoven as the "highest judge of them all".

[sstuddert]

@sstuddert As for Brahms, I've no idea how you came to think that he admired Mozart above Beethoven but it's so astonishingly wrong that I'm not even going to go into it in any depth. However, I will say this, what you are saying about Beethoven's influence on Wagner and Brahms is comparable to what a creationist might say about evolution - you're just denying something which is absolutely indisputable.

[jeunehomme9]

@sstuddert

You can't go into detail about what you don't know and as Brahms was one of the most learned composers, he studied over the compositions of older composers diligently and said, from his biography, that Mozart's use of dissonance was more frequent and experimental than Beethoven's citing Idomeneo as an example and also saying Beethoven's occasional pieces were second rate but Mozart and Haydn were more consistent, contradicting your opinion that Mozart wasn't in Beethoven's league.

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 to suggest that Mozart's use of dissonance was in anyway more radical than Beethoven's is absolutely ridiculous. The late quartets, symphonies, sonatas, variations and the Missa solemnis are harmonicly, thamtically and structurally, far more advanced than anything Mozart had ever written. Your argument that Mozart's use of "dissonance" was more frequent is tantamount to the fallacious argument of Mozart's superiority due to the quantity of work he produced rather than quality.

[jeunehomme9]

@sstuddert

Wagner cited “Don Giovanni” as a principal inspiration for his own conception of Romantic music drama, saying there was nothing more perfect than Don Giovanni. Mozart was one of Brahms's favorite composers and influenced his chamber music immensely, Brahms wrote cadenzas for and praised Mozart's piano concertos, citing the 24th as more powerful than Beethoven's 3rd concerto. Brahms also said about Figaro "...never has anything like this been made, and not even by Beethoven."

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 you're quote mining, Brahms owned a large marble bust of Beethoven and placed it near the spot where he composed. He is also known to have praised Beethoven and Bach, on many seperate occassions, each as the greatest composer of all time. Brahms may have thought that the 24th piano concerto was greater than Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto, and if he did, I would probably agree. However, this is the same as saying that symphonie fantastique is a greater work than fur elise...

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 ...when, in fact, symphony fantastique has been far surpassed by other Beethoven works. As for his thoughts on figaro, Brahms was no doubt making reference to fidelio in which case, the same principle applies. The greatest proof of Brahms's admiration of Beethoven, however, can be quite clearly observed in his music - you may want to listen to a few of his symphonies.

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 Wagner was certainly influenced by Mozart, but his main influences were Beethoven and Bach. What is perhaps Wagner's most important artistic achievement, the development of, as Wagner

described it, the "emotionalizing of the intellect" (a form of musical thinking where specific ideas are expressed through music and are thus able to be comprehended, not only by the conscious mind, but to be also experienced by the senses), is directly influenced...

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 ...by Beethoven's move from absolute music (3rd symphony, 5th symphony), in which the composer can only vaguely express his ideas, to the aforementioned style (Missa Solemnis, Ninth symphony). In this sense, it was a development that had occurred as an inevtiable result of Beethoven's transition from classicism to romanticism and was never brought to any degree of maturity under Beethoven.

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 Wagner realised this but he also recognised that Beethoven, the first

composer to make such a leap, was his primary starting point.

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 Furthermore, it was Beethoven's massive tonal strcutures, thematic treatment, rhythmic control and harmonic innovation that had the most profound influence, not only on Wagner's musical style, but also on Brahms's and which, ultimately, led to the massive schism which divided the conservative romantics (Brahms, Mendellsohn) from the radicals (Wagner, Liszt).

[sstuddert]

@jeunehomme9 This was a highly significant development in the musical thinking of the 19th century and one by which your argument is totally contradicted.

[CsOH23]

"THE GREATEST composer who ever lived"- Beethoven!!!!!!

[dreamerpictures]

Bernstein wnosi zawsze usmiech w moje serce nawet wtedy gdy jest smutno..

GREAT!Thanks a lot!

[Jvaughan1988]

Bernstein is a God!

[moonybg]

Where is the music in the very beginning of the video from?

[drcajus]

The 9th symphony, second movement.

[moonybg]

Thanks.I assumed so and found it out the same day... but anyway 10x.

[bb5650]

Who played the piano?

[victorbite]

That 2:50 is fucking EPIC

[Jitpring]

Drop the foul language.

[charmoka]

I totally fucking agree! Ha!

[requiemaeternam7]

motherfuck yea.

[l0k04r7s]

no le encuentro la gracia es beethoven BEETHOVEN!!!!!! EL MUSICO MAS GRNDE EN LA HISTORIA ES UNA BURLA

[thegoddescomposer]

jsut like beethoven did

[davidleitman]

that concerto looks like so much fun!

[chrish12345]

nice playin len

[band1163]

one of the best at conducting from the piano....RIP Lenny, :)

[MarkoKassenaar]

One of the few artists who can make the music cound as if it were written yesterday.

[3NUNS]

Bernstein very insightful re von Beethoven's youthful capacities

[calcmandan]

Oh, Bernstein's exuberance mirrored the concerto. I'd love to get a CD copy of the recording.