Evening star., 1947-11-23
Symphony Program Notes
Bach, Brahms Works Once Unpopular;
Towering Genius of Beethoven Analyzed

f Beethoven Analyzed
this. and that constitutes part OF his
greatness.
Ideals of Freedom and LOVE-.
Beethoven's ideals were the ideals
Of the best ones Of all times and
zones, and which q part Of our
world of today, alas, has 50 despica-
bly, trodden under foot. His was the
desire for freedom. for redemption
Of human failings and weakness
through love, for the fraternity
among peoples and nations. Liberty,
equality, fraternity. Beethoven is
a direct result In art Of 1893. He is
the first great democrat in music.
He wanted music to be serious, and
life to be happy and beautiful, and
this makes his work often full of
rebellion and anger, because life,
alas, is not happy and beautiful.
With fine longing for this realiza-
ton, he again and again starts
from the premises OF suffering. an
CRY and rebellious: "Oh, friends,
not these tones!", etc.
Sometimes when We look at his
work from a purely artistic stand
point we are slightly disappointed.
and even a bit bored by this eternal
pride, by this constant desire to
resolve misery into joy-often with
a hard -headedness which makes us
believe that although the heart was
in the right place. the head,
sometimes does not seem corre-
spondingly disciplined. This may
sound like heresy, because since a
hundred years any argument about
Beethoven Is considered heresy.
But 1t may be well at times to ap-
proach even one as great as
Beethoven in a spirit of respectful
criticism If only so as to succeed in
a more conscious admiration Of his
greatness.
We then begin to understand
Goethe's objections to some of
Beethoven's work, objections which
are often mentioned to Goethe's
disparagement, and which, especial
ly If we consider Goethe's amazing
understanding Of such men rs
Mozart, and Of Goethe's greatness
in general, should on the contrary
make us pause and think. OF course
we must not forget on the other
hand that Goethe judged Beethoven
only from those works which he
heard.
It is doubtful whether this knowl-
edge included Beethovens greatest
works, the ones which he wrote to-
ward the end of his life, especially
the last of his piano sonatas, the
D major cello-sonata, and the
string quartets Of the final period.
In those Beethoven achieved a
spiritual release such as few artists
have been able to accomplish. For
in these he succeeded in purifying
and resolving his human problems
in the flame of his art, and by &C
complishing this he approached di-
vinity. He combines here the great
ness OF Bach at his best with the
added quality of purely human
element, transf1gured until his ut
terings become of q superhuman,
nonmaterial, liberated quality, 50
powerful, so irresistible In their
poignancy that they evoke in any
sensitive listener a reverent reac-
ton, an undying gratitude for hav-
ing been allowed to listen to these
utterances Of the very greatest Of
all our creators.
Sincerity Beyond Measure.
In different other ways some OF
Beethoven's predecessors have been
greater, although this has been de-
MED by the too fervent adulators Of
his undoubted eminence.. Today,
from a point Of view further re-
moved, we, can without fear of inn
mediate damnation conclude that
Bach's harmony, for instance, is
bolder and richer, that Mozart's Or
chestra is more transparent, that
Haydn's quartet form Is purer.
Beethoven's very greatness, his in
tensity. his "furor Teutonicus" made
him often grasp beyond that which
even the gifts of genius could
achieve. 80
But when we have said this, when
we are all through weighing and
measuring, there is still one quality
in his work which ever and again
sweeps away all arguments, and this
Is the quality for which be deserves
to be regarded, even with his faults,
as the giant he remains. That
quality was his constant and IA
natic sincerity. For his humanity
and for this fanatic sincerity, which
showed constantly in every possible
instance, does he take the place
which not only the artists, but the
whole Of humanity has given him.
and before which any human being
worthy of the name will always
bow the knee,