Beethoven vs Mozart: Who Truly Reigns Supreme in Classical Music?

[jhooper3581]

Hmm... Who wins?

 

[cronxeh]

Beethoven. Most works of Mozart I find boring, boroquey, and classical. Beethoven on the other hand, is like Happy Hardcore vs Techno. It has a kick, a pizzazz, a vroom-vroom to your zoom-zoom

 

[jhooper3581]

Beethoven. Most works of Mozart I find boring, boroquey, and classical. Beethoven on the other hand, is like Happy Hardcore vs Techno. It has a kick, a pizzazz, a vroom-vroom to your zoom-zoom

LOL thanks for the reply!

IMHO, I think Mozart is more musically brilliant, but I like Beethoven better.

 

[Lacy33]

Not crazy about the way this poll was worded because Mozart is probably more "brilliant."

But Beethoven is more brutal and the passion changes people. Beethoven is a Bashing genius. A bombastic mess of raw delight. Laid out flat with exhaustion. Heart stopping changes and explosions in direction.
But Mozart is more brilliant. He's cute. Sweet. Fun.
Beethoven is NOT for children under 52.

 

[cronxeh]

Beethoven is NOT for children under 52.

Oh good, I'm 25, that qualifies me by symmetry.

 

[Stratosphere]

Why must people continue to compare them? They were both great, it's just a matter of personal taste.

Not crazy about the way this poll was worded because Mozart is probably more "brilliant."

How was he more "Brilliant"? I'd like to know.

 

[Pythagorean]

Mozart, but to be fair, Mozart's father was a musician (genetic influence) and a music teacher (learned influence). Despite that, Mozart was said to go above and beyond his father's teachings, even as a child.

 

[lisab]

Mozart, but to be fair, Mozart's father was a musician (genetic influence) and a music teacher (learned influence). Despite that, Mozart was said to go above and beyond his father's teachings, even as a child.

Beethoven's grandfather was a musical director, and his father was a choir singer and music teacher.

 

[Lacy33]

Why must people continue to compare them? They were both great, it's just a matter of personal taste.



How was he more "Brilliant"? I'd like to know.

You know Strats, I just wrote out this long explanation for you and realized, this forum is not full of dummies.
Mozart was probably more brilliant. That is not to say talented. Beethoven had to work harder. And it showed. Some of us like it better! :!)

 

[Pythagorean]

Beethoven's grandfather was a musical director, and his father was a choir singer and music teacher.

Yeah, I suppose in reality that's how a lot of society was in the day, you worked where your parents did.

 

[Dembadon]

I've no idea who was more "brilliant." I enjoy Mozart's compositions more.

One of my favorites:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7lC1lRz5Z_s&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7lC1lRz5Z_s&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Edit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zi8vJ_lMxQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zi8vJ_lMxQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[Char. Limit]

Johann Sebastian Bach was better than both of them, I'm afraid.

The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is one of the best pieces that have been ever made in my quite prideful opinion.

 

[Dembadon]

Johann Sebastian Bach was better than both of them, I'm afraid.

The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is one of the best pieces that have been ever made in my quite prideful opinion.

I love Bach, but he is not in the poll. *shakes finger*

 

[zoobyshoe]

Mozart was certainly more brilliant; quite the prodigy, but I had to vote for Beethoven because I like his music better.

 

[zoobyshoe]

The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is one of the best pieces that have been ever made in my quite prideful opinion.

A couple of the musical composition majors, and a few other musicians I went to Oberlin with claimed this was not a particularly good fugue, that Bach wrote many very much better ones. I'm not in a position to judge, but it always struck me as weird that anyone would prefer a piece that was intellectually more interesting over one that sounded better.

 

[Andre]

Hmm, from pure unrational enjoyment of the music, it seems that the dynamics of Mozart hardly span 6-9dB and has a tight rhythm causing some boredom to me after maybe 10-15 minutes despite the genial harmonic melody, while, Beethoven especially in his later works- creates genial suspense to me with the variation in the full dynamic range from a single instrument in pianissimo to the full orchestra in fortissimo and variation in rhythm which never stops intrueging.

Example: The Violin concerto



(note that you can hear the volume being turned down at minute 1:27 to reduce the dynamics within range of the audiosystem; you won't suffer from that when you're there in person)

But I'm sure somebody will explain that it's actually the oppossite

 

[Chi Meson]

Johann Sebastian Bach was better than both of them, I'm afraid.

The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is one of the best pieces that have been ever made in my quite prideful opinion.

I was just going to reply "Bach." But in spirit of the poll I will instead say:

"yes"

 

[leroyjenkens]

I like Tchaikovsky.

Mozart's father was a musician (genetic influence)

He had a music gene?

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Hmm, from pure unrational enjoyment of the music, it seems that the dynamics of Mozart hardly span 6-9dB and has a tight rhythm causing some boredom to me after maybe 10-15 minutes despite the genial harmonic melody, while, Beethoven especially in his later works- creates genial suspense to me with the variation in the full dynamic range from a single instrument in pianissimo to the full orchestra in fortissimo and variation in rhythm which never stops intrueging.

For dynamics Beethoven had the advantage of technological advances, in that keyboard and string instruments became significantly more powerful and robust during his working lifetime, making the dimension of dynamics much more interesting, and I agree he exploited it well. Of course, he was also deaf, so appreciated the very loud bits!

Personally I think the best of Beethoven is better than anything of Mozart, but a lot of his work is below the fluency of Mozart. He seems to exhibit the beginning of a trend towards trying to be original by deliberately being unexpected, especially in his later output. That only works up to a certain point before being unexpected too often gets predictable and irritating. Being unexpected works better in smaller doses, as in Haydn's "Surprise" symphony.

 

[GeorginaS]

Mozart was certainly more brilliant; quite the prodigy, but I had to vote for Beethoven because I like his music better.

What zooby said.

 

[elect_eng]

Trying to compare two geniuses is as futile as comparing two beautiful women. Still, I have a preference for Beethoven.

Beethoven is the "Einstein" of music.

Mozart, is the "Euler" of music.

Bach is the "Newton" of music.

 

[Dembadon]

... But in spirit of the poll I will instead say:

"yes"

You, sir, are the winner.

I like Tchaikovsky. ...

He is not one of the choices. *grumble*

 

[Jonathan Scott]

I like Tchaikovsky.

He is not one of the choices. *grumble*

Although I like a lot of Tchaikovsky (especially 5th and 6th Symphonies), I think a lot of his stuff comes over as "mass-produced", in a similar way to a lot of modern film music (although nothing like as badly). For example, he often makes over-heavy use of trivial patterns, such as repeating a similar passage at higher and higher pitch to build up tension (then if that doesn't last long enough, dropping back and doing it again).

 

[zoobyshoe]

Beethoven is the "Einstein" of music.

No. Einstein was the Stravinsky of physics.

 

[waht]

I vote for Beethoven for reasons as mentioned by Bernstein, who was one of the best conductors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U14iJzdPtWI

 

[elect_eng]

No. Einstein was the Stravinsky of physics.

Hey, we can start a new poll !

 

[MotoH]

Beethoven was a little girl. He played piano like a deaf man.


Mozart on the other hand was the most BA piano player this side of the milky way.

 

[fourier jr]

9nBSGi86r-c[/youtube] [MEDIA=you...utube]6vtfaaDHXoA[/MEDIA] nuff said :wink:

 

[Lacy33]

Wow! von Karajan on dial-up. I love it. Thanks.

 

[MotoH]

nuff said

I have heard better music from a dead raccoon.