Beethoven, Große Fuge, op. 133, string quartet (animation ver. 3 w/barlines)

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=T7q8t6K5ygw
Next, here's a version with both balls and barlines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHxukzT31do
If you don't like the balls, here's a bar-graph-only without barlines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnjvJDi8BPg
And, here's the original (bar-graph with balls, but no barlines):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s0Mp7LFI-k

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/MAMRequests.html
.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• counterpoint
• masterpiece
• contrapuntal

[jebsievers]

What's the general argument here? Is this a slightly-dissonant result of his lack of hearing----or is it exactly the dissonance he wanted and heard in his mind? Your thoughts.

[musanim]

@jebsievers If you don't like this, odds are it's your problem, not Beethoven's.

[jebsievers]

@musanim No I DO like it! In fact I LOVE it! I'm just posing a question and asking for opinions-----is this song slightly dissonant on purpose (did Beethoven intend for it to sound this way)------or was his hearing slightly off which caused it?

Because it does come off as slightly dissonant, which I actually enjoy and I think has an exciting sound.

[musanim]

@jebsievers  That's what Beethoven intended.

[cratosian]

I did a report on Igor Stravinsky in 7th grade.

[VodKaLogic]

The animation helped me understand how terrifyingly technically demanding this piece is. I'm breathless and my arms hurt just thinking about the hell the Quartet is going through to execute this masterpiece ...

[perfectlydissonant]

Beethoven didn't need to be able to hear to know whether or not his music was consonant or dissonant. He knew what he was composing as most musicians can know exactly how a piece will sound simply by looking at it. At this point he was most interested in counterpoint and linear motion. And for the record, Mozart wasn't exactly the most consonant composer either, consider the introduction to String Quartet #19 in C, K. 465. Remember not all music is or has been created to be "emotional".

[jebsievers]

@ai1888 :)

[ai1888]

@jebsievers That is a very good question, one I have pondered for a lot of days. Too bad the uploader cuts you off with rude replies. :(

[ai1888]

@musanim Why do you have to be so rude, to such an excellent and genuine question? It is because of people like you, who exhibit such cockiness that the classical music loving community get the reputation of being "snobs".

[histrionical]

Ive been listening to the 'late' quartets for forty years. What I hear is beauty in aural form. I admit that 40 years ago what I mostly heard was a lot of wrong sounding notes thrown randomly together. Deaf and blind too? I wondered?

[Dronkmoi]

i love you !!!!!!!!!!!

[jebsievers]

@jeffamarie cool. i like that.

[jeffamarie]

@jebsievers I don't hear dissonance... I hear the tension that resolves perfectly at every juncture and yet stays within character enough to make you question whether what you're hearing is both grotesque and beautiful. : P