Mendelssohn and "The Anxiety of Influence"
John GibbonsDavid’s reply to a previous post on Mendelssohn’s relationship to Beethoven brings up an important point. How and to what extent did Beethoven’s (especially symphonic) successors respond to his overwhelming prestige, to his inescapable influence?
Mendelssohn’s three great Beethoven glosses (Piano Sonata in E Major, op. 6, String Quartets Opp. 12 and 13) are early works. Mendelssohn appears to be more concerned with Bach, Handel and Mozart in most of his latter works, maybe because Beethoven seemed like too big an elephant in the room to the mature Mendelssohn, but then, of course, you have the “Lobegesang”, as a (problematical) exception. A kid’ll try anything, and if you’re a kid like Mendelssohn, you just might succeed. But the only kid like Mendelssohn in musical history had a father named Leopold. Mendelssohn’s latter works are not nearly as experimental or progressively minded as the earlier works. Beethoven, of course, is the most experimental and progressive composer in history.
Is it coincidence that Mendelssohn’s two indisputably great symphonies are placed outside of the Germanic (Beethovenian) orbit, in Scotland and Italy? Is the “Lobegesang” weakened because Mendelssohn is Handelian grandiose, perhaps, but not Beethovenian grandiose?
Mendelssohn:
A Life in Music
R. Larry Todd
A work that takes up the Beethovenian gauntlet and works well is the Brahms First. The 5th and 9th symphonies meet and reconcile in an incredibly classisizing synthesis. Brahms was progressive by reinventing the past. Bruckner’s Beethoven glosses in the Third, Ninth, and parts of the Eighth work well because, unlike Mendelssohn, Bruckner was attuned to the Beethovenian grandiose. David mentitions a book by Bond that tosses Schumann 4th into the ring. If Schumann’s 4th wasn’t in d minor, and didn’t accentuate submediant relationships, and wasn’t cyclical, would we associate it with Beethoven’s Ninth, and Fifth? And do all cyclical works owe their existence to Beethoven’s Fifth, with its famous motto? Maybe, but we can’t say for sure. The question is, is Beethoven so fundamental in himself, or was he accepted as fundamental because the zeitgeist of the 19th century was in accord with his nature? Some of both, but if I had to choose, I’d take the first alternative, when we’re talking symphony.
Tchaikovsky appropriated the model of the Fifth in his own Fifth, but I think he might have thought he was getting it from Liszt, a composer much closer to his heart than Beethoven. And How about Liszt? Is the “Faust” symphony another Beethoven gloss? As for Berlioz, in “Fantastique” and “Harold in Italy”, how about that? Berlioz was too much his own man to be sure about. His big musical gods included Cherubini and Gluck. And he was weird.
Reader Comments (11)
Here are a few thoughts in response to the many points and questions above.
1. I think Tchaikovsky's FOURTH is a much closer appropriation of the Beethoven 5th than Tchaikovsky's 5th, although the T5 is definitely also in the same struggle to victory mode.
2. I agree that Beethoven is fundamental in and of himself; and he was the greatest single creator of the 19th century zeitgeist.
3. The Faust Symphony of Liszt is incredibly underrated by most critics, whereas it is the principal transitional work between Beethoven's 9th and its true successor, the Mahler 2nd. (The Leonard Bernstein 1976 DVD with the Boston Symphony is spectacular). There is also a notion prevalent in histories of the symphony that the years from 1850 (Schumann 3rd) to 1876 (Brahms 1st) was a wasteland and that no symphonies of consequence were composed during that period. The Faust Symphony dates from 1857, but is ignored by those subscribing to this over-simplification.
4. Berlioz responded to the high moral tone of Beethoven and his triumphs of good over evil by gleefully having evil triumph over good in the Fantastique and in Harold in Italy. He was the most original (not progressive or experimental or greatest) composer of the 19th century, but he was revealing the influence of Beethoven by deliberately upending his ethos of morality.
Thank you for your informed and considered response. I guess that what I perceive to be the inadequacy of the finale in Tchaik 4 causes my evaluation to take a detour toward the 5th, whose finale is superb. Actually, the Tchaik 5 does seem superbly Lisztian.
I think many musicologists, as well as some prominent historians, underestimate the influence of the individual genius. Beethoven is irreplaceable.
Berlioz' achievement redefines what originality can do, as you obviously know. His great achievement goes beyond mere "originality"; it's a new kind of music: uniquely accentuated toward sincerity, profundity (if we're allowed to have this conceit), passion, and a certain accessibility toward the less conventionally "musical" characterize his work, which is nevertheless achieved with consummate skill, if with considerable eccentricity.
By the way, I misspoke about the Schumann 4th; the submediant influence is only apparent in the trio of the scherzo, which, since it's my favorite part of this problematical symphony, I particularly esteem. In fact, the big Beethoven aspect of the scherzo of the Schumann 4th is naturally the replication of Beethoven's procedure of recapitulating the scherzo's trio ad infinitum. This business of "upending" Beethoven's moral ethos is fascinating. You mention "Fantastique" and "Harold"; Berlioz is heartbreakingly noble in "Requiem" and "L'enfance du Christ", which, I think, supports your point; it shows that Berlioz had a choice, even within his choicest products.
Two quick comments: First, too bad Bruckner’s lugubrious Beethovenian grandioseness doesn’t occasionally lighten up like Herr Beethoven could with ease. Second, for me, Berlioz’s greatest contribution is orchestral color; I can often identify a piece by Berlioz almost instantly whether or not I’ve heard it or can name it (but please don’t test me).
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