# Help needed for major assignment



## Steinberg (Jul 16, 2008)

Hello fellow classical music lovers!

I'm writing a major assignment on Beethoven and the Romantic era - which is quite interesting. 
Just to keep you up to date - I'm done writing my Beethoven biography, background for the creation of the ninth, the political scene in the Romantic era, the ideals of the romantic era, the development in Germany(don't know why my teachers want me to write about that).
Furthermore I have made a overall analysis of the ninth symphony(form, key etc), and been more thorough with the analysis of the fourth movement(harmonic analysis, orchestration etc.).
But I have run in to a bit of a problem, I have found out that I lack knowledge on counterpoint, and I totally incompatible of making a analysis of fugue/conterpoint(in the fourth movement). 
Furthermore I have to draw some of the aspects from my musical analysis into a discussion on why Beethoven can be argued to be a translation to the romantic era. 

I would really hope some of you smart people can help me with the fugue/counterpoint part and some of his "compositional style" which characterized the romantic era. 

Best regards and happy Christmas


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## Steinberg (Jul 16, 2008)

All right, I think I'm beginning to get a hold on fugue and counterpoint - so I can properly analyse it myself, I just need someone to point out where in the ninth symphony I can find it.


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## SPR (Nov 12, 2008)

does this help in any way? It points to specific locations....

http://www.learnedcounsel.com/counterpoint.htm

_"The first movement of the Ninth is, like the first movement of the earlier symphonies mentioned, in sonata form. The movement is substantial. It comprises 547 bars - 160 in the exposition, a development section of 141 bars, a recapitulation of 118 bars, and an extended coda of 120 bars. The central section of the development comprises some 35 bars (253-275) 'fugato' writing. 'Fugato' denotes a passage written in the manner of a fugue, occurring merely incidentally in a composition; or a piece in fugal style that cannot be considered to be in the form of a fugue. (New Everyman). The whole movement has been described as 'rumination on the fragmentary raw materials of music'.The raw material of this fugal section is derived from fragments of the various themes and the three strands are combined all in a texture that becomes dense and aggressive, before 'dissolving' away at bar 241. Thus Beethoven is again using counterpoint in his development sections, using it to provide a dense and contrasting texture to the more open wind and string dialogue that has preceded it. There have been 'interminable arguments' as to whether the final movement of the Ninth is a kind of Sonata Form (Cook, at p.34), allowing its inclusion briefly in this discussion, suffice it to say that the double fugue starting at bar 655 demonstrates not only the Composer's mastery over this supposedly academic and supposedly outdated style, but his persistent use of fugal writing to give weight to the final movement of a work as its climax. "_


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## Steinberg (Jul 16, 2008)

You, my friend, are saviour! 
That was just what I have been looking for.


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## SPR (Nov 12, 2008)

excellent. Post your results here if you are so inclined!


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