Beethoven, talented improviser (7/7)
A practice that became famous in the aristocratic salons of the 18th and 19th centuries was the musical joust, a kind of contest, a challenge of virtuosity between two musicians. Each artist showed off his or her talent as a composer and, above all, as an improviser. Beethoven, being a genius improviser, took part in improvisation contests on the forte-piano, the forerunner of the modern piano, quickly eliminating his opponents. This talent enabled the 22-year-old composer, newly arrived in Vienna, to win over the public in the Austrian capital.
Many of Beethoven’s compositions, such as the Fantasy op.77, the Variations or the Sonatas “quasi una fantasia” op. 27 no. 1 and no. 2 “Au clair de lune”, are born of or testify to his art of improvisation.
An anecdote tells of a “duel” between the Bonn master and the composer and pianist Daniel Steibelt, which took place in Vienna in 1800. According to the best-known version, Steibelt, after playing his piano quintet, was the first to sit down at the instrument and improvise on a theme by Beethoven. He played a prepared improvisation, not a true improvisation. Beethoven then went to the piano, picked up the score of the quintet, placed it upside down on his music stand and began to play. The end became the beginning, the top the bottom, and Steibelt’s last four notes, read in reverse, became Beethoven’s first. Within minutes, he had mocked his opponent and ridiculed his inventions. Steibelt, humiliated, promised never to return to Vienna.
Other “duels” have gone down in history: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart vs Muzio Clementi, Franz Liszt vs Sigismond Thalberg, the same Beethoven vs Joseph Wölfl.
In the 20th century, piano “duels” enjoyed a renaissance with ragtime pianists in particular. At Pat O’Brien’s Bar in New Orleans, humor and audience participation were added to the performances. Today, hundreds of clubs and establishments offer regular piano duels, and there are numerous companies that organize events or are available for those looking for piano duelists.
Federica, Musicology Manager, Riponne site
