Comments on: Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico

Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico

lucia__is__dada — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:44:32 -0800

Beethoven's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 9 in A, Op. 47 (audio) was originally dedicated to the black violin virtuoso George Bridgetower after he gave such a brilliant rendering of the piece that prompted Beethoven to jump from his seat and embrace him. Bridgetower was a musical child prodigy and composer who, despite rampant racial prejudice, reached "unusual heights in the music world of his day". Having lived and performed in major European cities such as London, Paris, and Vienna, he would later die forgotten and in poverty. A personal disagreement with Bridgetower led Beethoven to dedicate the sonata to the famous violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer instead who, incidentally, never played it in public deeming it "outrageously unintelligible".

For the object fetishists: a tuning fork given by Beethoven to Bridgetower is on show at the British Library.

By: nosila

nosila — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:04:45 -0800

Wow! I didn't know this. What a cool tidbit.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:07:36 -0800

Fascinating stuff, thanks for the post! In case anyone else is curious about the argument that deprived him of the fame of a "Bridgetower Sonata," it apparently "resulted from an obscene comment Bridgetower made regarding a woman."

By: minkll

minkll — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:08:43 -0800

Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico Does that mean what I think it means?

By: sixswitch

sixswitch — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:09:18 -0800

Synchronicity! The Art of Time Ensemble here in Toronto just had a brilliant cross-disciplinary show based on the Kreutzer. The first act was a staged reading of a monologized version of Tolstoy's eponymous short story, and the second act was James Kudelka's Fifteen Heterosexual Duets (which is set to the Kreutzer)performed by Coleman Lemieux. It was an amazing night. Apparently they're remounting it next season so keep your eyes open, Toronto MeFites.

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:12:20 -0800

Wow! What a fantastic story! I has no idea Kreuzer had never performed it in public. I was just listening to it last week (along with these insanely great string quartets) from the European Internet archives; sorry I can't post the link, it was here on the blue March 9th. "Downloads in all Major."

By: Gyan

Gyan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:21:47 -0800

Over here

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:18:19 -0800

By the way that one portrait of Bridgetower, used everywhere, is on exhibition right now at the Prints gallery at the British Museum- some special exhibit about drawings of celebrities. Strangely, he is in a section titled something like "Odd and Interesting People" alongside a portrait of the Chevalier D'Eon!

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:04:59 -0800

I had never heard this story before. Thanks, lucia__is__dada.

By: From Bklyn

From Bklyn — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:05:03 -0800

Thanks Gyan, that's the one. (Er, yes, and your post which has offered great rewards ThankYouVeryMuch). The version I was listening to is here. I like it immensely.

By: luciaisdada

lucia__is__dada — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:02:40 -0800

Poet's Muse: A footnote to Beethoven (on the NYT yesterday)

Comments on: Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico

Sonata per uno mulaticco lunattico

By: nosila

By: languagehat

By: minkll

By: sixswitch

By: From Bklyn

By: Gyan

By: vacapinta

By: homunculus

By: From Bklyn

By: lucia__is__dada

By: luciaisdada