Beethoven's Violin Concerto

Ludwig van Beethoven is considered one of the greatest and most influential composers in the history of music. His Violin Concerto in D Major has been played by nearly every soloist in the past 150 years and, today, it is one of the major works in violin repertoire. Since its premiere by Franz Clement in the winter of 1806, many aspects of the violin, bow, and performance have undergone changes. This paper discusses the modern day knowledge of Beethoven 's Violin Concerto, and how it is influencing the way violinists interpret and perform the concerto. It also points out some of the different performance styles starting from Clement 's time to the present day. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) was born in Bonn, which is part of modern Germany. He was a great talent as a child; some even said he was a successor to Mozart. At the age of twenty-two, he moved to Vienna, Europe 's great center of music, to learn from Joseph Haydn. Throughout his life, Beethoven struggled emotionally with his gradual loss of hearing. As his hearing became worse, so did his mood. Compounding the problem was the medical treatment, which often contained high level of poisonous heavy metals such as lead. He moved to Heiligenstadt in 1802 at his doctor 's encouragement to seek solitude and rest. When he realized that his hearing was not improving, he again contemplated suicide. At the depth of despair, he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament. Addressed to his brothers, this letter was also a will, and suicide note. He concluded that “the only thing that held me back was my art. For indeed it seemed to me impossible to leave this world before I had produced all the works that I felt the urge to compose.”1 Fortunately, Beethoven never sent it to his family. A few months later, his spirits lifted considerably with the success of two premieres, his second symphony and third Piano Concerto, which he soloed with the orchestra.2 The Violin Concerto came directly from the urge that he expressed

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