7 Ländler WoO 11 (1799) for piano (1799, Beethoven aged 28)
Dedication unknown
Duration 4’30”
written by Ben Hogwood
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Background and Critical Reception
As part of his composing role in Vienna Beethoven did on occasion write dance music for the ball. We have already encountered sets of Minuets, written for the annual Redoutensaal balls, a discipline the composer seemed to warm to. This set of Ländler (a folk dance in 3/4 time) is thought to originate for 1798, and, writes Keith Anderson in booklet notes for Naxos, was presumably scored for two violins and bass.
That version is missing, but a piano version was published in Vienna the year after. All seven dances are in the same key, with a short coda added on the end.
Thoughts
The dances are charming and simple in their construction. Beethoven warms to the form with easy, hummable melodies and basic accompaniments often resembling drones. Harmonies are safe, and the rhythms have a nice lilt – ideal for moving easily around a crowded dancefloor. The seventh dance goes slightly offbeat, putting the emphasis on the second rather than the first beat in the bar, before a coda reinforces the drone and ends the dance with a trill.
Recordings used and Spotify links
Olli Mustonen (piano) (Decca) Jenő Jandó (piano) (Naxos)
Olli Mustonen gives ideal account of these short, winsome pieces – and Jandó, a little faster, is enjoyable too.
Also written in 1799Benjamin Carr Dead March and Monody
‘We need to save humanity, because no one else will’. The stark outlook at the beginning of Daniel Parsons’ third album as Amongst The Pigeons sets the scene for a 12-track salvo against the choppy waters we find ourselves navigating. It is a first-hand response to the pandemic, the destruction of the environment, social and racial injustice, and much more besides. It is delivered through his own inimitable set of gadgetry from a garden shed outside Worthing, with home-produced music whose message travels far and wide.
What’s the music like?
Silence Will Be Assumed As Acceptance has an extremely satisfying structure, featuring a raft of carefully chosen electronics but with Parsons’ own voice opening and closing. Some of the track titles are clearly borne of the last year – N.V.O.D. especially. Standing for Natural Vectors Of Disease, this track collaborates with Richard Wiseman to call out the government on their response to the pandemic, amongst other things. There is barely concealed anger here, channeled through a hard hitting burst of electronics, and it is typical of the album’s ability to make a forceful point without resorting to cliché.
Colour Blind achieves a similar aim, Parsons’ urgent vocal nicely blended with Ollie Barron’s chorus, and while N.V.O.D. is angry, Holding My Breath works an emotive blend of flickering electronics and the well-matched vocals of Tiger Mendoza and Charis Cooper. More tender moments can be enjoyed in Bring The Stars Closer, where the cooing of singer Emma King is complemented by poolside grooves.
Before The Storm Hits is a satisfying blend of stabbing bass and a soulful vocal from Fast Trains, a complement to Megan Lundford’s persuasive tones on the following After The Storm. The beats are busy but never too obtrusive, Parsons working a healthy quotient of riffs and some really effective percussive effects. The balance is ideal, typified by the rich voice of Hannah Katy Lewis, set to quickly turning studio cogs.
The album works like a mix, with each track segued into the next, and the panning effects Parsons works in work really well on headphones. On occasion the bass hits satisfying depths, too, none more so than the fine instrumental Can You Manage? Do You Understand?
However the album’s defining moment proves to be the inspired use of a Charlie Chaplin speech on You The People. Developing like a Chemical Brothers track, it exhorts us to ‘create happiness’, to ‘make this life a wonderful adventure’. Spread Hope, with The Sad Song Co., delivers a similar if more understated message.
Does it all work?
Handsomely. Silence Will Be Assumed As Acceptance is a lean beast, scooting through its dozen tracks in under 40 minutes with no padding at all. Its message is powerful but never ‘preachy’, and the busy electronics complement the vocals rather than smothering them. A word, too, for some striking artwork from Ella Manongdo, matching the album’s impact.
Is it recommended?
Yes, enthusiastically – an album full of incident and heart but with strong underlying messages that are fiercely relevant to today’s world. It is a shot in the arm – or should I say shoulder?!
8 Variations on ‘Tändeln und Scherzen’ WoO 76 for piano (1799, Beethoven aged 28)
Dedication unknown
Duration 9′
written by Ben Hogwood
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What’s the theme like?
The theme is taken from a duet in Salieri‘s opera Falstaff, premiered on 3 January 1799 in Vienna’s Theater am Kärntnertor.
Background and Critical Reception
The variations that Beethoven dashed off after hearing Salieri’s Falstaff in January 1799 earned him a drubbing from critics, writes Jean-Charles Hoffelé. ‘Herr Beethoven may know how to improvise, but he is unable to create good variations’, wrote the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung.
Hoffelé speculates on the cause of the journalist’s irritation, suggesting it might be ‘the tone of pure entertainment, the impertinent giocoso manner’. He notes however that Beethoven is enjoying himself, citing ‘the distilled Adagio in the top register of the keyboard’.
Thoughts
A strident theme sets out its stall, before Beethoven takes it for a walk in the first variation and then a quicker, propulsive jog in variation two. Again this is a composer working instinctively, the feeling being this composition may well have been written in one sitting at the keyboard.
Beethoven has fun with the offbeat comments of the third variation, while things take a sombre tone in the minor key with the fifth. The music springs out of this with an upright gait, and a fugal episode, then a terrific flurry of notes in the seventh and tenth variations, which no doubt impressed or infuriated the Viennese audience!
The final variation, the tenth, is a tour de force of athletic prowess in the right hand before adding on a coda, as so many of Beethoven’s variation sets do. This one, however, is by turns violent, amusing and touching, channelling the spirit of C.P.E. Bach as it changes mood almost by the bar. Final resolution is forcefully achieved.
If you are happy to listen to the relatively taut sound of Ronald Brautigam’s fortepiano, you will find much to enjoy in his version, a thoroughly entertaining and dramatic reading of Beethoven’s mood changes. Cécile Ousset, perhaps inevitably, has greater elegance but also enjoys the playful aspects, not to mention the outrageous final variation.
Also written in 1799Benjamin Carr Dead March and Monody
Next up 10 Variations on ‘La stessa, la stessissima’ WoO 73
Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Xaver Süssmayr(right)
8 Variations on ‘Tändeln und Scherzen’ WoO 76 for piano (1799, Beethoven aged 28)
Dedication unknown
Duration 9′
written by Ben Hogwood
Listen
What’s the theme like?
The theme is taken from a trio in the opera by Soliman oder die drei Sultaninnen by Franz Xaver Süssmayr. A popular Austrian composer at the time of composition, Süssmayr is not a familiar name in the concert hall nowadays, except for his completion of Mozart’s Requiem.
Background and Critical Reception
Thoughts
This is pure, instinctive inspiration – and is quite stop-start as a result. Yet just as Beethoven has a lot of fun with these variations, so does his listener. The fourth variation is especially brilliant, the hands tumbling down the keyboard like a waterfall.
An elegant seventh variation, the one about which Hoffelé writes, leads to a run of trills, like the end of a cadenza, which look set to complete the set – until a twist in the tale appears in the form of a fugue, crisply executed in the form of a Bach invention.
Beethoven switches unexpectedly to D major near the end, yet this is wholly in keeping with the free running approach throughout this entertaining set.
Recordings used and Spotify links
Alfred Brendel (piano) (Vox) Cécile Ousset (piano) (Eloquence) Ronald Brautigam (fortepiano) (BIS)
Cécile Ousset is a model performer in these variations, with enviable dexterity and a good deal of humour. Ronald Brautigam enjoys the more brash, unscripted moments and the piece sounds great on the fortepiano. Brendel is excellent too.
Also written in 1799Benjamin Carr Dead March and Monody
Next up 10 Variations on ‘La stessa, la stessissima’ WoO 73
It is our great pleasure to welcome Amongst The Pigeons to the Arcana playlist section for the second time, with a new playlist NOISE WILL BE TAKEN AS REJECTION, a companion to new album SILENCE WILL BE ASSUMED AS ACCEPTANCE, released on Friday 7 May.
Amongst The Pigeons is the avian moniker for South Coast producer and performer Daniel Parsons. The new album is a passionate response both to the Coronavirus pandemic and those overseeing the response, and the playlist captures its sentiments as well as celebrating the wonders of the natural world. Not to mention good music!
Daniel gave his thoughts on each track in the playlist, which can be accessed at the bottom of the page:
Beans On ToastProtest Song In many ways my new album is a ‘protest album’ so we open with this track by Beans on Toast.
Hannah PeelEmergence in nature This is taken off the new Hannah Peel album which I am sure this will be #1 in a lot of end of year charts and rightly so.
Amongst The Pigeons – Inflight Entertainment (Fast Trains remix) Tom aka Fast Trains does not have his music on streaming services but he did make this awesome remix for one of the tracks off my last album so we open with this. His latest EP is amazing so do go and check it out on Bandcamp. He features on my track ‘Before The Storm Hits’.
Daniel Avery – Lone Swordsman I love this song so much. The best track of 2020. Flawless and I could listen to this on repeat forever.
Tiger Mendoza – Hope Sick (2021 dub mix) Ian aka Tiger Mendoza features on a track called Holding My Breath. Last year he released his latest album TMSK8: The Mixtape. This track is taken from it.
Sad Man – Finny Foot I started hearing about Sad Man about a year ago and have very much been enjoying his stuff. This is taken from his new album The Man from S.A.D.
Annika Brown – The Devil Has A Shovel Charis Cooper also sings on ‘Holding My Breath’. Back in 2017 she released an album called The Devil’s Storybook under the name Annika Brown. She has lots of new stuff on her Instagram channel.
Lynks feat Charlie Steen – This Is The Hit I love Lynks. They have everything. The music. The image. The mystery. Amazing stuff
Exactly Zero – Infinite Perception Ollie and I were Exactly Zero. He features on my current single called Colour Blind. This track was one of my favourite on our album we made.
Fable – Orbiting I had not heard of Fable before she followed me on Instagram. Her music is INCREDIBLE!
Richard Wiseman – Covert Goat Mission I challenge you to find a stranger song than this! I recorded this track with Richard and it was actually the genesis of N.V.O.D on my new album which Richard also sings on.
Sofia Kourtesis – Dakotas I recently discovered this EP after hearing her track on the Lippy Kid electronica show.
Emma King – Empty Nights & Empty Days Emma sings on ‘Bring the stars closer’ on my new album. She has so many good songs this one really shows off her awesome vocals.
AK/DK – Defragment To Survive Ed from AK/DK mastered the new album. This track is taken off the latest AK/DK album which came out at the end of 2020. As always with these guys it is amazing.
Across The Sea – Behind The Looking Glass Hannah does the vocals on Beats & Slippers on the new album. This track is one from her band Across The Sea.
Julia-Sophie – And You Know It Again, another artist I only recently hear of but love this E.P. and can’t wait to hear more.
The Sad Song Co – My Saccharine Nigel features on the penultimate song on my album called Spread Hope. He recently released his 5th album which is a joyous mix of indie, prog, rock and addictive tunes.
Mærcstapa – Helicopters This amazing song is by the mysterious Maercstapa. This artist has released two E.P.s so far. Both of which have been amazing.
Mogwai – Ceiling Granny This song! Wow. It stuck out so much when I gave their new album a first listen and love it. It reminds me of early 90s grunge and I am all for that.
The Prodigy – Their Law I grew up as the criminal justice act was being passed and to me ‘jilted generation’ and this track in particular is a great example of music as a form of protest.
Megan Linford – All In Good Time Megan provides the vocals on my track After the storm. This is one of her new tracks and it is lovely and seems like a great way to end the playlist.
You can hear clips from the new Amongst The Pigeons album SILENCE WILL BE ASSUMED AS ACCEPTRANCE on Bandcamp, where the full album will be available from Friday 7 May:
Der Kinderreigen (1872) by Hans Thoma
Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonio Salieri (right)
Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Xaver Süssmayr (right)
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