Celebrity Biography. Guide Edition

Author: (French) Roman Rolland
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Introducing a chorus into a symphony presents significant technical difficulties, as can be seen from Beethoven's manuscripts. To incorporate a chorus in other sections of the work, he made numerous attempts to find alternative methods. In the manuscript of the second melody in the adagio, he wrote, "Perhaps a chorus would fit well here." But he couldn’t bring himself to part with his loyal orchestra. He said, "When a sudden idea strikes me, I hear a musical instrument playing it, but never the sound of human singing." Thus, he always tried to delay the use of vocal parts; he even entrusted not only the recitative in the finale but also the theme of joy entirely to the orchestra. One must delve deeper into these delays and hesitations—the underlying reasons are even more profound. This unfortunate man, always tormented by sorrow, yearned to celebrate the beauty of joy; yet he postponed this task year after year, as he was constantly swept up in the whirlpool of passion, tormented by grief, until the very last moments of his life that he finally achieved his wish. With what great spirit! When the theme of joy first appeared, the orchestra suddenly ceased; suddenly, a silence fell; this infused the singing with a mysterious and sacred atmosphere. As it should be: this theme was indeed divine. Joy descended during the day, enveloped in supernatural tranquility; it soothed pain with a gentle breath; when it quietly seeped into the healing heart, the first touch was incredibly tender, to the point where, like Beethoven’s friend, one was almost moved to tears upon seeing his gentle eyes. When the theme later entered the vocal parts, the bass first took the lead, with a solemn and somewhat oppressive tone. Gradually, joy captured the soul. It was a conquest, a war against pain. Then came the march rhythm, the grand army, the passionate and urgent singing of the tenor, and all those stirring movements in which we can hear the spirit of Beethoven, his breathing rhythm, and his cries of inspiration, as if we see him wandering through the fields, composing in a trance, wild and frenzied, like King Lear amidst a thunderstorm. Following the joy of battle came a religious ecstasy; then came sacred revelry, a madness of love. All of humanity stretched their arms toward the heavens, shouting with fervor, rushing forward to embrace joy. The work of the giant conquered the mediocre audience. Vienna’s frivolity was thus shaken for a time; the city had long been completely influenced by Rossini and Italian opera. The humiliated and sorrowful Beethoven planned to settle in London and perform the Ninth Symphony there. As in 1809, several noble friends once again earnestly begged him not to leave his homeland. They said, "We know that you have written a new sacred piece in which you express the emotions inspired by the deep convictions that illuminate it. The supernatural light of your great soul shines upon it. Moreover, we know that your great symphonies have once again been adorned with an immortal flower. Your recent seclusion has left all who had turned their gaze toward you in sorrow. Everyone is painfully wondering that as foreign music tries to be transplanted to our stage, making German artistic works neglected, the great genius held in such high esteem by the people remains silent. Our nation expects a new life, a new glory, and the task of reviving an era of truth and beauty, in defiance of current trends, can only be entrusted to you. We hope you can grant us our wish soon. We hope that with your genius, the future spring will bloom even more brightly for us and for the world!" These heartfelt letters demonstrate the immense prestige that Beethoven enjoyed among the elite of Germany, not only in art but also in morality. His admirers thought of no scientific or artistic term to praise his talent but the word "faith." P25-26