Week 3: Bring Out the Character
Welcome to Week 3 of the Beethoven Challenge!
Now that you’ve picked your piece and laid down a solid foundation, this week is all about shaping the character of your music. Beethoven gives us so many contrasts – stormy vs. tender, bold vs. intimate, lyrical vs. rhythmic. Your job now is to start making those moments speak in your own voice.
This week, focus on:
1. Identifying the emotional “scenes” in your piece
Where does the music shift? Where does the energy rise or settle? Mark it clearly.
2. Experimenting with contrast
Try leaning into the extremes: dynamics, articulation, tone color, pacing. Beethoven thrives on bold decisions.
3. Recording short excerpts—not full takes
Capture 20–30 seconds at a time to explore how your interpretive choices change the feel.
4. Sharing your discoveries
Tell the group which contrasts surprised you, which ones felt natural, and which sections still feel mysterious.
13 replies
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I'm late to post in this challenge, but I've started re-learning the first movement to Op. 10 No. 3! I learned it some 10 years ago and haven't touched it since then, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. Will hopefully do some score work this week!
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https://youtube.com/shorts/5hZ4tLF9K2Y?si=vvRDdkgJvQAGqZr5
Short parts of Beethoven op. 7 3.mov. https://youtube.com/shorts/IN6o3nZDijE?si=RVTLOoGCVo20crgQ
Need to work more dynamics pp-ff-pp😊 -
Hi everyone
here is an excerpt from the 1st movement of op 78
I tried to follow Dominic’s suggestions
this section has all the typical Beethoven hallmarks, I tried to emphasise the dynamic contrasts , but probably could do even more ,
my favourite part is the contrast between the f in bar 27 ( in my other edition it’s actually marked ff!) and then the gorgeous triplet passage marked p dolce
Beethoven
Sonata Op 78. 1st movement
Bars 16-36
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I was wondering what was going on with the challenge since I hadn't received any email updates. Now that I checked I see a lot has been going on! Is anyone else not receiving the summary emails?
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Sorry I'm a bit late with this. I wasn't getting the emails. What can I say about the Pathetique - it seems to be all contrasts. From the first fp marking, the challenge is to make the contrasts as distinct as possible. I'm trying that here, but in listening to the playback, I do believe some of the contrast has disappeared with the recording. The other contrast is with silence. I just attended a lecture last night where Jonathan Biss talks about the "sound" that happens before you start to play. Think of the opening of the Eroica Symphony - BAM BAM! Beethoven creates these unexpected, unprepared moments - (even more in the later sonatas) - that are as integral to the music as are the melodic themes. The dotted rhythms, the dotted rests, the 64th rest in the third measure are all very specifically notated and need to be exact. The accuracy is one of my big challenges with this - trying to subdivide the rhythms in my head while sitting on those held chords.
I also watched the TB video with Leon Fleisher and Ben Laude, where Mr. Fleisher suggests not placing the pedal until after the chord is played - particularly to separate the 32nd grace notes before the chords so that they're not included in the chord's sound. And notice that there's no 32nd note lead-in to that first forte chord. It's as though Beethoven wants you to jump out of your seat.