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Beethoven 1803 cont'd.....

A subsequent fallout between the two men led to Beethovens dedicating the work to an undeserving Kreutzer who promptly declared it unmusical and never played it. Conflicting accounts base the fallout on musical disagreements or arguments over a woman. Perhaps we'll never know what the reason was though it is entertaining to imagine the musical discussions the two might have had, particularly as the composition was being finished only as they prepared for the premiere performance.    Maybe it is time that the work reverts to the title of Sonata Mulattica, the title that appears on Beethovens original autograph copy of the work.

Leaping ahead a century we have another landmark premiere in 1903, also in Vienna and that is Schoenberg's wonderful Verklarte Nacht. It challenged the ears of the day and  took some time before being accepted as the masterpiece that it is. Another composer who had trouble with violinists of his time was Charles Ives who began his 2nd Sonata for violin and piano also in 1903. A German violinist hired for the premiere declared the piece to be unmusical.

A century later John Oswald premieres his latest composition, Spinvolver, in Berlin in February 2003. Oswald is a composer who has consistently challenged listeners through his approach  to source material and the methodology in which he conveys his concepts to the problematic intermediary, the musicians. His composition preLieu, an abstraction of the danza tedesca movement of Beethoven's Quartet in B-flat minor, was performed and recorded by the Kronos Quartet.

The early years of centuries have given rise to music of importance. 

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  Who was the man that premiered Beethoven's Sonata Mulattica Op 47 with Ludwig himself at the piano. A consideration of George Bridgetower by JK ...................>>