Music has come a long way since the sixteenth century, the hay day of some of the worlds most influential musicians and composers. While those artists such as Ludwig von Beethoven outlined the foundation for the progression of music, it was artists such as Elvis Presley who later built upon those foundations and introduced music to mainstream society. Moreover, although these two musical titans reigned in two entirely different time periods, their success can be traced back to the common ingredients of style, innovation, and an influence on a general audience. In order to better assess the similarities and differences in the qualities possessed by each man, their lives must be compared and contrasted separately for clarity. Then, one would be able to properly pinpoint significant events and traits that have either contributed or hindered each mans musical contribution.
A musicians style is what distinguished him or her from other musicians. For example, Ludwig von Beethovens style is widely noted by critics as well as musicians around the world. His style is all but unmistakable as some would go so far as to say, This is Thor The Thunderer, the Heaven Stormer, the Prometheus of Music.(Goulding, 131) Through this claim, one could come to the conclusion that Beethovens music was very thunderous and intense when considering what is being represented in his comparison to the mythological beings such as Thor, the Viking thunder god, and Prometheus, the god who was considered the rebel of Olympus. That is a considerably powerful comparison, but it is also justified when one listens to the works of Beethoven.
On the flipside, there is Elvis Presley, whose ingenious fusing of two, perhaps more, styles of music have created a separate genre specifically for himself. By using the qualities of each style of music that fit his own style, Elvis is credited with the creation of Rock n Roll, which, according to dictionary.com, is a form of popular music arising from and incorporating a variety of musical styles, especially rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel. It is also characterized by electronically amplified instrumentation, a heavily accented beat, and relatively simple phrase structure. So, while Beethoven sought self-expression through intensity and volume, Elvis molded his own creation from the qualities of other sources of music. But that simply is not enough of an investigation to critically assess the development of the prowess associated with both men. In order to better describe their style, one must look at the origins of their music to appropriate significant events or practices that may have contributed to their development.
Ludwig von Beethoven was born into a family of musicians. His grandfather was greatly renowned across Europe for his talents, while Beethovens father was considered to be only mediocre as a musician. Still, with such a lineage of musicians in his family, young Beethoven literally had no choice but to become a musician as his alcoholic father harassed, chided, and even resorted to physical abuse in order to impose his will upon young Beethoven. Musical instruction began early for young Ludwig, forced harshly from age four by a tyrannical, alcoholic, sometimes violent father.(Goulding, 137) One could argue here that this abusive relationship would parallel that of Michael Jackson to Joe Jackson as both Jackson and Beethoven became very acclaimed as both musicians and as entertainers.
Following adolescence, Beethoven was invited to perform for kings and noblemen who were also influential towards the way music was played at that time. The nobility superceded the church as the center of music. Noblemen wanted noble music: polished, elegant, beautiful in style, tuneful, pleasant to the ear.(Goulding, 60) Much of Beethovens success is said to come from his exposure to the nobility.
As Beethoven grew older, however, he began to shy away from his old style, a period in his life called the Imitation period. This describes the time when Beethoven would build upon the works of Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. One might ask, why would he abandon a style or system that had worked so effectively for him? The answer is not really known, but one could speculate that Beethoven had sensed the change in times, and had decided to alter his musical direction accordingly. As he knew that the careers of both Haydn and Mozart had peaked and declined during the Classical Period. Perhaps Beethoven wanted more than that and sought change and reform as the world had just begun to do.
Germany later went into a period of enlightenment or a post Renaissance of sorts after events like the French Revolution and the American Revolution. These events also occurred around the same time as Beethovens first maturity, a time later to be called Beethovens External or middle period. In his first maturity he had progressed vigorously from youthful imitations of Mozart to command of contemporary tonal language and to the realization of his own unmistakable voice within that language.(Lockwood, 367)
As Beethoven began to emerge, he went against the grain of what most people had preconceived classical music to be. ...Classical composers were concerned primarily with the unity of their musical design. Obviously, great attention was paid to rhythm, as to melody, texture, and tone color, but the primary Classical objective was to blend them all in an orderly, reasoned way.(Goulding, 61) While most people had accepted this for fact, Beethoven used his innate prowess and his reputation in order to manipulate his compositions into a form that best suited himself. Keep in mind that this was also the time of the Beethoven whom todays public is most familiar with. Beethovens 5th Symphony, which begins with two phrases consisting of three successive notes followed by a fourth note that is three and a half steps lower than the rest, otherwise more popularly sang as Da da da daaaa......da da da daaaaa. This symphony is one of the worlds most noted and recognized, while others are generally ignored by the public.
This is also the time when Beethoven began to go deaf, first mildly, and, gradually totally,(Goulding, 135) aside from what people believe. Feeling discontent and frustration with his impediment, Beethoven became particularly reclusive from the rest of society. With that in mind, it is thusly plausible that the thunder and the roar, which are so closely associated with Beethovens music, are derived from Beethovens emotional distress from growing deaf. In addition, Beethoven was also said to turn life adversities such as his deafness and his inability to capture the love of a woman into artistic visions. Hence, Beethovens infamous nine symphonies were written as Beethoven progressively grew deaf. In addition, Beethoven had established himself as a rebel during this period of his life.
Indeed Beethoven caused a great deal of controversy during his External Period, which would only continue to grow as he entered his Reflection, or Late period. This was the time of the far out Beethoven, the time in which his compositions were said to transcend all previous music, soaring to the loftiest plains the human imagination could reach.(Goulding, 135)This describes the period in Beethovens life where music had lost all bound and limits. Perhaps this turn of events was Beethovens last look back toward the things that were and the things that could have been. Maybe that is where Beethovens fanciful approach toward his music originated. Just think, Beethoven has reached that point in his life, far past a midlife crisis, where things such as the bliss of youth and the appeal of a female companion were physically out of reach. But that may be the reason for Beethovens far out approach to his compositions, ergo, the title Reflection to describe the period of his life.
As such, the late compositions of Beethoven were not accepted by his critics at the time, and until just recently, during the 20th century, had Beethovens last works been recognized as works of genius. Moreover, it was Beethovens last works, four quartets, which were credited with the start of the Romantic Age in music. While these works were unappreciated at the time, it is possible that Beethovens works were introduced into a society that could not appreciate them yet as music had not progressed that far. It is only the twentieth century composers, by now far removed from the classical experience and committed to surpassing musical Romanticism, who would be able to appreciate fully the value of Beethovens last quartets.(Bergamini, 60)
Regarding Elvis Presley, he was born the surviving half of a set of twins to Gladys and Vernon Presley. Because of this, Gladys became somewhat overprotective of Elvis, and would usually keep Elvis from participating in boyish activities such as playing football with other youth. The family was so poor while living in East Tupelo, Mississippi that Vernon had to build their own home. Despite their financial struggle, the family had a strong Christian faith and as such, they frequently attended local church services. It was at the church where Elvis began his love for music and he indulged in it despite his sensitive ears.
Attending a southern church rooted him into the practices of gospel singing, and being so poor put the Presley family on the same grounds as the black community who lived there. Elvis, on one of the bottom rungs of society, felt a closer affinity with black people than he did with most whites of a higher status.(Mason, 60) This would prove to be beneficial later on when Elvis began his career as his well-diversified interest in styles of music helped him create his own voice.
Growing up in East Tupelo, Mississippi was not all bad as Elvis did gain some exposure at a very young age when he was sometimes invited to sing on air of the local radio station by his mentor, Mississippi Slim, a well-known southern country singer. Still, the familys financial problems had reached that point where it was in their best interest to move. Vernons move of the family to Memphis, Tennessee later proved to be a good investment, but at first, Elvis was having a miserable time at school. His experimentation with daring clothing styles earned him a loser label in high school, but it proved to be beneficial later on in his life. For the time being, Elvis did find some sanctuary in his music.
Elvis professional career began the summer after his graduation from high school when he recorded two songs at Memphis Recording Studios with the help of one Sam Phillips. After that, he did not go unnoticed as he was invited to perform on local television shows such as the Hayride. But where Elvis career really took off when he agreed to go on tour. As the story is told, Elvis was so nervous about performing for a live audience that his legs began to shake uncontrollably just before the curtain lifted. In an attempt to stop the shaking, he stood on the balls of his feet just as the curtain lifted. Naturally, when the crowds of teenaged fans saw him shaking his legs in such a provocative manner, they were captivated by it, and it only made the atmosphere even more tense for Elvis and made him shake even more. When he finally realized that it was in reaction to his movements, Elvis began to control it more, and thus he had created his own trademark, which would help boost his fame.
While teen fans raved over Elvis, the older generations scorned him. This was the time of the Cold War, and up until his debut, music was much less aggressive and up-tempo. Stars who reigned then were people such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Vic DeMone. To the fans of these men, Elvis was defiling music as they knew it, and his perverse hints must be censored. But Elvis really didnt need to carry that audience as both white teens and the black community. Elvis was the wrecking ball that broke down the wall that kept them suppressed. While teens loved his rebel image, but sweetheart nature, black musicians praised Elvis for helping their own music reach a commercial audience.(Mason, 6) Almost overnight, Elvis had created a mania in which his fan base was virtually unlimited.
With so much tension compressed into the hearts of the American public from issues such as the Cold War and the issues pertaining to racial segregation. The people were in desperate need of a ploy in which they could relieve the stress and tension. Their prayers were answered in the form of Elvis Presley. ...he blended all the strains of popular American music into one rebellious voice;(Mason, 6)
While it would seem that Elvis was sitting on top of the world, and that he couldnt be touched, the news of Elvis being drafted into the American army and having to serve for two years. Much of the older generation applauded this gesture and they anticipated the date of his deployment, but his fan base was severely shaken by this. Upon his return from service in the army, Elvis found that the world of music as he had known it, had drastically changed. Where Elvis had monopolized the industry, he found that he had opened a window for other stars to take advantage of his movement, especially in his absence. The main threat to Elvis career came from a British foursome who called themselves the Beatles. While their style contrasted that of his own, the public ate every lyric they sang, and naturally, Elvis resented them. The Beatles, on the other hand, contributed their success to Elvis and they absolutely adored him. To command such respect from yet another titan of music is truly remarkable and it shows how influential Elvis Presley had been on music worldwide. After that point in his life, Elvis career had reached a plateau, and then began to slowly decline. Although many fans remained loyal to Elvis, there was no way for him to combat the increasingly overflowing pool of talent that had followed him into mainstream music.
Now that the careers of these men have been assessed, one can pinpoint some similarities in the lives the two lived. While Beethoven reigned during what was called the Classical Age of music, and he is also credited with beginning the Romantic Age, Elvis Presleys music came about during the 20th Century era of music. By then, mainstream music had well evolved past the traditional European style of music, and a variety of music, which was once considered cultural, began to surface.
Moreover, Beethovens contribution to music did not end with his last published pieces because artists today still look back at his works for inspiration and guidance. The same applies to Elvis. While todays popular music has evolved a great deal, artists tend to sample his work and incorporate it into their own.
From this, it is evident that both Elvis Presley and Ludwig von Beethoven were masters of their trade despite the different means by which they obtained their titles. By creating a distinct style, these two musical geniuses were able to innovate and hold a lasting influence on their audiences. Perhaps there are alternate explanations for the success of Beethoven and Elvis, but it cannot be denied that these two men will live forever in musical history.
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Works Cited
Bergamini, Andrea. Masters of Music: Beethoven and the Classical Age. Hauppauge,
New York. Barrons Educational Series, Inc. 1999
Brown, Peter Harry and Pat H. Broeske. Down at the End of Lonely Street. New York,
New York. Penguin Putnam, Inc. 1997
Goulding, Phil G. Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1, 000 Greatest
Works. New York, New York. Ballantine Books. 1992
Lockwood, Lewis. Beethoven: The Music and the Life. New York, New York. W.W.
Norton and Company, Inc. 2003
Mason, Bobbie Ann. Elvis Presley. New York, New York. Penguin Putnam, Inc. 2003
