| Choral Fantasy Beethoven |
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BACKGROUND, COMPOSITION, AND RECEPTION Beethoven conceived the Choral Fantasy as a finale for a concert at the Theater An Der Wien on December 22 , 1808 , which featured the premieres of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and his Piano Concerto No. 4 . He wrote the piece during the second half of December, an unusually short time by his standards. The German lyrics to the choral part of the piece were commissioned from poet Christopher Kuffner, shortly before the performance, to fit the already written parts. The premiere performance seemed to be somewhat disastrous; according to the composer's secretary, Anton Felix Schindler , it "simply fell apart," a result most likely attributed to inadequate rehearsal time. Nevertheless, in marking Beethoven's first complete attempt to marry instrumental with choral music, the Fantasy became an early precursor to his revolutionary Ninth Symphony , which he would complete sixteen years later in 1824. Moreover, the themes are very similar:
FORM The Choral Fantasy, which in most performances lasts about twenty minutes, is divided into seven sections:
The Fantasy opens with a slow but virtuosic 26-bar piano introduction, modulating from C minor to C major and back again. The main part of the piece, marked "Finale", begins with an Allegro theme played by the Cello s and Basses . Next, the solo piano introduces the choral theme in an ornamented version. Variations on the theme are then played by the flutes, oboes, clarinets, and string soloists, respectively. A full orchestral version of the theme, played at a '' Forte '' dynamic leads into a more lyrical piano line. The orchestra accompanies an eighth-note heavy piano part as the piece modulates from C minor to C major. A calm, flowing A-major section, ending with a call-and-response section between double reeds, horn, and piano, leads into the ''Marcia'', an F-major variation on the main theme in march style. A reprise of the instrumental theme from the first ''Allegro'' transitions into the choral entrance. The chorus enters with the sopranos and altos singing the main theme, harmonized in triads. The tenors and basses then sing the theme, after which the entire chorus is joined by the orchestra in a ''tutti'' rendition. A ''presto'' coda with orchestra, chorus, and piano brings the piece to a close. TEXT The work's text is as follows: THE CHORAL FANTASY AND BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY The Choral Fantasy is similar in many ways to the fourth movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 , completed in 1824. Both works feature a chorus, and both also contain a set of instrumental variations on the theme sung by the chorus. In addition, the lyrics for both are joyous and uplifting, and the main melody in both are remarkably similar. EXTERNAL LINKS
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