Beethoven's Fifth Symphony: Exploring The Nature Of Genius
Exploring the Nature of Genius
Prof Craig Wright
Paper 5 – Final Draft
Beethoven: A Typology of Genius An exhibition of great mastery of musical composition, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony begins with a four-note motif that commands the audience’s attention, and ends with an exhilarating and triumphant finale that uplifts the audience into euphoria. Such work that transcends pre-existing material in a field and has an enduring impact on society places Beethoven into the hallowed realm of geniuses, individuals who harness their exceptional talents to create masterpieces in their fields of study. Some of the skills geniuses possess are highly specific to certain fields. For instance, painters need a powerful eye-hand coordination to create great paintings while musical composers need a refined aural ability to identify notes and pitches during composition. While this specificity of …show more content…
Ludwig van Beethoven, his grandfather, worked as a bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne and later rose to become the music director. Johann van Beethoven, his father, was employed as a tenor in the same musical establishment but also gave piano and violin lessons to supplement his income (Thorne P.114, 1986). Two generations of musicians indicate that musical talent ran in the family and Beethoven must have inherited this musical ability from his father, thus laying a foundation for his music career. Johann realized early in Beethoven’s life that the young boy was musically gifted, so he designed a regimen of musical exercises for him and enforced the training strictly. By the age of nine, Beethoven had learnt all there was to learn from his father, who then employed a tutor for the boy (Capell P.380, 1938). Hereditary musical talent and early music training strengthened [or were the basis of?] Beethoven’s future success as a
Prof Craig Wright
Paper 5 – Final Draft
Beethoven: A Typology of Genius An exhibition of great mastery of musical composition, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony begins with a four-note motif that commands the audience’s attention, and ends with an exhilarating and triumphant finale that uplifts the audience into euphoria. Such work that transcends pre-existing material in a field and has an enduring impact on society places Beethoven into the hallowed realm of geniuses, individuals who harness their exceptional talents to create masterpieces in their fields of study. Some of the skills geniuses possess are highly specific to certain fields. For instance, painters need a powerful eye-hand coordination to create great paintings while musical composers need a refined aural ability to identify notes and pitches during composition. While this specificity of …show more content…
Ludwig van Beethoven, his grandfather, worked as a bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne and later rose to become the music director. Johann van Beethoven, his father, was employed as a tenor in the same musical establishment but also gave piano and violin lessons to supplement his income (Thorne P.114, 1986). Two generations of musicians indicate that musical talent ran in the family and Beethoven must have inherited this musical ability from his father, thus laying a foundation for his music career. Johann realized early in Beethoven’s life that the young boy was musically gifted, so he designed a regimen of musical exercises for him and enforced the training strictly. By the age of nine, Beethoven had learnt all there was to learn from his father, who then employed a tutor for the boy (Capell P.380, 1938). Hereditary musical talent and early music training strengthened [or were the basis of?] Beethoven’s future success as a