What's the freebie? Beethoven : Symphony No. 7. Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela conducted by Gustavo Dudamel
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I 've enjoyed classical music for a long time. I first felt
stirrings in my late teens when I was at my most receptive to all new
experiences and spent hours visiting art galleries, watching weird animations
on Channel 4 and annoying my work colleagues by turning the radio to Radio 3
all the time. Some of it may have been pretentious effect and trying to shake off
the perceived blandness of growing up in a white, protestant, working class
former mining village. Most of it was genuine admiration and love for creativity
and the beauty of recreating a feeling into another medium.
I recall my mom telling me that they never had classical
music in their house when they were growing up in the fifties as, according to
my grandma, "that isn't for the likes of us". Grandma's sisters all
went into service and with a coal miner for a father and with a coal delivery
lorry driver for a husband (my grandad) she was quite content with her place in
the world. Music for Grandma when she was growing up would have been split
between hymns from the Methodist hymn book and maybe the odd bit of big band
music. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't all chapel and no fun. Grandma and Grandad
were a laugh a minute and never stood in the way of mom going out with dad to
dances and watching rock and roll bands around the West Midlands. I grew up
with Grandma singing Elvis songs and she had a framed picture of him on her
wall until her death just a few years ago.
The enjoyment of music is in my genes and I've sacred music
in my collection that was written nearly a thousand years ago up to metal
albums from this year. I've a lot of classical music in my collection and
probably know a bit more than most of my close friends, but no way am I an
expert. I'm the type of chap who can tell you what I think of a piece, how it
makes me feel, possibly some facts about when it was written and why. What I
can't tell you is anything about composition or whether this particular
recording is better than the one by such and such. I'm not Inspector Morse.
Tell you what, I'm not going to read anything about this
piece. I don't know if it has an alternative name that might give a clue to its
inspiration such as 'Emperor', 'Eroica' or 'Pastoral'. I'll listen, take notes
of the pictures in my mind and enjoy the music for music's sake.
Movement 1 is joyous. It smiles and skips along jauntily.
This movement represents success, happiness and contentment. Probably a lad
waking up and looking forward to the day ahead. He ablutes, dresses and sets
off to face his day.
Movement 2 is slower. It's very mournful after the first
movement. This is someone receiving bad news, unexpected bad news. Four minutes
in and the tome becomes slightly more positive. Wipe away the tears, clench thy
fists and up and at 'em. As God is my witness, I'll never be mournful again!
Movement 3 is confident and striding. All may not be right with
the world but we can face it, we'll find away. The 2 - 3 minute period reminds
me of the lad on a Grifter, flying through country lanes and
ascending a hill.
The following minutes are him surveying his world below before gritting his
teeth and flying down the other side of the hill. Whoa there boy, slow down! He
does so, and then thinks about life ahead and how it's mostly going to be great
but with sad moments. The world awaits, let's find a sensible way to get
through it and achieve an acceptable work/life balance.
Movement 4 is also uplifting although more dramatic. Maybe
something a bit more serious, it's fast paced wit h twiddly bits like someone
working hard, concentrating and getting up a sweat but in a job they love. A
cobbler. Or is it? Half way through comes a questioning piece. Oh no! Is it the
boss? What's wrong? A to and from conversation follows that builds and I think
at one point a tool is thrown. Oh dear, I think our hero has resigned from his
job...or has he? Maybe he's decided he now knows enough to set up on his own.
Yes, let's go with that.
So there you go. I think I've pretty much nailed what
Beethoven was thinking about when composing this. It's about the joy of life
but how that joy can only be achieved by having a pragmatic outlook and working
hard to achieve what you want, not expecting it on a plate.
I'm not going to bother looking it up and seeing how close I
am. If you are a scholar of music then do please comment below and confirm I'm
right.