Question on Scottish folk song settings

[Chaszz]

I've read contrasting versions of Beethoven's own attitude toward these beautiful works. In one, I read that he became very absorbed while working on them, somewhat to his own surprise. In another, I read that he later dismissed them as "a lot of scribbling." Are there any other quotes or records of what he thought of them?

[jdidlock]

One of the comments made when all Beethoven's "British" folk song settings were broadcast during the BBC Radio 3 "Beethoven Experience" was that he didn't always see the words to the melodies Thompson was asking him to arrange but that when he did, he made a much better and more appropriate job of it. The performances broadcast were, I think, specially recorded for the "Experience" by a positive bevy of talent and were, without exception, delightful.

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The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves and wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell

[Michael]

Originally posted by jdidlock:
The performances broadcast were, I think, specially recorded for the "Experience" by a positive bevy of talent and were, without exception, delightful.

I didn't hear all of the broadcast performances but the vast majority - if not all of them - were taken from the "Complete Beethoven Edition" and may still be available as a seven CD set.

Michael

[jdidlock]

Are we really thinking about more than just the Scottish settings? I can only find one set of 12 settings labelled Scottish - WoO 156 - but there are lots of settings of Irish and Welsh and other "British" settings. The 156 settings were sung on the Radio 3 "Experience" by Felicity Lott, Ruby Philogene, John Mark Ainsley and Thomas Allen and they and others featured throughout the week in other groups of settings.

[Michael]

Originally posted by jdidlock:
Are we really thinking about more than just the Scottish settings? I can only find one set of 12 settings labelled Scottish - WoO 156 - but there are lots of settings of Irish and Welsh and other "British" settings. The 156 settings were sung on the Radio 3 "Experience" by Felicity Lott, Ruby Philogene, John Mark Ainsley and Thomas Allen and they and others featured throughout the week in other groups of settings.

Yes,I was referring to the complete set of song settings and the singers mentioned above are those performing in the Complete Beethoven Edition. The labels are sometimes misleading, i.e. several of the so-called British settings are actually of Irish songs and the Scottish and Irish settings were always getting mixed up, but this wasn't Beethoven's fault.

Michael

[jdidlock]

I stand corrected - or at least better informed.