Is Jazz originated in the final sonata composed by Beethoven? 

 by Masakuni Tako
  
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology,
University of the Ryukyus
Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0123, Japan


          Jazz has been defined as "The art which was born into encountering between the black people and the European music in New Orleans, United States of America."   At that time, it is said that Creoles of color-the children of mixed marriages with black and white people, who had got an ability to perform the European classical music, had played a dominant role in the birth of the Jazz. The Creoles of color had own Opera House where the musicians, trained in European techniques of harmony and melodic variation, played with precision and grave in heart. The Creole-of color musicians also served as teachers for their less privileged cousins, who lived in the Uptown district--poorly educated former slaves who had been freed after the Civil War in 1865 in New Orleans. Furthermore, these people had their own music too, a much rougher style derived from African rhythms and folk forms and filled with simple improvisation.     

           It is said that the Jazz music began from the piano music, including ragtime in which the compositions combined European harmony and melody with ragged rhythms, with black peculiar rhythmic sense by the improvised dynamic playing with syncopated rhythms together poly-rhythms (double-dotted rhythms) from 1870 to 1890. Afterwards, Jazz was made up for the brass band, then it has been developed and evolved to many music styles through the 20th century.  Ludwig van Beethoven is well known as that he has asked the human,s intrinsic natures and expressed the own dignity, dream, passion, fighting, victory, love, gladness, sorrow, hope, free, crying, and praying in his many genre of the music. Especially, he has asked his intrinsic own natures in a genre of the piano sonata which has been composed 32 pieces for 30 years from 1793 to 1822.

          The work which I would like to point out as an origin of the Jazz is the second movement (C major) of the final piano sonata (Opus 111, No. 32) composed by Beethoven at the  age of 51 on January in 1822.

The theme of the movement, Arietta (small aria), reminds me of the spiritual, the sense of which is leaving hope to the future life. I feel, in the primary variation, that he is groping for a certain new world of the music.

In the second variation, I hear as if he had discovered the new rhythmic world, syncopated rhythm, which increased gradually together with the hope for the future in his own world.

In the third variation, an inspiration has suddenly come out in his mind with improvised intensively explosive syncopated rhythm, poly-rhythm and poly-phony with great gladness. I think that he, at that time, has impressed by opening the door of completely new world of the music, syncopated rhythms and poly-rhythm with improvisation which had been inspired from leaving hope to the future life.  All elements of the jazz are involved in the third variation, syncopated rhythm, poly-rhythm, and improvisation.
       
I feel that, in the fourth variation, he has made a great impression on himself and intensified deeply in his spirit, then the spirit raised extremely resulting in subliming. In the last variation (fifth), I feel that he has satisfied by himself for creating the new music world, but he has realized that he had only a little times to develop the new music world. Consequently, he has leaved the created new world of the music to people in the next generation and has passed away calmly.

Thus, the second movement intensively strikes the heart and gives great impression to ask persons. Indeed, the second movement is consisted of the glorious variation sonata. He clearly expressed himself the reason for finishing the genre of the piano sonata through the second movement of the sonata.

However, I like most the third movement of the previous piano sonata No. 31 (Opus. 110), in which he is praying to God with disappointing and sorrowing for decease of Josephine.The sonata has been composed all most the same time with final sonata No. 32.  However, on the first movement of the final Sonata No. 32, opus 111, I feel he has overcome his praying to God, therefore, he has been fighting seriously and finally win a victory.
         Consequently, he has been spiritually awakened to alive as if he was become God in mind. That why the sonata had been composed by the tenacity which was caused by that he wanted to give as the great legacy to the human beings in the next generation. It could be said that Beethoven had investigated the hope for the future and the immortal life into the new world of the music in the finale of the sonata.
         On the other hand, I mentioned above that the theme of the finale Sonata, Arietta; (small aria) remind me a spiritual, the sense of which is leaving hope to the future life. This gives a very important suggestion, because the spirituals had also played an important role in the birth of the Jazz music
        Therefore, I have tried to look up a spiritual, the sense of which is similar to that of the theme (Arietta) of the second movement of the final Piano Sonata. Accordingly, I was surprised that the sense of a spiritual, "Deep River" is in agreement with that of the theme, Arietta of the sonata.
        It is said that the "Deep River" seemed to be composed in 1816 to 1824 which has been referred to the book entitled "Negro Slave Songs in the United States" written by  Miles Mark Fisher in 1953.
         The course of the "Deep River" is greatly read as that of a man,s life. To the slave, it must have been a river like the Mississippi. To the slave dreaming freedom, it was a channel of escape, a final hurdle before finding safety in the North of Mississippi Rive, or Canada. The song might be originated in North Carolina. Its title have referred to the name of the local Quaker meeting-house, "Deep River". This congregation was active in the purchase and release of slaves, and in aiding their return to new colonies in Africa. In such a context, the deepest river would be the Atlantic Ocean itself.
         Thus, this suggestion gives an important problem, because the second movement of the final Sonata co-involves in the spiritual and Jazz music which are in agreement with the course of the birth of the Jazz music as I mentioned above. Namely, the course of the second movement, five variations, is also greatly read as that of the Beethoven,s life.
         Beethoven had troubles on his rheumatism and jaundice when he has been  composing the second movement of the final sonata, since he stayed in Barden and Medlink for long months to cure his sickness. He was composing the Missa Solemnis too, at that time. Furthermore, he also started to compose the No. 9th Symphony (Chorus). However, his body told to himself to give up, so that he prayed to God for getting the immortal life. Such spirit can feel from the 3rd movement of the previous piano sonata No. 31 which has also been composed at the same time followed sonata No.32.
         Consequently, I think that Beethoven has investigated the hope for the future and the immortal life in the new world of the music in the second movement of the final sonata. Namely, it can be said that the spirits of Beethoven, at that time, were in agreement with those of Creoles of color and negro slaves. On the basis of the spirits, the new world of the music had been composed by Beethoven resulting the origin of Jazz.
         It was great surprise and glad to discover the spirit of negro slaves and a prototype of the Jazz in the work of Beethoven. He asked the human,s intrinsic natures and indicated the own dignity in his music for a long time. There is no person who asked and expressed such natures and dignity in the music over around the world even now.
         Furthermore, it is well known that Beethoven had lived in independent spiritual world, therefore he created many genres of the music. The evidence is able to know especially from the works composed in his second term. He has made much influence on not only the world of romantic music but also of Jazz music regardless after 70 years in his death. As if, he had foreseen the birth of the Jazz even at that time (1821).
               There would be lived on a Creoles of color who had played Beethoven,s final  piano sonata No. 32 opus 111 at that time in New Orleans. Then, the man who had impressed from the sonata and got the inspiration must be happy. Evidently, Beethoven is the man who has composed the original music for the human beings.
        Consequently, there is a little possibility that Beethoven had got information from negro slaves and spirituals, especially, the spiritual named "Deep River."  We must investigate such speculations. Furthermore, we must also investigate the role of the Creoles of color in the birth of the Jazz in more detail.

        Finally, I would like to propose that the piano sonata No. 32 Opus 111 composed by Beethoven should be entitled as the "Jazz Sonata".

References

1) Miles Mark Fisher. Negro Slaves in the United States, Citadel Oress, New York, U.S.A., 1953.
2) Billy Taylor. Jass piano-a Jazz history, Wm. C. Brown Company Publisher, U.S.A., q983.
3) Kenneth Drake. Beethoven sonatas and creative experience, Indiana University Press,
   Indianapolis U.S.A., 1994.
4) Neil Tesser. Guide to Jazz, Bloomebury Publishing Company, London, U.S., 1998.
5) Masakuni Tako. Jazz is originated in the final sonata composed by Beethoven (Japanese), The
Okinawa Times Press, Okinawa, Japan, 19th December, 1999.