Adelaide (Beethoven)
Encyclopedia
"Adelaïde" is a song for solo voice and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven
. It was written in 1795/1796, when the composer was about 25 years old, and published as his Opus 46.
The work is in B-flat major and is written for a tenor
or soprano
voice, though it is also performed in transposed
versions by other voices. A performance of the song lasts about six minutes.
(1761–1831). The poem expresses an outpouring of yearning for an idealized and apparently unattainable woman.
The poem clearly struck a chord with Beethoven, whose personal life often centered on his yearnings for idealized and unattainable women. The letter of thanks that Beethoven wrote to the poet testifies to his deep emotional engagement with this poem.
, meaning that every stanza
is assigned its own mood.
Beethoven treated the text in two parts. The first, covering the first three stanzas, is set larghetto and marked dolce. There is a triplet accompaniment in the piano, with many modulations through the flat keys, creating a dreamy atmosphere. As Barry Cooper remarks, "the lover sees his beloved wherever he wanders, and the music correspondingly wanders through a great range of keys and rhythms."
The second part of Beethoven's song sets the extravagant death fantasy of the final stanza, in which flowers sprout from poet's grave to express his undying love. Strikingly, Beethoven sets this stanza in tones not of despair but of ecstasy; the tempo marking is allegro molto.
In an essay on this song, Carla Ramsey offers an almost lurid account of the final section:
in Vienna, with a dedication to Matthisson. Beethoven was quite late in presenting Matthisson with a copy, fearing the poet would not like it, but in fact Matthisson felt it was the finest of all the settings made of his poem.
Of Beethoven's songs (a minor genre for this composer), "Adelaïde" is one of the most popular, and it is included in most recorded anthologies.
The work was popular in Beethoven's day, and went through many editions, Various composers, including Sigismond Thalberg
and Franz Liszt
(who wrote 3 versions, S.466) prepared arrangements of the song for solo piano.
In the nineteenth century, the critic Eduard Hanslick
called "Adelaïde" "the only song by Beethoven the loss of which would leave a gap in the emotional life of our nation."
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
. It was written in 1795/1796, when the composer was about 25 years old, and published as his Opus 46.
The work is in B-flat major and is written for a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
or soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
voice, though it is also performed in transposed
Transposition (music)
In music transposition refers to the process, or operation, of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval.For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key...
versions by other voices. A performance of the song lasts about six minutes.
Text
The text of "Adelaïde" is an early Romantic poem written in German by Friedrich von MatthissonFriedrich von Matthisson
Friedrich von Matthisson was a German poet.-Biography:He was born at Hohendodeleben near Magdeburg, the son of the village pastor, on the 23rd of January 1761. After studying theology and philology at the university of Halle, he was appointed in 1781 master at the classical school Philanthropinum...
(1761–1831). The poem expresses an outpouring of yearning for an idealized and apparently unattainable woman.
|
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The poem clearly struck a chord with Beethoven, whose personal life often centered on his yearnings for idealized and unattainable women. The letter of thanks that Beethoven wrote to the poet testifies to his deep emotional engagement with this poem.
Music
The song is through-composedThrough-composed
Through-composed music is relatively continuous, non-sectional, and/or non-repetitive. A song is said to be through-composed if it has different music for each stanza of the lyrics. This is in contrast to strophic form, in which each stanza is set to the same music...
, meaning that every stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
is assigned its own mood.
Beethoven treated the text in two parts. The first, covering the first three stanzas, is set larghetto and marked dolce. There is a triplet accompaniment in the piano, with many modulations through the flat keys, creating a dreamy atmosphere. As Barry Cooper remarks, "the lover sees his beloved wherever he wanders, and the music correspondingly wanders through a great range of keys and rhythms."
The second part of Beethoven's song sets the extravagant death fantasy of the final stanza, in which flowers sprout from poet's grave to express his undying love. Strikingly, Beethoven sets this stanza in tones not of despair but of ecstasy; the tempo marking is allegro molto.
In an essay on this song, Carla Ramsey offers an almost lurid account of the final section:
"A culmination of the yearnings expressed in the earlier part of the song, the Allegro molto might be viewed as a kind of triumphal march in which the young lover exults in a death and a transfiguration whereby he is symbolically united with his beloved... The march crescendos and culminates on F above middle C with an impassioned outcry of the beloved's name. The final eleven measures, marked calandoDynamics (music)In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
, musically portray an almost post-coital relaxation of the exhausted lover into his lover's arms with a dying, prayer-like exhalation: "Adelaide."
Publication and reception
"Adelaïde" was published by ArtariaArtaria
Artaria and company was one of the most important music publishing firms of the late 18th and 19th century. Founded in the 18th century in Vienna, the company is associated with many leading names of the classical era.- History :...
in Vienna, with a dedication to Matthisson. Beethoven was quite late in presenting Matthisson with a copy, fearing the poet would not like it, but in fact Matthisson felt it was the finest of all the settings made of his poem.
Of Beethoven's songs (a minor genre for this composer), "Adelaïde" is one of the most popular, and it is included in most recorded anthologies.
The work was popular in Beethoven's day, and went through many editions, Various composers, including Sigismond Thalberg
Sigismond Thalberg
Sigismond Thalberg was a composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century.- Descent and family background :...
and Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
(who wrote 3 versions, S.466) prepared arrangements of the song for solo piano.
In the nineteenth century, the critic Eduard Hanslick
Eduard Hanslick
Eduard Hanslick was a Bohemian-Austrian music critic.-Biography:Hanslick was born in Prague, the son of Joseph Adolph Hanslick, a bibliographer and music teacher from a German-speaking family, and one of his piano pupils, the daughter of a Jewish merchant from Vienna...
called "Adelaïde" "the only song by Beethoven the loss of which would leave a gap in the emotional life of our nation."