Beethoven Orchestra Analysis Essay

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A lone grand piano stands in the corner opposite the door of the musty practice room. It is not an exquisite instrument – a tone too harsh and bitter, keys eager to yell instead of whisper. Scratches adorn every side of the wooden surface, and the keys themselves are beginning to yellow with age. And yet, for now, it isn't a beat up instrument in sad need of repair. No - for now, it is the playground where my thoughts and ideas can pour forth in vivid, auditory color. I take my seat on a creaky old piano bench. Its legs groan as they scrape along the cold linoleum floor. My fingers naturally curve as they approach the keys, the ideal position for the soft, chorale-like Adagio movements of Beethoven. However, Beethoven is not present …show more content…
The orchestra suddenly shifts gears, launching into a brass-laden march surrounded by fluttering effects in the strings. The tension grows to almost unbearable levels, until the orchestra unleashes a glorious statement of the theme for the kingdom of Gondor. The french horns sing a noble baritone, surrounded by the most airy and excited textures in the upper instruments. Kettledrums echo into the distance, and the piece ends with the whole weight of the orchestra brought down in a tremendous …show more content…
It is lengthened, shortened, flipped, played backwards, and given every possible shading and tonal color. Slowly, but surely, a final piece begins to form. A prelude. A brief piece meant to preface other, more major works. But to me, this prelude is massive. A weighty, grandiose vision, compressed into the miniscule space of forty-six bars. The motif has been used to it's fullest potential. The canvas of the piece is now centered on a steely-blue color, wreathed by flickering flames of orange and red. The motif soars over and under the accompanying parts, always making itself known. The end in particular is successful – the motif is sound in all the tonal space I have before me, before plunging down the keyboard in a cascade of octaves and arpeggios colored bright red. In this short space, I have managed to take what was vague and indefinite and refine it into a piece of the strictest concentration. The implicit has been made
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