Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5, in E flat major, Op. 73,  “Emperor”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0rKfxFguH4

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 17, 1770. He was born into a family of court musicians, and displayed musical talent at a very young age. By age sixteen, Beethoven was in Vienna working with other composers and crafting his style. Throughout his prolific career as a composer, Beethoven experienced three main “periods” in which his works evolved as he matured. The period in which Piano Concerto no. 5 was written is the middle period, also referred to as the “Heroic Period” in Beethoven’s career. This period was largely defined by the fact that Beethoven had affirmed that going deaf was imminent, and his works represented struggle and triumph by composing very large-scale works. 

a.) Piano Concerto no. 5 is his final piano concerto, written around 1809 to 1811. It was composed as a dedication to Archduke Rudolph, who financed Beethoven’s work, and was also a student of Beethoven. It premiered on January 13, 1811 at the Palace of Prince Joseph Lobkowitz in Vienna. This was a private premier, but there was a public performance in Leipzig on November 28, 1811. 

b.) The genre is Piano Concerto. This example is interesting due to the fact that is has such a massive first movement. It is also interesting that the first movement begins with a piano cadenza, rather than ending with the cadenza which would be more traditional. Movement one lasts about twenty minutes, which is roughly half of the entire piece. In addition, the coda in movement one is exceptionally long, which was another one of Beethoven’s unique and innovative methods. 

c.) The form is a three movement concerto, although some have claimed it is almost symphonic due to its grand size and scale. The large first movement (Allegro), opening with a cadenza and closing with a very long coda, are the immediately unusual aspects of this concerto. The second movement (Adagio) is much softer and quieter, which is rather typical of compositions like this one. Adagio lasts about ten minutes, before immediately transitioning into movement three (Rondo). Also lasting about ten minutes, rondo shuffles through several different themes before concluding triumphantly, but abruptly. 

d.) This piece seems to fall somewhere in between Classical and Romantic, but contains attributes from both eras. The general form and style adheres to many Classical characteristics, but Beethoven was innovative and exercised his creativity. Once again, movement one breaks the traditional mold by beginning with a cadenza and containing such a large coda. In general, it seems to have a more Classical style, but would not be considered entirely traditional.

Sources:

Taruskin, Richard, and Christopher Howard. Gibbs. The Oxford history of Western music. New York: Oxford U Press, 2013. Print.

"Classy Classical." Classy Classical: Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major "Emperor", Op. 73. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Automatisering, Roffel. "Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor': description -- Classic Cat." Classic Cat - the free classical music directory. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.