| Contents |
Introduction / Barry Cooper and Matthew Pilcher -- Beethoven's indebtedness to his teacher Christian Gottlob Neefe: a comparison of their Variations on Themes by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf / Kris Worsley -- Beethoven's Erste Liebe, Himmelslust, WoO 92: sources, languages, text-setting / Matthew Pilcher -- Situating Beethoven's chamber music with wind: genre, topic and transcription / Martin Harlow -- Beethoven's variation sets and the role of the slow variation / Artur Pereira -- A hermeneutic approach to word cues in the score of Beethoven's Concerto No. 4 in G major for pianoforte and orchestra, op. 58 / Sara Eckerson -- Born under a gloomy star: new perspectives on Beethoven's String Quintet op. 104 / Jos van der Zanden -- Transcending slowness in Beethoven's late style / Marten Noorduin -- Beethoven's faith and beliefs in the context of his age: some unexplored avenues and reassessments, with special reference to Sailer / Susan Cooper -- Beethoven's view of Scotland / Barry Cooper -- Charles Hallé: a Beethoven champion in Manchester / Siân Derry. |
| Abstract |
This volume demonstrates that there is still much to discover about Beethoven. Featuring ten original chapters, it throws new light on various aspects of the composer and his output. Modelled on previous collections of Beethoven essays, such as the three volumes of Beethoven Studies edited by Alan Tyson, the book assembles a group of contributors with strong links to the University of Manchester. It also features a chapter on Charles Hallé's energetic work in promoting Beethoven's music in the nineteenth century, an aspect of his activities often overshadowed by his founding of Manchester's famous Hallé Orchestra. Other chapters address Beethoven's beliefs and knowledge--specifically his religious beliefs, which have often been misunderstood, and his limited knowledge of Scotland, derived from his reading and correspondence. The remaining contributions focus on aspects of the composer's music: his sets of variations, his little-known aria Erste Liebe (the longest aria he ever wrote), his chamber music with wind, a rarely heard string quintet, his use of expression marks and the very slow movements in his late works. |
