Beethoven, Große Fuge (complete, Great Fugue), op. 133, string quartet (animated score)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Große Fuge (Great Fugue), opus 133, accompanied by an animated score.

FAQ

Q: Where can I get free sheet music for this piece?
A: You can download score and parts from IMSLP:
http://tinyurl.com/op133dover

Q: Where can I learn more about this piece?
A: The Wikipedia article is pretty good
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosse_fuge
and this New Yorker article about a recently discovered manuscript is interesting
http://tinyurl.com/newyorkergrossefuge

Q: Who is performing?
A: I don't know. I licensed this recording from Royalty-Free Classical Music (dot com) through Shockwave (dot com), and they don't say who their performers are.

Q: I'm having trouble following the rhythm.
A: I'm not surprised; it's highly syncopated. I've done a couple of versions with barlines in them. First, here's a bar-graph-only version with barlines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7q8t6...
Next, here's a version with both balls and barlines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHxukz...
If you don't like the balls, here's a bar-graph-only without barlines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnjvJD...
And, here's the original (bar-graph with balls, but no barlines):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s0Mp7...

Q: Is there a way I could make the bar-graph scores myself?
A: The Music Animation Machine MIDI file player will generate this display; you can get the (Windows) software here:
http://www.musanim.com/player/
There are lots of places on the web where you can get MIDI files; I usually go to the Classical Archives site first:
http://www.classicalarchives.com/

Q: Could you please do a MAM video of _________?
A: Please read this:
http://www.musanim.com/all/MAMRequest...
.

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[LtGenHaden]

I don't like this piece... it's to squeaky for me... and I don't think it really fits together :( but maybe it's just me because a lot of other people thought it was good. Maybe I'm just to inexperienced?

[smalin]

Keep listening to it, and report back in a few years. Lots of people who don't like this piece at first, come to love it after a while.

[PointyTailofSatan]

IMHO, it's basically Beethoven's Art of Fugue; as much a demo of technique as art. And like the AOF, one will find following the music on paper very enlightening.

[asbadastv]

As complex and brilliant as life.

[asurin05]

madness... but i can find goods in this hflf chaotic vibrations...

[Beni Sutiak]

It's one of the most brilliant string quartets ever

[DubyaEmDeez]

I love this piece, and I fully agree with what chleb said about it being a conversation between bliss and madness. Like so much great experimental music, it's important to just let it speak it's piece and not to judge any one particular section of the whole. If anyone wants to check out some great experimental jazz, I've uploaded a fantastic piece called "Jabulani-Easter Joy" that will absolutely blow your mind.

[jimhsan1]

So true. But when I started to notice how he used the fugue theme, it fell into place, and just got better and better each time. Love it!

[21philipp97]

ugly and beautiful how he wanted :)

[CrateofStolenDirt]

Quite possibly. I never cease to be amazed that this was composed in the early nineteenth century. This is more "radical" than anything by Stravinsky or Schoenberg.

[CrateofStolenDirt]

Simple but but superb advice.

[David Jason Steiner]

There is order amidst the madness