Beethoven’s Novel Composition Technique Explained

The difference between Beethoven’s work and an actor’s monologue is in the notated execution (i.e. interpretation) of content. The monologue is delivered to an actor largely devoid of interpretation and remarks for an actor to utilize in a performance context. Not so with Beethoven’s work. In the case of Beethoven, the “speech-like” elements are clearly notated. Pacing, silences, dynamics, speed of delivery (faster and slower) are, for the most part, left to the actor to develop and apply in preparation for live performance. Also included in an actor’s preparation is “pitch”. Human speech outlines tones in the rise and fall of delivery; as we speak the “tone” of our speech rises and falls for effect and expression. These “tones” are not actual notes as in the setting of text to music to be sung, but form outlines of speech from these inflections. Combine these pitch fluctuations with the other elements and what comes out is a performance.

Much has been made of the work of Leonard Bernstein in the Norton Lectures (all of which are available on YouTube), particularly with respect to his focus on Noam Chomsky. Chomsky honed in on linguistics, syntax, and the parallels of grammar in speech as applied to the formulation of musical phrases. Chomsky looked carefully at a finite set of rules that can account for all grammatically correct linguistic transformations. Bernstein followed suit, and both of them were right. These lectures and related writings served as a launching point for all sorts of scholarly articles in application of these concepts to the way we look at and listen to music.

Certainly we are all indebted to Bernstein and Chomsky for their contribution to the understanding of music through the recognition and study of syntax, linguistics and musical grammar for listeners. But does it explain composition technique to the next generation of composers? Does it go to the next step of providing guidance to composers on “how” to do it? I don’t think so.

The Path Of Compositional Development

Beethoven and Mozart when young boys both studied composition with Joseph Haydn, the inventor of modern compositional technique as we know it today. Their early works are often indistinguishable from Haydn’s late works. Yet both grew to expand composition technique in quite different ways.

These young genuises did not study the techniques of harmonic language and counterpoint with Haydn. They learned the advanced techniques of musical composition. Harmonic techniques and composition techniques are not the same, each comprising a distinct and separate body of knowledge. The harmonic language selected by composers in their work has little to with the application of genetically embedded universal grammar (i.e. “composition technique”). Choice and application of a harmonic scheme does not result in music that moves the listener.

In the case of Beethoven, he explored the adoption of speech and emotive expression, similar in some ways to the manner that an actor would perform a monologue onstage. There are short ideas, fits and starts, pauses, silences, all weaved together in a cohesive experience that together, feel as if the music is speaking, and along an inevitable path from beginning to end. His early experiments in this area began to emerge during his middle period, and then flourished in his late works as he discovered new and expanded ways of music expression.

The Other Worldly Experience

Beethoven’s compositional development continued through his late works. “His musical language is becoming highly concentrated and abstract, relying on one hand on cantabile and declamatory recitatives — essentially basic forms of vocal expression — as the fundamental level of human communications.” (Mysteries of the Late Beethoven by Georg Predota, May 2013, https://interlude.hk/mysteries-of-the-late-beethoven/). The use of vocal (i.e. spoken) expression as applied to the craft of musical expression is achieved by a kind of exaggeration, or caricature, where the emotions carried from ordinary speech are elongated, attenuated, and otherwise manipulated to give rise to a new form of musical expression recognizable by humans in the context of musical sound and structure.

This type of musical expression transcends the need for actual spoken language in music; these are, in effect, “songs without words”. The technique prompts the listener to feel the effects of a story that is not actually there. The actor as singer is on the stage delivering a monologue with a full range of expression, but there are no words, only musical sounds. It is as if one begins with language that is delivered along with the music, then the language is removed and only the music and its emotional impact remains, hence the “other worldly experience”.

More Than Just The Right Next Note

The Principle of Musical Inevitability, the Holy Grail for composers, is the ability to compose music that when heard by listeners impresses as a series of perfect choices from beginning to end. From the initial idea to the final note, this is a “wrap around” technique for which each traditional composition technique constitutes the grammatical and syntactical tools for the language of music, then applied to improvisations in an organized way until the achievement of a completed composition. Great composers hear music and make choices based upon their best perception of the human experience and how we hear music – vertically (a moment in time), linearly (moving forward), and contextually retrospective (current sounds in relationship to what has been heard previously).

It is universally accepted that the music of Mozart achieves the goals as set forth in The Principle of Musical Inevitability. Mozart’s work often sounds perfectly designed, from beginning to end. In the case of Beethoven, particularly as his life and compositional development unfolded, we have a very different experience. Certainly one has the feeling of “inevitability” in the first movement of the Fifth Symphony, but Beethoven’s work in the middle and late periods adds this new dimension of exaggerated vocal expression as an independent body of compositional technique. We have, in a sense, an actor’s delivered monologue inclusive of a wide range of emotional expression in one work, yet without words.

Guidance to Composers on “How” to do it

Clearly there are no shortcuts for composers that wish to apply Beethoven’s extended composition technique Beyond Syntax to their own work. I recommend a path that relies on precedent, the road first traveled by Beethoven, and then the same by others who also accessed this set of compositional techniques so effectively. This small group of composers include Brahms, Stravinsky, Bartok and Britten. The steps are the following:

1. Gather and internalize complete musicianship skills at the highest level. These include harmony, counterpoint, and other auditory skills. Click here for more information on the differences between Composition Techniques and Harmonic Techniques.
2. Study and practice the compositional techniques developed by Haydn and passed down to generations of the current day.
3. As you develop a solid and fluent set of skills and techniques noted above, start experimenting with an extended expressive language that expands from the base of knowledge and skills and goes further. Avoid the temptation to set aside fundamentals. This is a building process and if you skip a step your music will stumble.

Where Would We Be Without Beethoven?

That’s hard to say. Great composers in the world since the time of Beethoven drew much from the study of his work and compositional advancement. Would Bartok’s six string quartets sound the same were it not for his study of Beethoven’s late string quartets? We will never know the answer. But what we do know is the effect on the music of the world composed since Beethoven’s time and the advancement of the human expression in music that he gifted us all.

For these great gifts we are grateful.

About Steve Lebetkin

Steve Lebetkin is an American composer and musical descendant of the late Jewish composer Karol Rathaus, a leading early 20th century film and classical composer that emigrated to America during the Third Reich. 

Rathaus, a student of Franz Schreker, was a major influence on the three major American composers with whom Lebetkin studied – Gabriel Fontrier, Sol Berkowitz, and Leo Kraft. He also studied composition with Hugo Weisgal.

Lebetkin carries the torch of a great European musical composition tradition whose roots go back to Haydn. He is a leading advocate in his works and public presentations to distinguish between harmonic languages and compositional technique, regardless of style, venue, or era.

Contact Steve Lebetkin at stringsandbrass@gmail.com

Part 2 – SET BOUNDARIES IN ORDER TO BUILD COMPOSITION SKILLS

Many young composers begin the process with the search for new ideas. Some call it the search for inspiration. A composer I know well jokingly refers to this as “panning for gold”. If this is the only way you choose to write, then you will head into the unavoidable brick wall of writer’s block.

Try another way. Start with form, or designated structure, and stick with it. If you haven’t brought this type of discipline into your workflow, it might be difficult in the beginning stages. But stick with it, you will be much better off long term, and so will your compositions, which will be filled with wonderous inspiration!

ASK FOR HELP

So you’ve graduated, have a DAW, samples and ready to conquer the world. If Aaron Copland thought that way he never would have gone to Paris to study with Boulanger, nor the hundreds of other graduate composers worldwide that followed. None of these composers were ashamed to continue learning their craft – nor should you be.

Some Of The Merits Of Setting Boundaries

Many young composers begin the process with the search for new ideas. Some call it the search for inspiration. A composer I know well jokingly refers to this as “panning for gold”. If this is the only way you choose to write, then you will head into the unavoidable brick wall of writer’s block.

Try another way. Start with form, or designated structure, and stick with it. If you haven’t brought this type of discipline into your workflow, it might be difficult in the beginning stages. But stick with it, you will be much better off long term, and so will your compositions, which will be filled with wonderous inspiration!

Some Of The Merits Of Setting Boundaries:

1. Do As Much As You Can With As Little As You Can There are so many ways one can work a small amount of musical material such that there is almost no opportunity to get stuck in the middle of a new composition. When you learn and implement these techniques, the issue for you will not be a lack of new ideas, but which of the many variants will be the best choice at each juncture in your music.
2. Inspiration Is Not That Big Of A Deal Let’s face it, there are only twelve notes, and there isn’t much new under the sun. However, when applying craft to even the simplest and most benign of ideas and your composition unfolds, many benign ideas emerge with a very different character and impact on the human experience and the joy of listening.
3. The Two Types Of Variations Most musicians know what is meant by writing a set of variations. Simply described, one takes a tune that has two parts to it, then composes a series of stand alone “mood pieces” that change the feel and character of the tune. This is very effective, and a great way for composers to build skills within a set of boundaries. However, there is another and far deeper way to approach a set of variations. Instead of varying the tune, one lifts the tune off of the underlying musical and harmonic structure, like taking the body off of a car to expose the chassis. Then the composer re-engineers the underlying structure. This is a much more advanced approach, and that requires a far greater sense of discipline and applied technique. Take a close look at the Bach Goldberg Variations, and you will see what I mean. You might also look at my own Variations for Orchestra that is the contemporary version of this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdjFZ-w_WbM&t=7s
4. Build (or re-build) Technique From The Ground Up In the series I solution, the suggestion is to compose shorter pieces. Taking this a bit further, I recommend focusing on a limited amount of techniques. There are many examples and applications. Say you wanted to learn counterpoint. First write a two part invention (or a few of them!). Then three voice fugues, and onward to four voice fugues. Now go back and do it all again, but this time in the styles of Bartok, or Hindemith, or Britten. Writing in Baroque style of Bach or romantic pieces in the style of Chopin or Grieg is fine for study, but it will not help you one bit in the development of your own voice, or capture audience interest. Be yourself, because everyone else is taken….
5. It Feels Great When You Have Built A Work That’s Beautifully Crafted Composing well is hard work, and when you have paid attention to detail and craftsmanship from which inspiration emerges, it is a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. If you have really done it, and not just slopped something together for your own self-grandizement, you will know it on a deeper level. Audiences and listeners will reward you and respond with appropriate recognition of your achievements.

Brahms’ First Symphony In His 40’s!

So let’s see, it took Brahms all that time to compose his first symphony. Or did it really? The truth be know, he threw out a bunch of “first” symphonies before the one we know as the Brahms Symphony No.1. This process takes time, and study, and lots of patience. Again, don’t be afraid to ask for help. All the great composers did, and you will not be the exception. There are reasons why the late works of great composers have special meanings and effect on listeners, but remember, late works are preceded by early works, then middle period. Lots of great music along the way, but not all of it.

From beginners to the most advanced professionals in media, commercial and academia, this universal problem invites any number of composition techniques and solutions to raise the level of your compositions, bringing joy to you and your targeted listening audiences.

Solution I – Write shorter compositions

First, why this happens in the first place. Your excited! I’m composing and creating! How wonderful! I have so many ideas I don’t want the rules to get in the way of my creative juices! So, I will go on, and on, and on until ALL of my ideas are out there for the world to here and revere! All in ONE piece!

Well, the people that will buy into this (aside from you, of course) are your loyal and supportive friends and family. If that is the limit of the scope you wish to achieve, then save yourself the trouble of reading the remainder of this narrative. It will do nothing for you other than frustrate you further. However, if you wish to learn and expand your horizons, keep reading.

The Merits of Writing Shorter Compositions

I An Easy Solution. The first and most obvious way to handle the problem of too many ideas is to compose shorter compositions. You will run out of space and time, so all of these excess ideas will become material for other new and glorious compositions!

II Discipline and creative freedom. Think about the game of basketball. The court is shaped like a large rectangle. The players must work within the bounderies, or a foul is called. Imagine a basketball game without boundaries. Players could dribble the ball for several miles before coming back to shoot the ball. By the time they return, the audience would be gone. Do professional basketball players feel restricted from creatively developing coordinated strategies and plays to win? Not as all. Nor should you when claiming that rules are meant to be broken and not stand in the way of your creative freedom of expression. This is rubbish, and frankly a sign of immaturity.

III Space and breathing. Not you, silly, but your listeners. Writing music means having empathic feeling towards your listeners. They need space, and time to breath, to absorb the wonder and beauty of your incredible musical ideas. Like a fine wine, sip it, enjoy it, let it (and you) and your audience) breath, then move on to the next sip. Future articles will focus on what to do compositionally to create space and breath and to avoid jumping in with something new. There are solutions for breathing and creating space. Stay “tuned”…..

IV. Wonderful jewels. Go listen to the Chopin Preludes for piano. Short, very short. Each with a limited amount of musical material. Was Chopin lesser of a composer because of this? Hardly. In fact, the majority of his compositions were short pieces – few were lengthy. Not a single symphony!

V. Less is More. One of the great challenges in the creation of musical compositions is to do as much as you can with as little as you can. The ideas themselves are actually quite easy to come by. The goal is to do as much as you can with as little as you can. Composition techniques for manipulation and development of musical ideas and then applied in creative ways are really what this is all about, not the raw material.

VI. Long pieces are short pieces weaved together. It takes many years before composers are ready to write long works. In fact, in most instances it isn’t necessary. One of the great and increasing failings of media music (film scores) is the lack of attention to the integration of cues across time horizons towards the goal of creating a successful film score. Whether in sections for a suite, an album of songs, music cues for a film, the attention to detail for short cues and then their integration across time periods is what makes a score successful or an abject failure. In the world of media, few of the composers really understand this (and of course film directors), and the primary reason that media scores don’t hold together.

Well, that’s it for now. There are more issues that relate to this, but this is a good start.