The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience PDF
Preview The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience
The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience This page intentionally left blank The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience DO 00 Kenneth Drake INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS BLOOMINGTON & INDIANAPOLIS Thisbookisapublicationof IndianaUniversityPress 601 NorthMortonStreet Bloomington,IN 47404-3797 USA http://www.indiana.edu/-iupress Telephoneorders 800-842-6796 Faxorders 812-855-7931 Ordersbye-mail [email protected] ©1994byKennethDrake Index©2000byKennethDrake Firstreprintedinpaperbackin2000 All rightsreserved Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformorby anymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopyingand recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,without permissioninwritingfrom thepublisher.TheAssociationofAmerican UniversityPresses' ResolutiononPermissionsconstitutes theonlyexceptiontothisprohibition. Thepaperused inthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof AmericanNationalStandardfor InformationSciences-Permanence ofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSI239.48-1984. ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica LibraryofCongressCataIoging-in-PublicationData Drake,Kenneth,pianist. TheBeethovensonatasand thecreativeexperience/ KennethDrake. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBNG--253-31822-X(cloth) 1. Beethoven,Ludwigvan,1770-1827. Sonatas,piano. 2.Sonatas (Piano)-Analysis,appreciation. 1.Title. MT145·B42D7 1994 786.2'183'092-dc20 93-27719 ISBN0-253-21382-7(paper) 2 3 4 5 6 05 04 03 02 01 00 To Eskil Randolph, the indispensable teacher ofmy youth, who knew the language ofmusic and taught it in so unassuming amanner. This page intentionally left blank 0 CONTENTS 00 PREFACE ix The First Raptus, and All Subsequent Ones The Sounds of Involvement II Technique as Touch 9 III Tempo and the Pacing ofMusical Ideas 33 IV Dynamic Nuance and Musical Line 40 V The Role ofSilence 48 VI Sound as Color 54 The Sonatas VII Descriptive Music: Op. 81a, Op. 13 VIII Motivic Development: Op. 2NO.1, Op. 57, Op. 110 IX Quasi una Fantasia: Op. 27 Nos. 1and 2, Op. 26 113 X Line and Space: Op. 2NO.2, Op. 101 128 XI Movement as Energized Color: Op. 53 144 XII The Moment ofCreation: Op. 28, Op. 31 Nos. 2and 3 159 XIII Facing Two Directions: Op. 49 Nos. 1and 2, Op. 54, Op. 78, Op. 90 191 Contents viii XIV The Enjoyment of Fluency: Op. 10 Nos. 2and 3, Op. 14 No.2, Op. 22, Op. 31 NO.1, Op. 79 211 XV The Cosmopolitan Impostor: Op. 2NO.3, Op. 14 NO.1 239 XVI Embracing the Dachstein: Op. 7, Op. 106 259 XVII A Higher Revelation: Op. 10 NO.1, Op. 109, Op. 111 280 XVIII The Witness Tree 305 NOTES 311 INDEX 317 Preface Itwas an afternoon when Stanley Fletcherfelt the need for a break beforecon tinuingteaching. WewerejoinedbyAlexanderRinger,and theconversationturned tothestudyofappliedmusic. "Thetroublewithyoupeople,"heinveighed,"isthat you teachskillsbutnotwhat makes the music tick." NodoubtMr. Fletcheragreed in the privacy of his mind. Thedesiretobecomea pianistissustainedbydreams, typicallyofstudywitha famous teacher, winninga competition, and playingconcerts. Motivation feeds on examples of ':legendary" performers who play throughout the world to "critical acclaim"-publicrelationsphrasesthatneverwearouthoweveroftentheyarerun through the presses. For this, there is a science of performance to be learned in orderthattechniqueand musicianshipcanbereliablydisplayed. Howelsecanone hope to reach the final round of the competition, or pass the DMA recital, oreven one's recitalapprovalaudition? Asa consequence, the loftiest model to whichone is obliged to aspire becomes the flawless performance on the CD. Theyears pass, and the anticipated rewards for yearsofstudymay not materi alize, leaving a choicebetweenbelieving in a mirage or believing that life, asJose Ech~miz reminded his students, is always more important than playing the piano. Stated another way, it islife-not the competition prizeor the academic degree or rank-thatlendssignificanceto the actofmaking music. Whethera recitalin Alice Tully Hall oran afternoon teaching privately in small-town America, the personal fulfillment ofgivingitaway to howeverfew ormany-thisloveofthelanguageof music-constitutes the real fabric of "culture," and culture, we often forget, is not restricted toageographicallocationbutis takenbythemind whereveritgoes. As I thinkbackonthoseyearsofstudywithMr. Echaniz,hisattitudetowardtheprofes sion permeatesthebasicpremiseofthis writing, that "eachofus isgifted enough" and capable of being the medium for the composer's thought. Understanding the language of music is the skill'for which all the musician's other skills must be cultivated. Growing older, to quote Schumann, one should conversemorefrequently withscoresthanwithvirtuosi.Thelanguageofa Beetho ven sonata is as precise as a legal document; it should not be played without dis cerning its uniqueness any more than a contract should be signed without understanding every clause. To that end, the player'S tools are intuition, intelli gence, and reflexes that respond to shapes in the score like fingertips reading
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