What is Knittel’s thesis?
Knittel’s main argument is that Beethoven assumes the position of the best significance in the history of music since he completes a single epoch and commences another and all musicians in the 19th and 20th Centuries collectively uphold his double role. According to Knittel, Beethoven contributed a powerful cast spell on all musicians who surfaced after him (Knittel, 2016). These musicians have not been able to escape the influence brought about by Beethoven and those who have attempted have always failed miserably.
What are the central features of the Beethoven myth?
The main characteristics of Beethoven’s myth are that he holds the greatest single contribution to music’s history since he undoubtedly stands out among the greatest masters for his ability which many perceive as genius and colossal (KN1TTEL, 2001). Beethoven was not just a great musician, but also an individual who did much more in music than any other individual. Beethoven wrote at a moment when the Western culture was his background, like the economic and social systems were undergoing serious transformations. He created the romantic, purely emotional music that was demanded by the upper classes of capitalism. Beethoven offered music that was dignified and exclusive in the sense that it appealed to the emotional make-up of his fans. He ensured that all individuals who afforded the luxury of music were now worldly and numerous.
Why was the perceived organic unity of Beethoven’s works such an important metaphor in a German nationalist context?
The manner in which Beethoven’s music was received in Germany indicated his heroic style and a biographical myth into the varied ways in which his music has been comprehended (Ronyak, 2016). The main reason as to why his music was a significant metaphor is because it was lyrical, light and displayed a unique grasp in the way music was understood. Moreover, it was believed that the foundations of Beethoven’s music had a genetic hybridism that influenced its developments in a great way. Generally, the hybridity led to the widespread composition of Beethoven’s success.
References
Knittel, K. M. (2016). Seeing Mahler: music and the language of antisemitism in fin-de-siècle Vienna. Routledge.
KN1TTEL, K. M. (2001). The construction of Beethovcn. The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-Century Music, 118.
Ronyak, J. (2016). Beethoven within Grasp: The Nineteenth-Century Reception of ‘Adelaide’. Music & Letters, 97(2), 249-276.
