SAFETY VALVE IN MUSIC

Radio Record, 17 June 1938, Page 19

SAFETY VALVE IN MUSIC

BEETHOVEN’S EIGHTH SYMPHONY GAVE : HIM ESCAPE FROM LIFE |

GEN Beethoven wrote his Eighth Symphony in 1812 he had many worries, domestic and otherwise. His deafness was creeping upon him, and his health was not good. Yet the artist rises above the troubles of the man, and this music is among the gayest ‘Beethoven ever wrote, The Eighth Symphony is usually re ferred to as "The Little Symphony in F." It is particularly concise in form and is from end to end an exhibition of high spirits. Beethoven at that time had no great cause to be high-spirited at all, in spite of the fact that he had been spending the summer at a watering place in Bohemia and was, just then, on a visit to his youngest brother, who was a chemist at Linz, a town gn the Danube, , Johann, who seems to have been a quarrelsome fellow, was having some sort of trouble at home, and the object of Beethoven's visit was to endeavour to put things right, Apparently, Johann resented this interference and gave his elder brother a most unpleas. ant reception. It would seem, therefore, that this ‘ymphony took on the nature of an antidote or safety-valve by means of which Beethoven could effect a mental escape from the strain of bickering with his brother, Tschaikovsky once wrote an analysis of this Symphony in which he said: "It is the last bright smile, the last response given by the poet of human sorrows and hopeless despair to the voice of gladness," i

Beethoven was disappointed with the public reception of the Highth Symphony, and there is no doubt’ at the time it suffered in contrast with the universally popular No..7- Beethoyeu's

comment was: "fhey say it is not se good, because it is so much. better." méaning that there was more init thar could be grasped at one hearing, © Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 ‘in i major, Op. 93, played by ' the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,. under Felix Weingartner, will be beards irom 2YA on Sunday, June