Beethoven and British
Punk rock
By Nico Vessia
Demographics
British Population
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modern day = 62.23 million people
2000 = 58.89
1990 = 57.25
1980 = 56.31
1970 = 55.66
1960 = 52.41
British Ethnicity
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87.8% white
2.6% indian
1.8% pakistani
1.8% mixed
1.5% black african
1.1% caribbean
.8% chinese
.8% any other ethnic group
.7% other asian
.7% bangladeshi
.2% other black
Religion
● Official religion of Britain is
Christianity as practiced by the
Anglican Church
● It constitutes 71% of the
population
● 23% follow no religion
Landmass
● Great Britain has an area
of 88,745 sq. miles and is
the largest of the British
isles
Geographical Influences
● 9th largest island in the world
● The climate of Great Britain is
temperate and is moderated by the gulf
stream
● The flora of Great Britain has a large
variety of trees and 1,500 species of
wildflowers
● Habitat destruction in Great Britain is
do to the rapid industrialization
throughout the decades
Political Influences
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A unitary democracy governed by a constitutional
monarchy
Prime minister is the head of the government and the
monarch is head of the state
Legislative power is held by the parliament of the
United Kingdom and House of Commons and the
House of Lords
Highest national court is the supreme court of the
United KIngdom
Two largest political party is the conservative party
and the Labour party
Politics influenced British punk bands because it
created a disunity between the people and the
government which can be heard in of the cultures
songs.
Social Influences
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Before the industrial revolution britain was divided
into a caste system
Has had a mix of male and female leaders
throughout its history
Was factored by wealth, occupation, and
education
Consisted of a lower, middle, and higher class
society
Most punk bands were low and middle class
Society influenced British punk bands
because the typical old British society was
divided throughout its history causing it to be
dragged along from one generation to
another.
Economical influences
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First country to industrialise making it very
dominant in a global economy
Government involved in the British economy is
primarily exercised by the HM treasury and the
Department of Business
Its currency is the pound sterling
The Bank of England is the UK’s central bank
and is responsible of setting interest rates
Economics influenced British punk rock
because most songs talk about the
government interfering and controlling
their own personal finances and freedom.
Religious Influences
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Throughout its history Britain is mostly a Christian state
To be more specific Britain was a Catholic state then
transferred to being part of the Anglican church which is
a British version of the Catholic belief
This switch was because of a dispute between the KIng
Henry and the Pope
Religion influenced British punk bands because it
caused many bands to question the control of
Christianity on the public.
Culture
Idiom
● British punk rockers often appeared in denim sleeveless jackets with
patches on them with skinny ripped jeans, wallet chains were often found
as well
● Hair styles such as mohawks and liberty spikes were often popular
● Neutral colors such as black and white were worn a lot
● Dances performed at British punk rock concerts were often very violent
and was the introduction of “moshing”
● “Moshing” is the intense pushing of one another while music is being
played in a fast or upbeat fashion
● Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco were often found at British punk concerts,
however some “punk scenes” varied from one another about this issue
● Songs were often fast paced and angry to portray their thoughts about the
world they lived in
Pictures
Specific Culture
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Mostly comprised of teenagers and young adults
Mostly were liberal and anti-establishment type people
However were unified by shared values about the world
Punk rock culture mainly spread to the United Kingdom
and the United States of America
Instruments
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Bass guitar
Electric guitar
Drums
Vocals
Musical Excerpt
● Sheet music from a
popular British punk
song called God Save the Queen
by the Sex Pistols
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2M_hpoPwk
Biography
Life
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Ludwig Van Beethoven (December 16, 1770 March 26, 1827)
Beethoven took an interest in music at very early
age, became a child prodigy
Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770
In 1782, before the age of 12 he published his first
work called 9 variations of C minor on piano
April 2nd, 1800 he debuted Symphony No.1 in C
major at the Royal Imperial theatre in Vienna
As life went on he began to lose hearing
May 7th, 1824 was when he first played the
Symphony No.9
He passed away peacefully in 1827 surrounded his
by friends and family
Studies
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Considered as a very studious individual
He constantly practiced violin and cavalier
Also took lessons from organists in his town
At the age of 10 left regular school and began
to focus on music
● Was sent to Vienna to study music
● Created one of his first works called the
Cantata on the death of Emperor Joseph II
Young Ludwig
Influences
● Mozart was heavily influenced onto him by his
father
● His father continued to make Beethoven a
prodigy
● Local musicians helped teach little Beethoven
● Renowned musician Gottlob Neefe taught him
as well
● Took lessons from Hayden, Albrechtsberger,
and Salieri
Mozart
Idiom
● Beethoven normally wrote his works
in symphonies
● There were 9 symphonies total
● Regarded his songs as more
dramatic compared to other
composers
Prominent Works
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Most famous for his nine symphonies
The fifth and nine symphonies are the most famous
Known very well for his piano sonatas
Famous for Moonlight Sonata and The Pathetique
Sonata
Specific Musical Piece
● Beethoven's 3rd symphony (Eroica)
was very prominent
● It showed off Beethovens political
side during his time period
● The 3rd symphony was about
Napoleon Bonaparte before he came
into power
● Beethoven later hated him and the
French
Napoleon Bonaparte
Music Theory
● The 3rd symphony Eroica portrays lots of
emotion and structural rigor
● Known to features many styles
● Included many instruments
● Was met with mixed reviews at the time,
considered a masterpiece today
● Tones switch from a “funeral march” to
more happy uplifting music
● Separated into four movements called the
Allegro con brio, Adagio assai, Allegro
vivace, and the Allegro molto
Music excerpt
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Beethoven’s 3rd symphony Eroica
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=lDGPb86o1FA&noredirect=1
Excerpt
● Beethoven’s pre dedication for the 3rd
symphony Eroica
Contrast
● British punk rock was not organized as compared to
Beethoven's works
● Beethoven includes more instruments in his works
● British punk rock was catered towards the lesser people
rather than the aristocracy
● British punk rock was sometimes inharmonious as
compared to Beethoven
Compare
● Beethoven and British punk rock both show emotion
when they performed
● Both sectionalized people into different groups based
off their music
● Both shared same ideologies of anti-authority
● Both shared religious values by dismissing or
challenging them
Secondary Source
● Both portray emotion that was unheard in their time period
o Beethoven was known as the catalyst or bridge between
classical and romantic genre
 This was because of the magnitude of emotion portrayed
whenever he performed his pieces
 His preciseness and perfection influenced a sense of beauty
that was not heard of before
o The Sex Pistols pioneered and set the “framework” for a British
Punk rock band
 Lots of “on stage” motion and dancing was rampant
 emotion on stage help develop the punk rock community as
a whole, it further entered into how British Punks acted in
society
Primary Source
● The greatest similarity between the British Punk Rock and Beethoven is
the shared ideologies of anti-authority
o Beethoven showed that he was against Napoleon Bonaparte, since
the french attacked Vienna
 He believed that no one should be emperor and rule with such
power
o The Sex Pistols believed in a state without authority
 No respect for authority or laws elevates the punks attitude
towards a greater freedom
 Their disobedience can be seen in most of their songs, as in “God
Save the Queen” as it slanders their home country and their
leader
works cited
british population
http://www.ethnicity.ac.uk/population/size.html
http://www.visitbritain.com/en/About-Britain/Religion/
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/britain/britain.htm
http://geography.about.com/od/unitedkingdommaps/a/Great-Britain-Facts.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_structure_of_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k3fml2IXejs/Tkoczkf__zI/AAAAAAAAA24/lGVvwIeiwI0/s1600/Peavey%2BT-40%2B1979.JPG
guitar image
http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/images/westminster%20dusk.jpg
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article8805586.ece/alternates/w620/24-tolerancetrust-afpgt.jpg
http://www.parikiaki.com/wp-content/uploads/British-economy_0.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Beethoven_Hornemann.jpg
work cited page 2
drums image
microphone image
http://www.onlinesheetmusic.com/anarchy-in-the-uk-p119479.aspx
http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html
http://www.biography.com/people/ludwig-van-beethoven-9204862
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/spring03/aguilar/BeeNine.htm
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/enj10/complete/content/unit/persp_08.htm
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Eroica_Beethoven_title.jpg/250px-Eroica_Beethoven_title.jpg
http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Oeuvres_Presentation/ImagesPresentations/Beethoven-EroicaSymphonyShannonSiemens_Partition.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Beethoven.jpg
http://todoaustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Mozart.jpg
http://www.mtosmt.org/gifs/bartok_overlay.png
work cited page 3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_(Beethoven)
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