Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum The Love Ludwig van Beethoven thread

Beethoven is my favorite classical composer.

This year I learned op.10/1.
In my core repertoire, I loosely maintain op.27/2 (Moonlight), op.13 (Pathétique) and op.31/2 (Tempest).

Other Beethoven pieces I play more or less well: Für Elise, third movement of op.57 (Appassionata), and sometimes orchestral pieces.

My favorite piano concerto of his is the first (op.15, C major). As for the symphonies, 7 is probably my favorite, with 5, 8 and 3 also great.

Sounds like you are doing well there Pat!

Definitely. It's not too challenging technically, but musically. And it's fun to play.


By ear. I retain the melodies, the core harmonies, and try to play it so it sounds ok. Examples: 1st movement of 7th symphony; Egmont overture; violin concerto.


Yes. In fact, the 4th and 5th are my least favorite piano concertos of his. I don't think they're bad; I just don't care much for them.


A few weeks ago, there was a thread about ranking Beethoven's symphonies. My reply was: 7 5 8 3 9 1 6 4 2.
So 9 is just around the corner.

Why not learn an actual transcription?


...

Why bother? Even a good transcription usually doesn't sound as good as the orchestral version. At least to me. So the benefit of having just a slightly better version is not really worth the effort of learning something by score instead of by ear.
And when I play pop music, I almost always play by ear. When the harmonies are not too difficult, it's easier for me than sight playing.

Pat I understand you- I think it is an achievement that you play some Beethoven by ear! I have just started pianoforall tonight and am pleased with it so far.Robin's method is chords based with some notation.
I recieved a book about Ludwig and Josephine Brunswick this morning from Amazon.I feel so sorry for them that they could not get married. The stress of it made Josephine ill.

This is a great thread and one that was long overdue.

For those of you who subscribe to Netflix Instant Streaming there is a great documentary on Beethoven entitled "Searching for Beethoven". I have watched it 2x and learned quite a lot about the man and his music.

Beethoven batting list
(all comparatively easy for beginners)

Fur Elise (for learning arpeggios - like a harp)
Minuet in G (charming ... and only three pages)
(became the theme for the sitcom Fawlty Towers!)
Pathetique Sonata Opus 13 (soulful)
Moonlight Sonata Opus 27, no. 2 (easy opening 2 measures)
Les Adieu Opus 81a (sheer poetry)

kind regards, btb ... I've been there! (and back)

Is this a joke? All of these are quite difficult, and the 81a is extremely so. None are suitable for any beginner or intermediate pianist.

"And when I play pop music, I almost always play by ear. When the harmonies are not too difficult, it's easier for me than sight playing."

must agree;I find pop music more complex than classical. Like, the melody is so all over the place . . .these female singers!

Is this a joke? All of these are quite difficult, and the 81a is extremely so. None are suitable for any beginner or intermediate pianist.

Thanks, Polyphonist.

Great thread! I love Beethoven. And when life gets hard, I seem to want to immerse myself in his piano sonatas. Right now I’m trying to memorize the 3rd movement of the Moonlight sonata (27/2), which is way out of my league but I’m having loads of fun working on it. I’ve also been listening a lot to the 3rd movement of the Op. 109 Sonata. It’s way too difficult for me to play, but I’ve printed off the first page with the theme and first variation. They are beautiful and slow, and I like to try to play through them.

Here are two books I enjoyed about Beethoven (I already mentioned them previously on this site, but might as well list them here in this thread!) They were written by actual friends of Beethoven, and because of this I think they are real treasures:

Memories of Beethoven: From the House of the Black-Robed Spaniards by Gerhard von Breuning (the personal notes of a man who was close to Beethoven as a child)

Beethoven Remembered: The Biographical Notes of Franz Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries by Wegeler and Ries (recollections of Beethoven by his long-time friends)

Not sure which of Beethoven’s pieces would be accessible to beginners. But we had a list of his sonata movements suitable for intermediate players in this thread:

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2149034/1.html

Some of the pieces that are achievable for "late beginners" there are the ecossaises.
I think I did learn the WoO 83 when I was in single digit age ... good times :-)

this one just to be clear... I love it. :-)
http://conquest.imslp.info/files/im..._Serie_25_No_302_6_Ecossaisen_WoO_83.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOlLDhcU0pE

there are section quite tricky for beginners ( double thirds and double sixts.. but being in small burst is a good introduction to that technique ).

after writing about it I feel a massive urge to put it under the fingers again! back to practice.

He'd love that Valencia- he had such a difficult life and sought to bring comfort to everyone with his music. Did you know he sued to play for friends if they were ill or upset? I LOVE his sonatas- they are my favourite music of his and in fact of all music I have heard.




Good for you!




Oh those variations- they are so sublime they make me euphoric listening to them.






I haven't read those but I expect some of these will be in a book I have called Beethoven, Impressions by his Contemporaries.
They reveal a fascinating, kind person despite the plate throwing lol.

I'm reading a book by John Klapporth about Ludwig and Josephine Brunsvik -the lady who I am sure was the Eternal Beloved. It is very tragic- she eventually died of a broken heart because her mother would not let her marry Ludwig.

I must listen to them- I am quite excited Ataru, as although I have liked Beethoven's music for about 4 years, it is only recently, since doing the Coursera course about his sonatas that I have come to fully appreciate his genius and now love his music more than anyone's! I have so much to discover of his music- he wrote loads of it! Life without Beethoven would be no life at all.

Don’t dumb down chaps ... even if “skeerdy cats”
(thank you for that Mark Twain) ...
Michael 99 and Polyphonist have ducked for cover
on my suggestions ...

Fur Elise (for learning arpeggios - like a harp)
Minuet in G (charming ... and only three pages)
(became the theme for the sitcom Fawlty Towers!)
Pathetique Sonata Opus 13 (soulful)
Moonlight Sonata Opus 27, no. 2 (easy opening 2 measures)
Les Adieu Opus 81a (sheer poetry)

Fur Elise is 70% a piece of cake learning arpeggios ,,,
the 2 tricky internal bits can be left till later.
For the rest, a slow and dedicated application, will pay off
in confidence gained ... with Beethoven masterpieces in your
current repertoire.

I always recommend the first movement of Fur Elise for beginners. It's not too hard to learn and it sounds beautiful. Here is a video of me playing the whole piece:



And here is my first video lesson of Fur Elise:



My first 3 lessons cover the first movement.

All 11 lessons can be found on the lessons page of my website: http://www.pianoonlinemusic.com/lessons/

I hope some of you take advantage of this (everything is free).

I wish you hadn't told me that- I went on you tube and typed in the minuet, I will now have trouble listening to this minuet seriously....
I wonder if John Cleese was aware of Dennis Wilson being inspired by Beethoven to write the theme music? Basil Fawlty had this weird German obsession.
And his hotel is as bad as the ones Beethoven was unfortunate to get served in. Imagine Ludwig meeting Basil!!! And Manuel would have had to duck had Beethoven patronised Fawlty Towers!





When one is a plonky fumbly fingered beginner nothing is a piece of cake...

Steve- I have just completed your first tutorial! I found the Fur Elise sheet music from one of my books and was looking at it on my lap to refer to as watched the video. I paused at each bit and played it on my old Cecil. I found the E- E stretch a bit far at first ( got very little hands) but as kept on with it my hand seemed to flex more.I even did the pedalling! Thanks I shall keep practising it and then go to the next tutorial. i really LOVED that.