Hidden treasures - Ludwig van Beethoven - Folksong arrangments (1809-1821) - Highlights (2/2)

Painting: "Rome: Saint Peter's Cathedral from the Villa Barberini" by Joseph Mallord William Turner.

History (based on materials from http://www.allmusic.com/): During the early 19th centuries, there was a fashion for folk music in most parts of continental Europe, as amateur musicians sought easy pieces with which they could practice their art without any feelings of discomfort. The sets of folksongs presented in this case were commissioned by a Scotsman, George Thomson of Edinburgh, who, dreaming of creating the most superb collection of folk songs imaginable, turned for musical arrangements of the pieces to some of the leading European masters, such as Haydn and, ultimately, Beethoven. Thomson first wrote to Beethoven in 1803, but it was only in 1809 when Beethoven finally agreed to collaborate. Due to a series of disasters (problems in the reliability of messengers, the Napoleonic wars and reluctant smugglers), the composer and the publisher encountered great troubles with the first few sets, though after Napoleon's defeat the project continued with full force. All in all, Beethoven worked on ten vocal cycles or more than 160 songs. None of the sets sold particularly well in either the composer's or the publisher's lifetime; however, Thomson concluded in the end that the lack of success could be attributed to the high quality of Beethoven's settings, lamenting in 1821 that "he composes for posterity". Beethoven's own interest in the project can be inferred not only from the quality of his musical submissions but also from his willingness to collect tunes from continental Europe at Thomson's request. Setting these tunes was clearly not odious to the composer, even if the project was originally mercenary in nature. An additional point of interest lies in the fact that Thomson sent Beethoven only the tunes to be set (though supplying them with notes on what style should be adopted), and not their texts, so the resulting works can be viewed as purely musical conceptions.

Narrative: The subjects of the songs cover the full spectrum of human emotions and dramatic situations, ranging from passionate serenades and humorous accounts on how, for example, a boastful French soldier was jumped by a host of British dragoons to chilling ghost stories and expressions of deep inner torment. The lyrics, written both by the likes of Scott and Byron and, in some cases, by Thomson himself, tend to be rather sentimental and melodramatic, though, as in many cases, it is the music that makes or breaks a song...

Music: Musicologists frequently dismiss the arrangements as pieces of little depth and, consequently, no real interest. Indeed, saying that the ten song cycles (consisting of pieces presented in simple couplet form with possibilities for light ornamentation in selected places and few touches of innovation) vary highly in quality would be a great understatement. However, the problems in no way lie in Beethoven's arrangements: the composer's approach is extremely sensitive and sensible; Beethoven's short ornamental cadenzas which are inserted in some breaks of the melody are frequently of higher quality than the music that surrounds them. The fact is that the material with which the composer is working has painfully few moments of true inspiration: out of the 168 pieces that appear in the cycles, about three quarters are unremarkable and unmemorable. This is, perhaps, due to the fact that the project was aimed at amateurs, rather than professional musicians, thus both Thomson and Beethoven had to limit themselves with pieces of comparative simplicity and comprehensibility. However, those who wish to dismiss the sets on this basis would be missing out on a little number of "hidden treasures" that can be found in between the banality of the other songs. I would personally single out several pieces which, in my opinion, prove that not all songs of the sets can be dismissed as "trite": the Mozartian "Mark yonder pomp" which includes delightful interplay between the voice and the solo instruments; the tremendously affecting tenor-soprano duet "Wife, children and friends"; the warm mezzo-soprano solos "Musing of the roaring ocean" and "Hide not thy anguish"; the dark soprano ballad "The vale of Clwyd"; the unearthly "To the Aeolian harp" among others. At any rate, though a significant part of the song cycles is unexceptional, the "hidden treasures" are well worthy of rediscovery.

Recording: The 1997 Deutsche Grammophon recording of the complete song cycles is ideal, boasting a list of some of England's finest modern musicians.

Felicity Lott, Janice Watson & Catrin Wyn Davies - Sopranos.
Ann Murray, Ruby Philogene & Sarah Walker - Mezzo-Sopranos,
John Mark Ainsley, Timothy Robinson & Toby Spence - Tenors,
Thomas Allen & Christopher Maltman - Baritones,
Marieke Blankestijn, Elizabeth Layton & Krysia Osostowicz - Violin,
Ursula Smith - Cello,
Malcolm Martineau - Piano.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• belcanto
• classical
• traditional
• folksong

[jawnps]

Very nice! I'm glad I'm not the only one that's discovered these gems!

[gerardbedecarter]

Very beautiful music.

[Warlockofhell]

very nice