Word: power
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Dates: during 1920-1929
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...answered in the lifetime of the worker and still less frequently in that of the creative artist, it being an attribute of genius to be ahead of its own day and generation. Assuming that the chief works of Beethoven have stood the test of time, have retained their power to quicken and to exalt, and waiving the aspersions of those extremists who consider Beethoven "vieux jeu"--his achievements soon to be engulfed in the rising tide of "modernity"--let us indulge in, some reflections as to the reasons for the unshaken hold in public esteem which Beethoven as a character...
Following this line of suggestion, it is not difficult to understand the secret of Beethoven's appeal for an acquaintance with his works will corroborate the statement that Beethoven is first, an emotional composer, second, an artist of great dramatic power; and third, a man of fascinating humor, whose works have their being to intensify those never changing qualities in man--his basic emotions, love, joy, sorrow, his craving for the dramatic, for something to happen, and his instinct for what is humorous--for the incongruities and variety in the spectacle of life...
...sounds and rhythms together requires intellect of the highest order--the difficulty is far more than in dealing with words and paints--and, granting for the moment Beethoven's emotional power his genius is nowhere more evident than in the structure of his symphonies, quartets, and pianoforte works. In such a masterpiece, e.g., as the Fifth Symphony (that in C minor), everything is just right; when led up to a climax, we expect something, we get it. Then how marvelously is our excitement assuaged without being allowed to die out entirely! The valleys, tablelands, and mountain peaks have the same...
...passionate and persistent love of nature. While taking his daily walks, his friends spoke of him as being in his "raptus." He says himself, "No one can love nature more than I". His works, in consequence, have the elemental force and variety of natural phenomena. With what dramatic power does he at times take us in his arms, hurl us down, and stamp upon us--"Listen to me, base mortal, or perish." And what a saving grace is his gift of humor, just as important in art as in daily life. Beethoven never tears a passion to tatters, never protests...
...career. His courage, sincerity, generosity, and unswerving devotion to his ideals of art and life cannot fail to supply that inspiration and tonic force which our industrial and financial age sadly lacks. Let us, therefore, enlarge somewhat upon the permanent quality in Beethoven's music, its emotional and spiritual power. So much emphasis today is laid upon science, book learning, research, behaviorism, and pedagogy, that the emotions are often entirely ignored. "But science," says Bertrand Russell, "is no substitute for virtue. The heart is quite as important as the head; in fact, in the last analysis the head...