Timely music by Beethoven and Leroy Anderson

Synopsis

On this date in 1814, Ludwig van Beethoven conducted the premiere performance of his Symphony No. 8. As the scherzo movement of his new symphony, Beethoven recycled a tune he originally used as a musical salute to Johann Nepomuk Maelzel, the inventor of the metronome. For a time, Maelzel was Beethoven’s friend and occasional collaborator on concerts and various mechanical projects.

Beethoven used Maelzel’s metronomes to add precise, if sometimes debatable, tempo markings to some of his earlier works. Some conductors choose to ignore these metronome markings, since they came after the fact of composition and at a time when Beethoven was increasingly deaf. In fact, in addition to metronomes, the versatile Maelzel also supplied the Beethoven with ear trumpets — the 19th-century version of hearing aids.

Perhaps Beethoven was using one of those ear trumpets when someone asked him why his Symphony No. 7 was more popular in Vienna than his Symphony No. 8. “Because the Eighth is so much better,” he growled in reply.

Closer to our own time, American composer Leroy Anderson, who lived from 1908 to 1975, immortalized the tick-tock of a mechanical timekeeper in his piece, The Syncopated Clock. Anderson was a master of the musical miniature, creating dozens of witty pieces with titles like Plink, Plank, Plunk, Bugler's Holiday, and Fiddle Faddle.

Music Played in Today's Program

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony No. 8; Berlin Philharmonic; Herbert von Karajan, conductor; DG 429 036

Leroy Anderson (1908-1975): The Syncopated Clock; St. Louis Symphony; Leonard Slatkin, conductor; BMG/RCA 68048

On This Day

Births

• 1848 - English composer Hubert Parry, in Bournemouth

Deaths

• 1887 - Russian composer Alexander Borodin, 53, at a fancy dress ball in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 15)

Premieres

• 1729 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 159 (Sehet, wie Gehn Hinauf gen Jerusalem) probably performed in Leipzig on Estomihi Sunday as part of Bach’s fourth annual Sacred Cantata cycle (to texts by Christian Friedrich Henrici, a.k.a. Picander) during 1728/29

• 1737 - Handel: opera Giustino, in London (Julian date: Feb. 16)

• 1740 - Handel: oratorio L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, in London at Lincoln’s Inn Field, with the premiere of Handel’s Organ Concerto No. 1 (Gregorian date: Mar. 9)

• 1814 - Beethoven: Symphony No. 8, in Vienna, with composer conducting

• 1908 - Amy Beach: Piano Quintet, at Boston’s Potter Hall, with the Hoffmann Quartet and the composer at the piano

• 1913 - Walter Damrosch: opera, Cyrano de Bergerac, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City

• 1915 - Miaskovsky: Symphony No. 3, in Moscow (Julian date: Feb. 14)

• 1940 - William Schuman: String Quartet No. 3, at Town Hall in New York City, by the Coolidge Quartet

• 1945 - Amy Beach: opera Cabildo, by the Opera Workshop at the University of Georgia in Athens, directed by Hugh Hodgson. The first professional production occurred on May 13, 1995, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City as a Great Performances telecast conducted by Ransom Wilson.

• 1947 - Hindemith: Piano Concerto, by the Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell conducting, with Jesús Maria Sanromá the soloist

• 1947 - Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 3, by the New York Philharmonic, Walter Hendel conducting

• 1949 - Elliott Carter: Woodwind Quintet, at Times Hall in New York City, at a new music concert of the National Association for American Composers and Conductors, sharing a program with Henry Cowell’s Suite for Wind Quintet, Vincent Perischetti’s Pastorale, Richard Franko Goldman's Duo for Tubas, Ingolf Dahl’s Music for Five Brass Instruments, and a revised version of Carl Ruggles’ Angles for seven brass instruments

• 1949 - William Schuman: Symphony No. 6, by the Dallas Symphony, Antal Dorati conducting

• 1950 - Elliott Carter: Cello Sonata, at Town Hall in New York, by cellist Bernard Greenhouse and pianist Anthony Markas

• 1958 - Peter Mennin: Piano Concerto, by the Cleveland Orchesttra conducted by George Szell, with Eunice Podis the soloist

• 1984 - Libby Larsen: Parachute Dancing for orchestra, by the American Composers Orchestra, Tom Nee conducting

• 1986 - U. Zimmermann: opera Weisse Rose (White Rose), in Hamburg by the Opera stabile

• 1999 - Peter Lieberson: Horn Concerto, at Carnegie Hall, with soloist William Purvis and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Others

• 1885 - First documented American performance of Handel’s Concerto Grosso No. 12, by the Boston Symphony, William Gericke conducting