# Incidentals in earlier composer's music that became main themes in later one's



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Two striking examples come to the forefront of my mind at the moment, and whether the later composer heard that interesting but somewhat less central moment or evolution of a theme in a prior composer's work and decided to make it the center piece of his work, or whether it is just coincidence, I don't know. One does not necessarily have to know, its just an interesting phenomenon that occurs between composers who seem like they ought to have been connected in some direct musical way.

One of the examples is a Mozart to Beethoven. I am thinking of a lovely moment in the first movement of the Prague Symphony, in the Allegro of course, that is the main idea in the finale of Beethoven's Tempest Sonata.






The introduction of that theme occurs at 4:39 and it changes into the minor version that most resembles the beginning of the Tempest sonata finale, very quickly.






The other one I'm thinking of is a Nielsen to Shostakovich. The rhythm that outlines this theme first becomes more prominent in this recording of 'The Inextinguishable' at 5:32 with hints earlier, in the flute, and it quickly becomes taken by some violins. This rhythm becomes very much like Shostakovich's 5th symphony's main theme after a fair amount of traveling and some neglect, being resumed in the brass at 7:09.






We all know how Shostakovich's 5th begins:






While it is a very simple theme, it is also somewhat similar in the character of the intensity of both composer's uses. The latter's incarnation is just used a whole lot more centrally.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

There could be a connection between the Nielsen and the Shostakovich, but I have proposed an earlier source material:

Beethoven Quote in Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 ?

Granted it's not the exact notes, but quite similar. In the Beethoven it just comes across as a parenthetical phrase or pause in the narrative.


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