Op.135: III. This is all very well, of course: we musicians often tend to produce better and more heartfelt results when associating a work with a dramatic narrative from the creator’s life. 135 quartet was premiered by the Schuppanzigh Quartet in March 1828, one year after Beethoven's death. The “Muss es sein?” theme is initially presented in a Grave by viola and cello, and repeated in increasing intensity before the short introduction quietens down and is suspended on the dominant in a pianissimo. 16 in F-Dur, op. The scoring suggests an opera orchestra, but in a gauche way that has to be understood as parodistic (or self-parodistic: Beethoven could have been thinking of the Ninth Symphony) … None of this is very funny, perhaps – with Beethoven, the broader the joke the less effective – until Es muss sein! ). Musical Style and Innovations. 135 quartet to be his final one, but the first of a new set*. [2] Under the introductory slow chords in the last movement Beethoven wrote in the manuscript "Muß es sein?" For the third movement, Beethoven used variation techniques; he also did this in the second movement of his Quartet op. Beethoven wrote the question “Muss es sein?” (Must it be?) The phrase is German and translates to, "It must be." Take out your wallet!). But all of the above is of course only words. Beethoven is viewed as a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras of musical history. 1 by Beethoven, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=String_Quartet_No._16_(Beethoven)&oldid=975486648, Articles needing additional references from August 2019, All articles needing additional references, Articles with International Music Score Library Project links, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß". So the question invariably arises: Must what be? La frase “es muss sein!” le sonaba cada vez más majestuosa, como si la pronunciase el propio Destino. Il Quartetto per archi n. 16 in Fa maggiore op. 135 in September 1827, wrote in a letter in 1859: Regarding the enigmatic phrase Muss es sein? Beethoven auf dem Rhein: "Es muss sein – Fast eine Liebesgeschichte" Beethoven auf dem Rhein : "Es muss sein – Fast eine Liebesgeschichte" 05.03.20, 09:58 Uhr War Beethoven eine tragische Figur? Am 28. The two last movements especially together give a strong sense of coming to terms, and if the quartet is an intermezzo, it gives an impression of being one between this life and the next. We'll talk about the importance of Beethoven in a second. – Diese Frage wie auch deren zweifache Beantwortung "Es muss sein! Dembscher schrok: “Muß es sein?” Holz: “Es Muß sein”. Beethoven wrote the question “Muss es sein?” (Must it be?) Beethoven’s determination and optimism are clearly present in this work. It must be!). Kundera tells you about the origins of the phrase as a motif in one of Beethoven's songs; you can read all about it in Part 5, Chapter 8. It must be! As in the Ninth Symphony’s cello-bass recitatives and at various points in other late works, Beethoven is driving instrumental music to the limits of speech, making instruments ‘almost speak’ …. 135, by Ludwig van Beethoven was written in October 1826 and was the last major work he completed. This time the “Es muss sein!” motif appears after a gradual loss of energy, piano, at a point where the music seems uncertain where to go, before regaining confidence. Santa Maria Philharmonic: Spirited Symphonies: Es Muss Sein – Saluting Beethoven’s 250th Birthday We launch a year-long celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday with his Symphony No. Grave, ma non troppo tratto ("Muss es sein?") It must be!) Whatever its significance, the piece runs the gamut of emotions: fury, […], delightful article with so many views on the controversial beautiful piece , thanks for it 🙂, Some reflections on an enigmatic question, Zorá Quartet review: A program that tells a story | Oregon ArtsWatch, Lewes Chamber Music Festival: The London Haydn Quartet | 13 June, 2015 | Lewes Classical. Op. We cannot miss the feeling that something basic is afoot, but we cannot define it in words or concepts. Juli 1826 überschattet. Beethoven begann mit ersten Skizzen für das Quartett im Juli 1826; diese Arbeit wurde vom Suizidversuch seines Neffen Karl am 30. If we may judge from this quartet [….] Many thanks to Ivan Moseley. and the by blustering chords in the upper instruments (the Spanish Captain Spavento?). 135 fu composto da Ludwig van Beethoven nel 1826 e costituisce il suo ultimo importante lavoro. which was no enigma at all! Tickets range from $45 for preferred seating, which holds seats in the front rows, to $15 for students. 130 after it. that arises in the last quartet, I think I can explain its significance better than most people, as I possess the original manuscript with the words written in his (Beethoven’s) own hand, and when he sent them he wrote as follows; ‘You can translate the Muss es sein as showing that I have been unlucky, not only because it has been extremely difficult to write this when I had something much bigger in my mind, and because I have only written this in accordance with my promise to you, and because I am in dire need of money, which is hard to come by; it has also happened that I was anxious to send the work to you in parts, to facilitate engraving, and in all Mödlingen (he was living there then) I could not find a single copyist, and so have had to copy it out myself, and you can imagine what a business it has been!…’ I remember the letter very clearly, and without possibility of doubt; unfortunately it disappeared in 1826, when my house was burnt down. Es muss sein! And, contemplating the very end, what better way to go than with a bang? However, Lockwood (Beethoven – the Music and the Life, 2003) offers more extensive thoughts on the subject. Must it be?’ Must what be? (It must be!). COSI' DEV'ESSERE? Romain Rolland, Nobel-prize winner, biographer of Beethoven, and writer of Jean-Christophe (which is partly based on Beethoven’s life) said in a much quoted passage about the riddle: It is a common tendency of the German mind to wring a sententious and general signification out of the ordinary word in some daily use (I noted this in Jean-Christophe): so – your good German, when his servant brings him the mustard after dinner is over, and when he says – simply enough - ‘Too late,’ he catches himself and adds philosophically (I have heard him!) Only the final movement of the Quartet Op. 1889 vom Verein Beethoven-Haus gegründet, verbinden sich hier die Person von Ludwig van Beethoven mit der Pflege seiner Musik und der Erforschung von Leben und Werk des Komponisten. What follows is a summary of the propositions of some noted commentators, and finally some thoughts of my own. But what an intermezzo! 127. The argument shares the defect of all such attempts to set a ‘programme’ to absolute music. Maurice Schlesinger (1798-1871) 5 (WoO 195). But because Dembscher had failed to attend the première of the work, Beethoven refused. Regardless of whether Beethoven intended Op. Carlo Evasio Soliva (1791-1853) 3 (WoO 174). The op. Beethoven ya no pensaba entonces en el monedero de Dembscher. But there is a faint possibility of sentimentalising a piece that the composer did not necessarily know to be his last. Ed è qui che Beethoven, quasi lamentandosi come un bambino che non vuole finire di mangiare le verdure, gli chiese “Muß es sein?” e l’editore, quasi rimproverandolo, rispose “Es muß sein!”. There are indeed some indications that Beethoven didn’t intend his Op. Es muss sein! He encourages us to take Beethoven’s question seriously, and highlights the fact that Beethoven struggled with its exact wording: he initially hesitated between “der gezwungene Entschluss” (the forced decision) and “der harte Entschluss” (the hard-won decision) before settling for the one we know. 130, written as a replacement for the Große Fuge, was composed later. The two Graves in the last movement, with their “Muss es sein?” motif, do perhaps give a certain theatrical impression, and maybe they also seem to induce the feeling of being slightly too serious for their own good (this is obviously in no way a criticism of Beethoven! 131, the pair of which would be a representation of the dualism of tragedy on one hand and comedy and acceptance on the other. We do not know, and are not meant to know in any specific sense, what is being asked and answered. / Es muss sein!“ Diesen Gedanken notierte Beethoven eigenhändig auf einem seiner allerletzten großen Werke: dem Streichquartett Nr. Dopo questo, solo l'ultimo movimento del Quartetto op. By Ludwig van Beethoven. Here, the music’s resigned serenity (epitomized in its famous motto “Must it be? Johann Martin Usteri (1763-1827) Language German Dedication 1 (WoO 186). is a summary of the great Beethovenian problem of destiny and submission. Yes, yes, yes, yes! Sein frühes Meisterwerk, das Trio in c-Moll, begleitete ihn ein Leben lang: er bearbeitet es viel später zu einem Quintett. And the little coda marks the ending (and indeed the whole piece), twinkly-eyed and humorous as it might be, with honesty and kindness. Es liegt hier natürlich die Frage nahe, „was“ genau denn sein „muss“. Beethoven’s infamous secretary Anton Schindler reports that the question was asked by Beethoven in response to his housekeeper’s demand for more money, but he also offers the alternative explanation that it was a request from Beethoven for more money from his publisher. It has at a first glance little of the all-enveloping-statement-of-life-and-death character of Schubert’s last chamber work, his String Quintet, but is in some ways more like an intermezzo, unpretentious and fairly humble in scale. When the relationship was over or, you know, mostly over, I tried searching the novel for clues as to how it should resolve, a possible parallel narrative that would give me some kind of sentimental insight. * In fact Op. – Allegro ("Es muss sein!") The String Quartet No. Radcliffe (Beethoven’s String Quartets,1965) irreverently lists some previously suggested interpretations: Suggestions have included ‘Must I die?’, ‘Must I go to the trouble of writing another movement?’, ‘Must I pay my laundry bill?’, ‘Must I let you have more money?’ (to his cook). 130 in order to perform the quartet at one of his chamber music soirées. If it is forced, it is in the most humorous way. The canon was composed at about the same time as finishing Op. Kerman (The Beethoven Quartets, 1966) suggests the comedy, which is so apparent in the Allegro, already starts in the “Muss es sein?” introduction, imagining characters from commedia dell’arte: To my ear the image is operatic enough: a recitative for Pantalone, punctuated first by dubious stirrings (Mélusine perhaps?) Hij heeft direct een canon op dat motief geschreven; en het motief komt in 1826 ook in de conversatieschriften voor, onder andere bij een meningsverschil met zijn huishoudster over het huishoudgeld.