They say, what Kant was to philosophy, it was Goethe to letters and Beethoven in music. Sometimes expectations are exceeding reality and not every acquaintance is for the eternity. Who was Goethe? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was, mainly, a German poet and novelist. He was also a genius, who worked on several other …
The City Teplitz (or Teplice) is a small city in the Czech Republic. After Karlovy Vary, it is the second biggest spa town in the country. The first authentic mention of the thermal springs is from the 16th century. The city name appeared for the first time in 1154, when a Benedictine convent was founded in the area. During the …
In this article we cover this very interesting topic, one of the most frequently asked questions about the great Composer! To answer the question how Beethoven was able to compose when he was losing his hearing, and after he had lost it completely, we must consider the following points. Beethoven was not born deaf Probably, the first and most important …
There is a very popular anecdote about the meeting of Mozart and Beethoven. According to this, when Beethoven first visited Vienna in 1787 (at age 17), he was introduced to Mozart. The young talent played a piece and when he saw Mozart was not impressed, he begged for more time to improvise. This finally convinced Mozart, who said: “Mark that …
Did Beethoven read Shakespeare? Did he like the writer, was he inspired by his plays? Read on to find out! Did Beethoven read and like Shakespeare? Beethoven’s first exposure to Shakespeare had to be in his childhood, still in Bonn, at the local court theater. It is well documented that more plays from Shakespeare were on the repertoire: Hamlet, King …
Pitch To make a sound, a vibration must be caused in the air. This can be done, for example, by a string or the skin of a drum. If this vibration is fast, we hear it as a high pitch. If it is slow, we hear it as low or deep pitch. The human ear can pick up a pitch …