This year marks 250 years since the birth of the composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven in 1770.
To celebrate this anniversary, the Auckland Goethe Society is delighted to present a world renowned Beethoven expert as a guest speaker: Nancy November, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Auckland (MA, PhD, BSc, MMus, BMus (Hons)).
On Monday 20 July, at 6pm, Nancy will talk about "Performing and arranging Beethoven’s ‘Eroica Symphony’ in its first century". The synopsis of Nancy’s talk is described in further detail below.
The talk will take place at via Zoom. To attend, simply click on the following link: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/96935168575
What is the Eroica Symphony? Beethoven composed the Eroica Symphony, also known as Symphony No 3, in 1803–1804. It is one of his most celebrated works, a large-scale composition which marked the beginning of Beethoven's creative middle period. It is an important landmark in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras.
Performing and arranging Beethoven’s ‘Eroica Symphony’ in its first century (1800s)
Beethoven’s symphonies are often considered as works that reside in their complete, original scores, as passed down by Beethoven. There has been a corresponding emphasis on work genesis. Less weight has been placed on how Beethoven’s works were performed or received in their time. The ‘after life’ of these works, in the form of numerous arrangements that circulated widely in the nineteenth century, has generally not been explored in detail.
Reversing this perspective, Nancy’s talk will investigate the reception and performance of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony in the 19th century, considering how varied versions of this work (solo and four-hand piano transcriptions, string quintet and wind band arrangements, etc.) played a crucial role in extending its meanings and audience.
During the early 19th century, musical arrangements were aimed for amateur performance and were an essential and increasingly widespread means by which symphonies, especially those of Beethoven, were disseminated, re-interpreted, and canonised, before the age of the gramophone. Later 19th century arrangements, like the score editions and professional performances of the time, tended to emphasise the score-and-composer-based conception of the work, still current today.