Ludwig van Beethoven

By Leslie Spotz, Delta Pi

As a piano teacher for more than 45 years, the requests from my students to learn the first movement of the “Moonlight” Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) are ongoing. Only Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” compares in popularity with the desire to play “Moonlight.”

This first movement alone, in the 20th and 21st centuries has been quoted in movies, commercials and anywhere you can find music. “Moonlight” only opens the door. Interest in Beethoven’s music grows exponentially from an initial introduction from “Moonlight.”

My own teacher, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, during my college days at the Curtis Institute of Music, represented a personal link directly back to Beethoven. His piano teacher was Theodore Leschetizky, the great 19th century piano pedagogue, who alongside Franz Liszt, was one of the two most acclaimed piano teachers in Europe in the 1800s. Leschetizky’s teacher was Carl Czerny (think Czerny piano studies for piano students), who was a pupil, devoted friend and assistant to Beethoven. With only three people between myself and Beethoven, I consider that I am part of a treasured link to the musical traditions of the past and today’s world of musical expression. Horszowski shared specific details with his students that Leschetizky told him came directly from Beethoven himself. It has been a privilege to be a direct part of this tradition. My students are excited when they learn it. They all express delight in being part of the chain.

In Beethoven’s middle period, when he had reached his maturity as a composer, he fully embraced the ideals of Romanticism surrounding his artistic environment. During this time, he was keenly aware of his hearing loss and had already faced the potential tragic consequences that could result from his deafness. His famous letter to his brothers, the Heiligenstadt Testament, outlining his suffering, was written in 1802. By 1804 he had regained confidence in his ability to compose, having discovered that his deafness would not be a hindrance to his future work. Transcending tragedy to create great music is as relevant today as 252 years ago. Beethoven’s genius surpasses any handicaps faced during his life, and he continues to provide inspiration to those who suffer hearing loss in addition to other obstacles that might seem insurmountable.

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata, Op. 53, the “Waldstein,” was completed in 1804 and is an important example of the decade from 1803-1812, also called his “Heroic” period. I performed this work for the virtual 2021 Mu Phi Epsilon Convention because it exemplifies his artistic development during the period when he transcended his deafness.

At the time of composing “Waldstein,” he understood that there would probably be no medical improvement from his deafness. His human suffering notwithstanding, this technically challenging, virtuosic work represents the first of the sonatas from this period, a time when his hearing loss was imminent, but had not yet completely taken over. The allegro con brio, the first of the three movements, is exciting and energetic, a demonstration of Beethoven’s mastery of sonata form and brilliant piano writing.

The original second movement, ultimately published as the Andante favori, WoO 57, was replaced by a short adagio in 6/8 time, the introduzione, which now serves as the introduction to the rondo finale movement. This adagio functions as a recitative before the aria in an opera, and without a final authentic cadence in its home key of F major, leads directly into the opening theme of the third movement. The rondo begins with one of the most exquisite themes in the history of music, demonstrating Beethoven’s ultimate significance to music during any century, past, present and future. These two movements fit perfectly together. With its passionate contrasts, the rondo has among its unique technical demands an original use of pedal, and in the coda, glissando octaves in both hands.

Beethoven first met his close friend and patron, Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, while still a youth in his native city of Bonn in 1788 through the Breuning family, those friends who were like family to him. A supporter of the arts, Waldstein became a member of the Breuning circle, where he heard Beethoven play and at once became his devoted admirer. When Beethoven left Bonn in 1792 to study with Haydn in Vienna, Waldstein wrote, “May you receive the spirit of Mozart through the hands of Haydn.” As time passed, Waldstein, who had money troubles and conflicts with the emperor, did not fare well once he returned to Vienna. The emperor even banished him from the city, with Waldstein only returning there in disguise. It may be that Beethoven dedicated the Op. 53 to his old friend after having learned of Waldstein’s difficulties.

Democracy, Anti-Imperialism and the Brotherhood of Man Beethoven believed in the hope of democracy. He wanted to visit the United States to experience and learn how democracy could grow and develop. At first, he applauded Napoleon’s announcement of a French Republic, yet once Napoleon crowned himself emperor, Beethoven lost all support of the French dictator.

Beethoven’s hearing loss caused tragic and devastating suffering, yet he rose above this tragedy to compose music that expressed his genius and reflected his faith in the best that humanity might become. The Symphony No. 9, his last completed symphony, along with the “Choral Fantasy” and other works, include texts which support his faith in human beings and their potential. Today, there is nothing more profoundly valuable than that in such masterpieces of art and music we can be reminded of such a hope.

2020 marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven who was born on or about December 16, 1770, in the city of Bonn in the Electorate of Cologne, a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Although his exact date of birth is uncertain, Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770.

As a matter of law and custom, babies at the time were baptized within 24 hours of birth, so December 16 is his most likely birthdate.

However, Beethoven himself mistakenly believed that he was born two years later, in 1772, and he stubbornly insisted on the incorrect date even when presented with official papers that proved beyond any reasonable doubt that 1770 was his true birth year.

Beethoven’s personal life was marked by a struggle against deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was quite unable to hear. He died in 1827 at the age of 56.

Young Hungarian pianist Peter Bence, 30, recorded Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata finale (third movement) in an arrangement blended with Australian rock band AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.” (Disclaimer: I live in Texas, and the lyrics in the second verse of “Thunderstruck,” include, “…went through to Texas, yeah, Texas and we had some fun…”). This video recording dates from approximately 2019. According to Bence’s post on Facebook, there have been at least 1.6 million views, 10,000 shares and 31,000 “likes.”

This is vitality, relevance and only three years old.

NBA basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who tragically was killed in January 2020, admired classical music. In an interview with ESPN's “The Undefeated,” Bryant described how he taught himself to play “Moonlight” Sonata (first movement) by ear for his wife, Vanessa Bryant, in 2016. Performed by American singer/songwriter and classically trained pianist Alicia Keys at Bryant’s memorial service, it was introduced as the “immortal” work of Beethoven.

Numerous aspects of modern culture in society reflect an ongoing public awareness that Ludwig van Beethoven was “someone,” even though people may not know exactly who he was. His name was given to a dog in a feature movie in the early 1990s. The franchise includes seven additional films, starting with the sequel “Beethoven’s 2nd.”

Leslie Spotz (Delta Pi), professor of piano at Tarleton State University, enjoys an international performing career that spans four continents and four decades. Receiving a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Spotz studied for five years with the legendary Mieczyslaw Horszowski, part of the heritage that is only three musicians-students-teachers away from Beethoven. She completed her doctorate at Rutgers University in 2002. She has studied and performed Beethoven’s works for more than 50 years and was invited to perform a solo piano recital and give a lecture at the International Convention in honor of the composer’s 250th birthday celebration. The Dallas Alumni chapter, with Mary Williams, Susan Poelchau and Nancy Laine, helped to sponsor this performance.