Violin Concerto (Beethoven)

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Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major was written in 1806. It is Beethoven's opus 61.

The work was premiered on December 23, 1806 in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Beethoven wrote the concerto for his colleague Franz Clement, a leading violinist of the day, who had earlier given him helpful advice on his opera Fidelio. The occasion was a benefit concert for Clement.

It is believed that Beethoven finished the solo part so late that Clement had to sight-read part of his performance. Perhaps to express his annoyance, or to show what he could do when he had time to prepare, Clement interrupted the concerto between the first and second movements with a solo composition of his own, played on one string of the violin held upside down.

The premiere was not a success, and the concerto was little performed in the following decades.

The work was revived in the 1840s, well after Beethoven's death, with performances by the violinist Joseph Joachim, with the orchestra led by Felix Mendelssohn; ever since it has been one of the most important works of the violin concerto repertoire, and it is frequently performed and recorded today.

The work is in three movements:

Allegro ma non troppo
Larghetto
Rondo (Allegro)

The most important motif or musical idea of the work (five rhythmically even taps on the timpani) is heard in the first two bars of the first movement and can be found permeating the entire work.

After the timpani introduction, the movement continues leisurely with simple symmetrical phrases in the woodwind section until bar 10 where another important motif is first heard. This motif (which is itself based on the opening timpani figure) consists of four D-sharp notes in the key of D major (a striking dissonance). This motif reappears frequently in its own right later in the movement, especially in the development and Kreisler's cadenza. The solo violin's entrance, after the original statement of the first theme by the orchestra, is considered to be one of the hardest to pull off in the violin repertoire, due to a combination of sparseness of scoring, technically difficult octaves and the exceedingly long orchestral opening that precedes it. At around 25 minutes, this is one of Beethoven's longest single movements.

The structure of the first movement is not very complicated though it has many nuances here and there. First, the long theme is played without violin. After approximately three minutes violin enters and now the theme is repeated in an extended form with numerous violin's solo parts. However, the melody of "fortissimo part" of the long theme is now absent. After that follows yet another extended form of the theme. This time the very first theme is replaced by a different melody but now the fortissimo-part is included. After second extended variation of the long theme follows a violin driven section that does not have any resemblance to the structure of the long theme. However, some melodies from the theme are still utilized. After approximately three minutes, another extended theme starts. This time the very first melody is played loud but fortissimo-part's melody is again absent. Before cadenza, there is about two and half minutes long section, in which the fortissimo-part of the theme appears. After cadenza there is a short and peaceful finale that includes some melodies of the long theme.

The second movement, in G major, consists of variations on a theme first played at the opening by muted strings. In each of the variations there is always another instrument or section to play against the violin. For example, in the first variation, the horn section plays the opening motif from the theme while the violin plays other material. Ideas from the first movement can be occasionally found throughout the movement, most notably a theme in bar 45 has a striking resemblance to the first subject in the opening movement, and some references to the opening timpani motif can be found.

A harmonically interesting ending links attacca straight to the rondo finale which is in a 6/8 time signature, the main melody of which imitates a hunting horn or bird and is quite well known. A powerful section in the tonic minor adds pathos to an essentially chirpy movement. During this section, the bassoon echoes the minore theme after it is first heard in the violin, which can remind the listener of the third variation in the second movement in which the bassoon also played with the violin. There are frequent references to the timpani motif that opened the entire work throughout the finale: for example, four D major chords are played before the final violin cadenza.

Cadenzas for the work have been written by several notable violinists, including Joachim. The cadenzas by Fritz Kreisler are probably most often employed.

An arrangement of the work as a piano concerto exists as opus 61a, although it is uncertain whether the task was undertaken by Beethoven. There is evidence, however, to suggest that is was completed by a contemporary who was left some instruction by the composer to the manner in which to arrange the solo line. Regardless, Beethoven did write his own cadenzas for the arrangement which unusually feature the timpani as well as the solo instrument, possibly a reference to the opening timpani motif. These were later arranged for the violin by the 20th century violinists Max Rostal and Wolfgang Schneiderhan. This version is not so often played as his five "original" piano concertos.