Just A Minuet?

[ahinton]

No, nothing to do with the venerable Nicholas Parsons and his long running series but something heard just after 6.30 p.m. yesterday on R3 following broadcast of a movement from Beethoven's First Symphony with Berlin Phil conducted by Simon Rattle which was followed by the announcement that this was the Menuetto therefrom. Now if that movement's a minuet I'm a Somalian but what occurs to me is to wonder (a) who writes Mr Rafferty's scripts and (b) was he actually listening?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

No, nothing to do with the venerable Nicholas Parsons and his long running series but something heard just after 6.30 p.m. yesterday on R3 following broadcast of a movement from Beethoven's First Symphony with Berlin Phil conducted by Simon Rattle which was followed by the announcement that this was the Menuetto therefrom. Now if that movement's a minuet I'm a Somalian but what occurs to me is to wonder (a) who writes Mr Rafferty's scripts and (b) was he actually listening?

'Tis Beethoven's own description.

[Zucchini]

Now if that movement's a minuet I'm a Somalian …

Are you just here on holiday?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

'Tis Beethoven's own description.

Oh ... beg yer pardon; taasi waa magaciisa.

[ahinton]

'Tis Beethoven's own description.

I'd either not realised or not remembered that! Some "menuetto", though!...

[ahinton]

Are you just here on holiday?

I did say "if"! - and it would in any case be a very long holiday if I were...

[ahinton]

Oh ... beg yer pardon; taasi waa magaciisa.

You been at the Google translate, then?(!)...

[Pabmusic]

No, nothing to do with the venerable Nicholas Parsons and his long running series but something heard just after 6.30 p.m. yesterday on R3 following broadcast of a movement from Beethoven's First Symphony with Berlin Phil conducted by Simon Rattle which was followed by the announcement that this was the Menuetto therefrom. Now if that movement's a minuet I'm a Somalian but what occurs to me is to wonder (a) who writes Mr Rafferty's scripts and (b) was he actually listening?

Beethoven's 1st has a third movement marked "Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace. H. C. Colles famously recounted that Elgar had been so moved by the modulations in te first few bars that he couldn't speak (he was apparently very young). Beethoven transformed the Minuet into the Scherzo.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

You been at the Google translate, then?(!)...

Yes - it's a pirate copy.

Yes, "Minuetto" does seem somewhat inappropriate for the Movement - presumably Ludders took the conventional name and only came up with "Scherzo" as a better idea later. (But then, there's a "Trio" in all his Symphonies that are all played by considerably more than three players.)

[Bryn]

Yes - it's a pirate copy.

Yes, "Minuetto" does seem somewhat inappropriate for the Movement - presumably Ludders took the conventional name and only came up with "Scherzo" as a better idea later. (But then, there's a "Trio" in all his Symphonies that are all played by considerably more than three players.)

Hmm.Beethoven did sometimes use the term "Scherzo" in relation to certain movements in later works, but also avoided the term in some still later symphonies, for instance. Some of his minuet and trio movements are not jokey enough for the term "Scherzo", perhaps.