Beethoven must have felt torn. At the dawn of the nineteenth century, his life was increasingly dominated by his progressive hearing loss; everyday matters became a challenge, and the fear of having to say goodbye to the world of sound became more and more real. Seeking consolation, the composer turned to mundane affairs, but also to philosophy. This had an impact not only on his worldview, but also on his music. At times, it became a direct reflection of Enlightenment ideas, reconciling human nature and higher morality. Where can such traces be found in his works? Well, in the changing tonalities, for example, the dynamic contrasts and the moods, which can veer into the greatest extremes, but ultimately find balance and, in the finale, even rise in positive triumph.
Experiencing a deep crisis, Beethoven found solace in composing, as he confirms in his so-called ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’ – a letter to his brothers in which he confesses that only art prevents him from ‘ending his life’. He reveals bitterness and powerlessness, but also the will to overcome it. He wants to triumph over his tragic fate – even if only through music.
His stay at the Heiligenstadt spa, which was supposed to strengthen Beethoven physically and mentally, but ended with him writing his will, was also the time when he composed his Symphony No. 2 – an tremendously joyful, brilliant and energetic work. On closer inspection, however, we can hear that the fast passages conceal mood swings. If we consider this work a testimony of the times, Beethoven certainly evades his wretched fate.
Perhaps it was also because of his illness that the composer so accurately captured the essence of Egmont, Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s tragedy, which he illustrated in music? For Beethoven, struggling with circumstances beyond his control, is the figure of a rebel who ends his life in the name of dignity and ultimately triumphs not a familiar one? Although the music for the entire play has not stood the test of time, the overture itself resounds with drama and the affirmation of freedom. The Romantic era – and with it, highly evocative storytelling through sounds – was yet to come, but even here, music does not seem to be just music.
Piotr Mika (Ruch Muzyczny)
