Celebrating Beethoven at 250 years old

There are few individuals throughout history who are more wellknown than Ludwig van Beethoven. Even if someone knows little to nothing about classical music, chances are that they know Beethoven’s name, and it is almost a certainty that they know his music.

His work has been almost completely absorbed by popular culture via movies, TV shows, commercials and nearly every other form of media one could conceive. Whether it is “Für Elise,” Fifth Symphony, Ninth Symphony or “Moonlight Sonata,” these works as well as many others have seeped into the collective consciousness. While he was a brilliant composer, however, his life has also intrigued many during his life and after his death.

Given that Beethoven was born 250 years agothis year, Skye Garcia – professor of theory, piano and composition at East Central University – decided to hold two concerts this year commemorating the life and work of this monumental composer, the first of which will be at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Ataloa Theatre in the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center on the ECU campus.

For the first concert, Garcia chose pieces and ensembles that will be highly recognizable to the audience. It will begin with the ECU combined choirs performing “Hallelujah” from “Christ on the Mount of Olives” from the balcony of Ataloa Theatre. Following this will be the complete “Moonlight Sonata” performed by guest concert pianist, Hyunsoon Whang. They had a statewide contest for young pianists to give them the opportunity to perform on this concert, along with a cash prize, and while they did award the prize, they decided to bring in a concert pianist for the performance. Following the sonata, the ECU Jazz Ensemble will be performing “A Fifth of Beethoven,” which is a popular jazz arrangement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Following an intermission, ECU Showtime will be performing “Beethoven’s Day” from “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” In addition to the young pianist contest, they also had an essay contest for high schoolers in Oklahoma with a prompt of “The Beethoven Lesson,” and they are hoping the winner will read their essay at the concert as well. After the essay, the ECU British Brass Band will perform the Egmont Overture, and the program will close with the ECU Wind Ensemble performing the finale of the Fifth Symphony.

While Beethoven wrote for many instruments, his work is particularly touching for pianists, perhaps because Beethoven was a piano virtuoso. Garcia fell in love with Beethoven when he was young.

“He has always been a favorite composer of mine,” Garcia said. “I love the intensity, drama and passion of the music.”

In addition to the emotion behind the music, Beethoven also changed the course of musical history. He was the first composer to make a living as a composer who wrote for himself and not for anyone else. He created art for the sake of art. Unlike many other artists, Beethoven was well-known in his own time, and his music was well-loved. According to Garcia, when Beethoven died in 1827, more than 10,000 people viewed his funeral procession.

One of the most well-known facts about Beethoven is that he was completely deaf by the time of his death. This, however, did not stop him from creating some of the most beautiful music ever heard.

“He faced his struggles with heroism and courage,” Garcia said. By Sunnie Dawn Smith

East Central University music professor will organize two concerts this year to commemorate the 250th birthday of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, the first of which happens at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 in the Ataloa Theatre in the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS GEISLER.

“He considered suicide in 1802 but ultimately decided to perservere, to live on in spite of his catastrophic illness.”

Interestingly, the same year that Beethoven wrote a suicide note to his brothers – known as the Heiligenstadt Testament – was the same year that he began his second period as a composer. During his first period, Beethoven was mastering the musical language of his time, but during the second period, he achieved new heights of drama and expression by breaking the rules and creating a new form of art. His third period – which lasted from 1815 until his death in 1827 – was dominated by his own social isolation but also by very advanced and sophisticated compositions.

Before Beethoven, composers would compose to fulfill a certain need, whether it was for an employer or an audience, Garcia said. Music before Beethoven mainly existed for entertainment. However, he changed the world by insisting on compositions as a form of self-expression. While he did compose some for entertainment – particularly in the form of opera – the vast majority of his work was done to fulfill a need within himself, which resulted in fulfilling a need in the countless people who have encountered his music either through listening or playing.

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