Classical Convert

Getting The Beet Right

I’m so effing proud of myself. I can identify Beethoven in a crowd. That might not sound so impressive to you guys: one of the most famous composers in the history of history, yadda yadda. The trick isn’t recognizing pieces I already know — that happens without even trying, you don’t have a choice recognizing a piece you are familiar with, it snaps together like a coat fastener. What I mean is that I’m now getting pretty good at recognizing the composer of pieces I have never heard before. So, when this was playing on NPR the other night:

I was anticipating, with just a tidbit of baited breath, the name “Beethoven” to be brought up after it ended. And brought up it was.

And then, of course, it seems obvious. Naming the owner of a composition is easy in hindsight, when you can point out how the rolling bass notes bits sound really similar to the first movement of the Apassionata, and such. Committing in advance is much harder to do. It’s fun though. It’s a challenge. Often, while rolling back from Wegman’s, G and I spend the time guessing/arguing over the potential identity of our soundtrack. We sift through names, as the parts of the piece shift. And sometimes, more often now, we get it right.