"Allegro con brio!"

[George K]

The thread about the Moonlight Sonata led me to find that conductor who talks about the opening bars of Op. 67.

Two wives ago, I heard a recording of it with Pierre Boulez. I remember thinking, "God, this is ... different." A while ago, I thought I'd give it another listen. Searches on Spotify, Apple Music, and other places were fruitless.

Today, I found it.

Link to video

[Mik]

It is different. Not quite as..percussive. I like it.

[Horace]

Two wives ago? I thought you were on #2. I feel like I'm losing touch with TNCR. Sad. I'm still not over TG telling me she's an American citizen.

[George K]

@Horace said in "Allegro con brio!":

Two wives ago? I thought you were on #2.

Still am...but I thought I'd point out how long ago it was.

I was in college.

I'm still not over TG telling me she's an American citizen.

Neat, eh?

[George K]

@Mik said in "Allegro con brio!":

It is different. Not quite as..percussive. I like it.

Beethoven's metronome marking is 108 to the measure.

[Horace]

@George-K said in "Allegro con brio!":

@Horace said in "Allegro con brio!":

I'm still not over TG telling me she's an American citizen.

Neat, eh?

Another solid Trump vote. Hopefully she lives in a swing state.

[Axtremus]

@George-K said in "Allegro con brio!":

Beethoven's metronome marking is 108 to the measure.

There is some controversy about how accurate the metronomes were in Beethoven’s time. :man-shrugging:

[George K]

@Axtremus said in "Allegro con brio!":

@George-K said in "Allegro con brio!":

Beethoven's metronome marking is 108 to the measure.

There is some controversy about how accurate the metronomes were in Beethoven’s time. :man-shrugging:

Yes. I believe some were added by Czerny (?). Others might have been added by his editors/publishers. I also think I've read that Beethoven added some after his works were published.

[Mik]

@George-K said in "Allegro con brio!":

@Mik said in "Allegro con brio!":

It is different. Not quite as..percussive. I like it.

Beethoven's metronome marking is 108 to the measure.

I'm not sure it's as much a matter of time as expression. But then I was never great at keeping time anyway.

[George K]

@Axtremus said in "Allegro con brio!":

@George-K said in "Allegro con brio!":

Beethoven's metronome marking is 108 to the measure.

There is some controversy about how accurate the metronomes were in Beethoven’s time. :man-shrugging:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/was-beethovens-metronome-wrong-9140958/

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...music historian Peter Stadlen has actually located Beethoven’s metronome. But the heavy weight was gone so he couldn’t test its operation. Which brings us to the mathematicians on this paper. They looked at the mechanical properties of the double pendulum metronome, to figure out which parts alter the device’s performance the most.

What they found, in looking into the history of metronomes, the mathematics of their behavior and the music of Beethoven is that the master’s metronome was probably not working so well:

How could Beethoven not note the occasional odd behavior of his metronome? A thorough account by Peter Stadlen gives the impression that the master was not entirely comfortable with the new device, most especially in the process of converting from beat frequencies to actual tempi markings for half-notes, quarter-notes, etc. Obviously, it would be very helpful if we knew more about the actual design of his metronome(s). We suggest that one or more of the devices could have been damaged, perhaps accidentally during one of his well-known violent temper tantrums. Whatever the case, our mathematical analysis shows that a damaged double pendulum metronome could indeed yield tempi consistent with Beethoven’s markings.

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I should add that, regardless of how accurate LvB's metronome markings are, or for that matter how accurately his metronome kept time, "Allegro con brio" means pretty quick.

[taiwan_girl]

@Horace 555