Bagatelles, Opus 126 (Beethoven)
Encyclopedia
Ludwig van Beethoven
's Bagatelles, Op. 126, dedicated to his brother Johann van Beethoven, were published late in his career, in the year 1825. A bagatelle
, in Beethoven's usage, is a kind of brief character piece.
Beethoven wrote his publisher Schott
that the Opus 126 Bagatelles "are probably the best I've written."
The set comprises six short works, as follows:
In prefatory remarks to his edition of the works, Otto von Irmer notes that Beethoven meant the six bagatelles to be played in order as a single work, as least insofar as this can be inferred from a marginal annotation Beethoven made in the manuscript: "Ciclus von Kleinigkeiten" (cycle of little pieces). Lewis Lockwood
suggests another reason to regard the work as a unity rather than a collection: starting with the second Bagatelle, the keys of the pieces fall in a regular succession of descending major third
s, a pattern Lockwood also notices in Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony
and the String Quartet, Op. 127
.
Maurice J. E. Brown, writing in the Grove Dictionary, says of the Bagatelles that they "are thoroughly typical of their composer and show affinities with the greater instrumental works written at the same time." Some possible such affinities are as follows: #1 shares the terse, elliptical expression of the first movement of the Piano Sonata Opus 101
; #3 shares the style of elaborate, high-register elaboration of a slow melody in triple time, seen in the slow movement of the "Hammerklavier
" Sonata Opus 106; and the final Bagatelle opens with a chaotic passage reminiscent of the opening of the finale of the Ninth Symphony
.
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...
's Bagatelles, Op. 126, dedicated to his brother Johann van Beethoven, were published late in his career, in the year 1825. A bagatelle
Bagatelle (music)
A bagatelle is a short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character. The name bagatelle literally means a "trifle", as a reference to the innocent character of the piece.-Earliest known bagatelle:...
, in Beethoven's usage, is a kind of brief character piece.
Beethoven wrote his publisher Schott
Schott
- People :People with the surname Schott:* Basil Schott, Byzantine Catholic archbishop* Ben Schott, author of Schott's Miscellanies & Schott's Almanac* Charles Anthony Schott, a German scientist* Cécile Schott, the real name of electronic musician Colleen....
that the Opus 126 Bagatelles "are probably the best I've written."
The set comprises six short works, as follows:
- Andante con moto, Cantabile compiacevole, G major, 3/4 time
- Allegro, G minor, 2/4
- Andante, Cantabile e grazioso, E flat major, 3/4
- Presto, B minor, cut time
- Quasi allegretto, G major, 6/8
- Presto, cut time then Andante amabile e con moto, 3/8. E flat major
In prefatory remarks to his edition of the works, Otto von Irmer notes that Beethoven meant the six bagatelles to be played in order as a single work, as least insofar as this can be inferred from a marginal annotation Beethoven made in the manuscript: "Ciclus von Kleinigkeiten" (cycle of little pieces). Lewis Lockwood
Lewis Lockwood
Lewis H. Lockwood is an American musicologist.He taught at Princeton University from 1958 to 1980, and at Harvard University from 1980 to 2002. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Scholar at Boston University and the Fanny Peabody Research Professor of Music, Emeritus, at Harvard...
suggests another reason to regard the work as a unity rather than a collection: starting with the second Bagatelle, the keys of the pieces fall in a regular succession of descending major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
s, a pattern Lockwood also notices in Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major , also known as the Eroica , is a landmark musical work marking the full arrival of the composer's "middle-period," a series of unprecedented large scale works of emotional depth and structural rigor.The symphony is widely regarded as a mature...
and the String Quartet, Op. 127
String Quartet No. 12 (Beethoven)
The String Quartet No. 12 in E major, op. 127, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was completed in 1825. It is the first of Beethoven's late quartets. There are four movements:#Maestoso — Allegro#Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile#Scherzando vivace...
.
Maurice J. E. Brown, writing in the Grove Dictionary, says of the Bagatelles that they "are thoroughly typical of their composer and show affinities with the greater instrumental works written at the same time." Some possible such affinities are as follows: #1 shares the terse, elliptical expression of the first movement of the Piano Sonata Opus 101
Piano Sonata No. 28 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101, was written in 1816 and was dedicated to the pianist Baroness Dorothea Ertmann. This piano sonata runs for about 20 minutes and consists of four movements:...
; #3 shares the style of elaborate, high-register elaboration of a slow melody in triple time, seen in the slow movement of the "Hammerklavier
Piano Sonata No. 29 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 is a piano sonata widely considered to be one of the most important works of the composer's third period and among one of the great piano sonatas...
" Sonata Opus 106; and the final Bagatelle opens with a chaotic passage reminiscent of the opening of the finale of the Ninth Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
.
See also
- Bagatelles, Op. 33
- Bagatelles, Op. 119
External links
- A visual analysis of the Bagatelles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWIZgb6z3kc