Two giants of development of modern Western music (by modern I mean one that is instantly in tune with the way western music these days communicates, melodically & harmonically, to our ears). I don’t confine them to classical music because so much of what they wrote is beyond classification. I mean, when a tune appears as ring tones or in contemporary movies (both of these have plenty of appearances, both in King’s Speech for a start)** you know it’s as relevant today as it was 200 years ago! Apart from qualifying them as musical “giants” there is often a question of who do we prefer, or who is the greatest. The answer depends on your tastes, how important you think context (historical for example) is.
Often Beethoven’s music is played in a bolder larger scale style, which it actually doesn’t necessarily need to be, but that depends on conductor, and similarly some orchestras or soloists play Mozart as if he needs to be handled with kid gloves, which in my view is the opposite to what you need to do the majority of the time. They both made huge strides in developing harmonic and thematic treatment of music and even had a considerable overlap in style and timeline – Beethoven was about 14 or so years younger and even played in Mozart’s memorial concert – I think the piano concerto was the No.20 of Mozart’s. The younger of the two survived the other by about 30 years, so it’s no wonder that Beethoven’s later music sounds more harmonically progressed or perhaps some might say more broody and freer in style, mainly in his mid to late piano sonatas and String quartets. But Mozart was in effect the father of the modern piano concerto and his Operas to this day are unsurpassed in the combination of humanity and music intertwined. Beethoven’s Fidelio, is (a) his only opera (vs Mozart’s several masterpieces) and (b) had quite an arduous route to creation and performance. Also, Mozart already showed instances of equal and sometimes more advanced freedom in some of his more private or smaller scale works, take for example the start of the C major string quartet (nicknamed “dissonance”) which to the unfamiliar ear might initially sound like a piece of music by Schoenberg or Berg from the 20th Century.
But the argument can never be settled and I would be foolish to try and do it here. I think you can tell from this and previous essays, which one I prefer, but there is substantial perceptive difference between them which (apart from overlapping years of similarity of style) sets like chalk to cheese. Here is my very visual description of what effect they could have on the listener:
Mozart – often his music can go from the radiant to the melancholic. Tear-jerkers are common because he grabs your soul. If Mozart’s music was visual art, to me it would be a beautiful rich tapestry or a stunning painting which at first seems obvious in what it illustrates but then as you spend time looking at it longer and every time you return for another viewing, you find you discover another detail, or another layer of beauty which even if subtle, if removed would make the whole totally lacking and in some cases meaningless. But he often dazzles and then lasts and wants you to go back and discover more. Mozart’s music also changes to your ear throughout your own stages of life. It goes from a bright genial pal when you are young, to a challenging and Clever friend or older brother in mid life and then later in life (I am told) a comfort and a member of your family or an old loyal friend.
Beethoven often sounds purposeful and sometimes baffling (especially later sonatas and quartets), but also impressive (his symphonies and concertos). If his music was a piece of visual art, it would be an imposing sculpture. One which at first might impress and startle in equal measures and then you think it’s all there you’ve seen it, until while you scan it, you suddenly see a glimpse of humanity, it might be in the eyes of the subject or a gesture or a piece of flourish in the decoration. At that moment you realise there is more to it that the huge impression and find that there is something in there other than the boldness. But, it’s not always as easy to go back to it, because the imposing sculpture might seem that it has left enough of an impression for you to give it a bit of time before taking another look. For example, of his most famous works (the 5th Symphony) whilst I was amazed by it when I was younger, I very rarely listen to it these days, in the last 10 years I have only heard it again twice, once on CD and once live in concert. I can picture/hear it in my mind’s ear at will and only occasionally need to actually hear it.
Mozart however, even though I can hum a lot of his works in large part without having to refer to a score or a CD, I still need to hear it regularly. Whether in live concert, or in practice (playing it myself) or on CD. Do you get that with a beautiful Vermeer, or Monet or Rembrandt? I do….
**[see interesting article about King’s Speech & context of Mozart/Beethoven also see my earlier essay ]
