Beethoven wrong key

[ski]

BTW, a study or analysis of dance music and EDM done with the usual kind of analysis applied to classical music would reveal a tremendous amount of chromaticism, atonality, and modality (everything from arabic modes to church modes akin to Gregorian chant). But when it comes to atonality, that term doesn't imply that "anything goes". Not all atonality is good sounding atonality. Sometimes putting an acapella in one key against a music track in another is simply going to sound wrong, bad, amateur. Done well, it can be stunning.

A good example of "sticking to the notes of a 'key'", in a manner of speaking, is the aforementioned Gregorian chant. This kind of music was based on modal writing, where each mode (of which there were as many as 12 at one time -- "church modes") were structured with very specific series of intervals between notes. A composer in those times would choose a mode for the type of piece he was writing and never strayed from the notes dictated for that mode.

You can easily experiment with the difference between modal writing and more contemporary writing. On the keyboard, play a simple scale starting on D3 and going up to D4, playing ONLY the white notes (this is referred to as a scale in the Dorian mode in modern parlance; I forget the name of this mode as it referred to the church modes). Anyway... improvise a melody using ONLY those white notes. As you play, you might feel an urge to sometimes play Bb instead of B-natural. But a medieval composer writing in that mode would never be allowed to use Bb.

So that's an example of playing "in key" (though technically it's playing in a mode) and not being allowed to stray from those notes because of the musical convention of those times. However, chromaticism entered into the western musical lexicon in medieval secular music, and blew the doors off the expressive limitations imposed by modal writing. So the idea of playing "outside the key" is really, really old. Lots of medieval secular music changes key centers on a dime with truly wild abandon. I mention this to put perspective on how this idea of "sticking to the notes in the key" is a VERY old (and in many ways, outdated) concept in western music; but for some reason, people analyzing classical music will continue to look at notes "outside the key" as curiosities and write dissertations on them.

[Rev. Juda$ Sleaze]

Yeah, Beethoven used some pretty jazzy chords too. I remember reading that his scores called for most of his pieces to be played at breakneck speed, but modern conductors and scholars think it sounds better played more slowly.

[furrytoes]

Yes, I think it's fair to say that Beethoven was part of a gradual transition to music with more colorful chords (romanticism).
One of my favorite/funny things, that I sort of admire about Beethoven, is this from Wikipedia "He stopped performing at the piano if the audience chatted amongst themselves"

[jordito]

One of my favorite/funny things, that I sort of admire about Beethoven, is this from Wikipedia "He stopped performing at the piano if the audience chatted amongst themselves"

Hehehe....if he were alive today, he'd never perform in Spain.

J.

[shivermetimbers]

One of my favorite/funny things, that I sort of admire about Beethoven, is this from Wikipedia "He stopped performing at the piano if the audience chatted amongst themselves"

Hehehe....if he were alive today, he'd never perform in Spain.

J.

I doubt he would perform anywhere. He went deaf. Besides, he would be too old to do anything but sleep.

"...Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music; occasionally he is referred to as one of the "four Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms, and The Beatles)."

[Rev. Juda$ Sleaze]

"...Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music; occasionally he is referred to as one of the "four Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms, and The Beatles)."

Ugh, how did Brahms and The Beatles get on that list?

[Eriksimon]

"...Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music; occasionally he is referred to as one of the "four Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms, and The Beatles)."

Ugh, how did Brahms and The Beatles get on that list?

I have two replacement B's for you: Burt Bacharach.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2236012135/

Listening to it just now I was reminded again that Stevie also is an (and I don't use that word lightly) awesome harmonica player, with a signature style.

[shivermetimbers]

"...Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music; occasionally he is referred to as one of the "four Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms, and The Beatles)."

Ugh, how did Brahms and The Beatles get on that list?

I have two replacement B's for you: Burt Bacharach.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2236012135/

Listening to it just now I was reminded again that Stevie also is an (and I don't use that word lightly) awesome harmonica player, with a signature style.

Well then let's just add Barry !!!

[ski]

How about Barbara?

[rainstick]

barb.png (561.08 KiB) Viewed 1025 times

[ski]

Barbara, as in Streisand?!!!!?!!!?!?!?!?!

[shivermetimbers]

... Or Bieber.

[EricBradley]

Barbara, as in Streisand?!!!!?!!!?!?!?!?!

Send in the clowns...

[ski]

Eric,

Don't bother, they're here.

[EricBradley]

Eric,

Don't bother, they're here.

It

[Beer Moth]

Bollacks!

[Rev. Juda$ Sleaze]

Ah, at last, the voice of reason.

[Beer Moth]

Where's the f$@%ing 'Like' button?

[David]

Bollacks!

HE'S BACK!!! FINALLY!

Good to see you around Beer Moth.

[Beer Moth]

Ooh! We have automatic %#$@iing assortments now!
I used to hate having to type those in....
xxx
Hugs and s#!+...