This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
It’s not November, it’s Beethoven Awareness Month!
No composer impacted the course of Western music like Ludwig van Beethoven. The events of his life are the stuff of Romantic legend, his works permeate concert halls and he remains a cultural icon outside of classical music, turning up in movies, TV soundtracks, commercials and pop songs. After last year’s inaugural festival, Beethoven Awareness Month is back to celebrate Beethoven’s work through concert broadcasts, an all-Beethoven stream, multimedia projects, marathons and other features. -WQXR
Every night as I lay down to fall asleep, I put WQXR, New York’s classical radio station, on a 90-minute timer. Since November 1st, I’ve been falling asleep with the idea of writing a blog entry about the fact that it is Beethoven Awareness Month, but because I come up with the idea as my eyes are closing, I seem to always forget about it when I’m awake. Well, guess who finally remembered!
Beethoven is not only one of the most famous composers of the 18th-19th centuries, he may be considered one of the most famous composers of all time. Along with Bach and Mozart, I believe even the most classically unexposed people know who Beethoven is, or at least the tune of one of his Symphonies or compositions.
Beethoven has always played a huge role in my life, such a huge role, in fact, that I was introduced to Beethoven before I took my first measly breath of air. My parents decided that they would play music to their baby in the womb, and my mother left the important decision to my father and daily they played one particular Beethoven piece: Beethoven’s 6th. Even today, when I hear Beethoven’s Sixth (Pastoral) Symphony, I am filled with an extremely warm feeling inside, almost as if it transports me back into the womb. I just feel so comforted. Now, I realize this may just be due to hindsight and knowing that my parents played that for me, but I like to believe it had that much of an impact on me.
My high school band and orchestra teacher, Mr. Rutkowski, would always start the year off with Beethoven’s nine symphonies. For the first several weeks of school, the after school orchestra would play through every single one of them. I mean, doesn’t that sound at least a tiny bit impressive for a high school orchestra? I played these nine symphonies for four years! Not only has that practice prepared me for possibly playing these in the future, but it has also given me a different ear when listening to the symphonies. I hear the intricacies and little details and I hear the clarinet lines. My only regret is that we never actually got to perform one of the symphonies! How cool would it have been to play the Ninth while the chorus sang along?
What is this crazy girl getting to? Well, we take our accessibility to music for granted. In this day and age, one doesn’t have to know how to play the piano to listen to a great melody, one doesn’t have to go to a concert to hear a great tune, and one doesn’t have to be wealthy to enjoy it either. Through the expansion of technology, we can all enjoy music, all types for that matter, as equals. But let’s step back, and realize, what it took to get to this point. Like the quote from WQXR says above, where would we be without Beethoven? Likewise, where would we be without any previous composer or artist? Yes, it might be Beethoven Awareness Month, but I’d like to think of it as overall Arts Awareness Month. Start with Beethoven, and you’ll realize, there’s so much more out there.
WQXR’s Beethoven Awareness Month – Check out the WQXR website for more information about this month. Learn fun facts about Beethoven while listening to amazing music!
Beethoven’s Symphonies – A playlist of each and everyone of Beethoven’s Symphonies! Definitely worth a listen!
Moonlight Sonata (FULL) – I played this a while back, and I still love it. How crazy is that third movement???
Für Elise – Maybe one of the most popular piano pieces for students, yet it’s misnamed! Listening to WQXR, I learned that the transcriber wrongly misread Beethoven’s intended title which was Für Therese!
Für Elise (Dubstep Remix) – Beethoven can be modern too!
If you have a favorite piece by Beethoven, or any fun facts, PLEASE comment and contribute.
Marina B. Nebro