Great Running away

The Great Running away in major B flat for String quartet, opus 133, from Ludwig van Beethoven, made up between 1824 and 1825 as a last movement of the Quatuor COp 130 , then was detached from this work to be published separately in May 1827. Work visionary, monumental in his dimensions and in its expressive power, she is regarded as the crowning of work for quartet of Beethoven.

Context

The Grande Running away is one of very last works of Beethoven. Only the Quartets COp 131 and COp 135 were posterior for him. It was thus at the beginning the sixth and last movement of the Treizième Quartet , where it succeeded painful the Cavatine. Beethoven estimated much its Fugue, in connection with which he had entrusted to his friend the violonist Holz: “It is not art only to make a running away: I made some per dozen, at the time of my studies. But imagination claims also its rights; and today, it is necessary that another spirit, truly poetic, enters the ancient form” . The quartet was created by Schuppanzigh on March 21st 1826. Only the second and sixth movements were applauded and north winds. Beethoven being made bring back the scene entered in rage and declared: “oxen! Asses! yes, these delicacies! they are made them be used again once again! Why not rather the running away? It only should have been rejouée. ”

However its dimensions out of the commun run, the virtuosity which it required of the executants of the time and the icy reception of the public led the Artaria editor to claim that the running away is separated from the quartet and is published in share. Beethoven which had never had as a practice to worry about the whims of the public nor of the complaints of the instrumentalists carried out only with great regret. It composed with the autumn of 1826 a finale of substitution for the Treizième Quartet - a Allegro not missing interest, but incomparably lighter than the initial finale. It was its ultimate completed work.

The Great Running away and criticism

During the 19th century work was appreciated hardly better. Daniel Gregory Mason judged it “pushing back” while Louis Spohr spoke about a “indecipherable horror” . It was necessary to await the beginning of the 20th century so that this work is finally recognized like major piece. Stravinski which had not always liked Beethoven stated at the end of its life to see there “an immortal and forever contemporary work” . Today few specialists dispute that it is about one of the greatest achievements of Beethoven.

Music

The Grande Running away is a demonstration of the processes tested by Beethoven during its last creative time. Thus it combines the Sonata form, the style running away and the Variation; it shares with the finale of the Ninth Symphony the characteristic to contain several sections, like as many movements inside single a great movement; each section is built on a transformation of the initial topic.

Adaptations

Beethoven transcribed the running away for piano with four hands in April 1826 under the number of opus 134. This version is very seldom played.
P.D.Q. Bach drew a parodic version from it, Grossest Fugue (the most vulgar running away, in English).

The redécouverte of the manuscript

December 1st 2005 , an original manuscript comprising 80 pages of the Grande Running away (the version transcribed by Beethoven for piano with four hands and published under the opus 134) was sold with London by the house Sotheby' S for 1,13 million books (1,6 million euros). That made 115 years that this partition had disappeared. The purchaser is Bruce Kovner, a multi-billionaire who made gift of it, as well as 139 other original and rare partitions, with the Juilliard School in February 2006. The manuscript had been found in the cellars of the Palmer Theological Seminary , with Philadelphia (the USA) in July 2005.

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