3/8 Music for Winds and Somersaulting Horses

(too much sforzandi?)

Continuing from yesterdays "brass" theme I found a great little chart of Beethoven's entire wind chamber music oeuvre from Tim Reynish's blog:

Tim's article is a good overview of B.'s wind output (no pun intended) and in it he reminded me of this great letter from B. to his student and patron the Archduke Rudolph:

To The ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH

 

I notice that your Imperial Highness wishes to make an experiment on horses by means of my music. It is to see, so I perceive, whether the riders thereby can make some clever somersaults. Ha ha, I must really laugh at your Imperial Highness thinking of me in this matter; for that I shall be to the end of my life,

Your most willing servant,

Ludwig Van Beethoven.

N.B.— The desired horse-music will reach your Imperial Highness at full gallop.

From a D.G. CD liner note: "In 1810 Beethoven added a second march, WoO.19, for a horse show held on the grounds of the imperial summer residence at Laxenburg, near Vienna, in August"

So forthwith are some march classics (including WoO.19) for the equestrian set.  Now, these are not exactly paragons of Beethovenian sublimity or even works which B. listed with official opus numbers, but they are, yes, another interesting demonstration of his versatility in many different genres - also they are pretty fun!

0:00 York'scher March for Military Music, WoO.18(1809)

1:27 March in F for Military Music, WoO.19(1810) ("Horse-music")

3:13 March und Trio for Military Music, WoO.20(1820) 'Zapfenstreich' (The Tattoo)

7:05 March in D for Military Music, WoO.24(1816)