Search - Ludwig van Beethoven :: Beethoven: Folksong Settings [Arrangements de Chants Populaires]

Song Settings Beethoven Took Seriously...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 11/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Citing Dr. L. Lockwood:



"Beethoven initiated an agreement [between 1809-20] with the ambitious Scottish publisher G. Thomson to compose settings of folk songs--Scottish, Irish, English, and, later, Continental songs in many languages, including German, Danish, Tyrolean [Austrian-dialect], Polish, Spanish, Russian, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, and Swiss-dialect.



These compositions add up to a very large body of works, and Beethoven took them much more seriously than later [critics] have realized. Many are of real musical interest.



Most are for solo voice, either soprano or tenor, with full-scale accompaniments for piano trio.



Filled with striking moments, these little pieces show Beethoven working with the special modal and regional inflections of folk song; conceivably, these inflections and odd tonal twists formed part of their attraction for him."

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A fantastic bargin

Dr. J. J. Kregarman | Denver, Colorado United States | 02/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These disks won all kinds of awards when first issued. Elsewhere Amazon is selling the original CDs for $133. They are worth that price. At the price here they are a steal. If you like Beethoven and/or folk songs you will not go wrong. As Gramophone puts it, listening to these lifts the spirits."