Classical music is one of the directions of music that originated in the middle of the 17th century and is developing to this day. One of the most exceptional stages of the formation of classical music was the 18th century, which gave people the most talented composers, such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. Although many other composers demonstrated their talent at that time, Beethoven and Schubert were still among the most prominent representatives of the 18th century.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a great German composer, pianist, and conductor who represented the musical direction called “Viennese classicism.” After his mother’s death in 1787, he took over the financial responsibilities of the family (Grace & Ronald, 2018). Ludwig Beethoven began playing in the orchestra and listening to university lectures. Rude and selfish in public, the composer was very open and friendly towards friends. Beethoven’s work of the following years is filled with new pieces: The First and Second Symphonies, The Creation of Prometheus, and Christ on the Mount of Olives. However, Beethoven’s later life and work were complicated by the development of ear disease – tinnitus.
The composer retreats to the city of Heiligenstadt, where he is working on the Third – Heroic Symphony. Complete deafness separates Ludwig from the outside world. However, even this event cannot make him stop composing. The whole series of works for piano, cello, the famous Ninth Symphony, and a Solemn Mass were created (Grace & Ronald, 2018). Each of Beethoven’s works creates its own memorable impression on the listener as they all differ in tone and mood. The first piano sonata, f-moll, begins a line of tragic and dramatic works by Beethoven, and it is sensual, emotionally intense, and miserable. The well-known Moonlight Sonata is lyrical and conveys profound emotional experiences and feelings.
Another representative of classical music of the 18th century was the composer Franz Schubert. At the age of six, Franz Peter entered the Lichtenthal Parish School (Yuldashev & Akbarov, 2022). An analysis of Schubert’s work shows that he was a brave and original musician. He composed in his spare time and played a lot of music with a narrow circle of friends. And one day, I decided to leave my permanent job and devote myself to music.
Schubert lived poorly and did not have enough money for everyday life. All his music is an endless monologue with the finest reflection of a mature man beyond his years. In the composer’s music, there is no dialogue with the audience, attempting to please and impress. All of it is very intimate, even intimate in a sense, and filled with infinite sincerity of feelings. Profound experiences of his earthly loneliness, deprivation, and bitterness of defeats served his thoughts daily and, finding no other way out, poured out in creativity. In 1828, in the autumn, he fell ill with typhoid fever, from which he died on November 19 (Yuldashev & Akbarov, 2022). Recognition came to him posthumously, and much later – after several decades.
Schubert’s works are filled with romance, lyrics, and unique energy. He created song melodies that remind people of something ordinary. Thus, in the song Trout, the melody resembles the sound of waves, and in Serenade, – the sound of a guitar. In many of Schubert’s works, listeners can recognize the theme of loneliness, light tragedy, romance, and dramatic tension. He wrote song cycles in each of which it is possible to distinguish separate parts, which can denote the change of the season and a memorable melody peculiar to each of these parts.
In conclusion, classical music is one of those genres that originated long ago but are still popular today. Prominent representatives of classical music are Ludwig Van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. Each of them gave the world masterpieces that are still listened to by both adults and children, and which carry many personal experiences of composers. Listening to their music, you can imagine what each of the composers felt at the time of their writing and imbued with the depth of the written works.
References
Grace, H. & Ronald, L. (2018). Ludwig van Beethoven (1927). Routledge.
Yuldashev, A., & Akbarov, T. (2022). A Look at the Work of Composer Franz Schubert. Pindus Journal of Culture, 2(3), 20–25. Web.