Analyzing Beethoven's Late Style: Adorno's Legacy and Modern Perspectives

Notes on Beethoven's Late Style: An Analytical Perspective

Author: Michael Spitzer

DOI: 10.1093acprof:oso9780198704621.003.0013https:doi.org10.1093acprof:oso9780198704621.003.0013

Abstract

This chapter explores why and how Beethoven's late style has been a comprehing late styles across disciplines, particularly in musicology. It illuminates Theodor W. Adorno’s pivotal role in defining this concept through a historical and critical context. Building on Adorno's theory, the text validates its assertions with modern analytical techniques and provides specific musical examples.

Key Points

1. Adorno's Contribution: Adorno was instrumental in shaping our understanding of late Beethoven by introducing an influential image that has since been widely adopted.

2. Confirmation Through Modern Tools: The chapter validates Adorno's theory using contemporary music analysis methods, affirming its relevance and accuracy.

3. Identification of Late Style Characteristics:

   • Recovery of Baroque Contrapuntal Textures: This feature involves a revival of complex harmonic structures reminiscent of the Baroque era within late Beethoven compositions.

   • Early Classical Form Reification: There's an emphasis on traditional forms characteristic of early classical music, suggesting a return to foundational elements in his later works.

   • Fragmentation and Discontinuity: Syntactic elements exhibit discontinuity and fragmentation, a stark contrast from the smooth progression found in earlier compositions.

   • Naturalization of Musical Contour and Gesture: This involves the portrayal of music in its most elemental form, emphasizing contour and gesture as natural phenomena within his late pieces.

4. Contextualizing Late Style:

   • Evolutionary Category of Musical Language: The discussion places Beethoven’s late style within the broader discourse of periodization, where 'style' is seen as an evolutionary phase relative to Viennese classical style.

   • Scholarly Periodization in Beethoven's Career: The chapter also reflects on how periodization concepts have evolved over time in interpreting Beethoven's work.

5. :

   • Stylistic, Evaluative, and Ontological Aspect of Lateness: The chapter concludes that 'lateness' in Beethoven is an encompassing term that not only describes a stylistic evolution but also carries evaluative and ontological implications within the realm of classical music.

Keywords: late style, music analysis, critical theory, periodization, musical form, classical style

Subject: Literary Studies Romanticism - Literary Studies 18th Century

Collection: Oxford Scholarship Online

Publication Date: September 2016

Access Status: Closed Content Requires Authentication or Subscription
This article is reproduced from: https://academic.oup.com/book/9993/chapter/157369781

Please indicate when reprinting from: https://www.455r.com/Square_Dance_Video/Beethoven_Late_Style_Analysis.html