Beethoven composed his 9th Symphony in D minor in the summers between 1822 and 1824. It was premiered in Vienna, Austria in the winter of 1824.  The 9th symphony is one of, if not the most recognizable works written by Beethoven in his time. Certain critics and musicologists regard it as “the greatest accomplishment in classical music”. In an international orchestral survey in 2010, it stands as the most commonly played orchestral work.

The symphony was the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony (thus making it a choral symphony). The words are sung during the final (4th) movement of the symphony by four vocal soloists and a chorus. They were taken from the “Ode to Joy”, a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with text additions made by Beethoven. In 2001, Beethoven’s original, hand-written manuscript of the score, held by the Berlin State Library, was added to the United Nations Memory of the World Heritage list, becoming the first musical score to be named as such. 

The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, is written in traditional sonata form without an expositional repeat. The piece begins with the tonic chord of d minor before going into sets of oscillating 5ths. In measure 301, the piece shifts from the minor key into D major, altering the mood and tone of the movement. The movement then proceeds into a lengthy coda.

The second movement, Molto vivace, is written as a fast and lively movement. The movement is written in a compound ternary design in which the specific sections repeat but get noticeably shorter each time they are repeated. At times during the piece, Beethoven specifies one downbeat every three measures—perhaps because of the fast tempo—with the direction ritmo di tre battute (rhythm of three beats) and one beat every four measures with the direction ritmo di quattro battute (rhythm of four beats). Beethoven had been criticized in his more recent symphonies for failing to adhere to standard Classical form for his compositions. He used this movement to answer his critics and reintroduce a considerably older idea.

The third movement is an Adagio, written in F sharp major. The movement itself is slow to progress and acts as more of a catalyst into the 4th movement.

Finally, the 4th movement, Finale, is presented. The movement starts in the low strings with one of the most recognizable melodies in classical music, the “Ode to Joy”. The piece then proceeds to play on different sections imitating the movement that came before. The movement ends with a majestic set of chords that characterize the piece in a royal fashion.

Unfortunately, this was the last of Beethoven’s complete symphonies. An attempt to write the 10th one was made. However, it was never finished. Next week, we will look into what was written of the 10th symphony and investigate the different interpretations of which critics and musicologists tried to complete it with.

Beethoven’s eighth symphony is written F major and was composed and premiered in 1812. Beethoven fondly calls it his “little symphony” as it is the shortest of his 9 complete works. His eighth is characterized by a much more lighthearted tone when compared to that of his seventh and fifth. The piece is riddled with musical jokes and accented passages, alluding to a sense of humor and happiness.

The premiere took place on 27 February 1814, at a concert in Vienna, at which the Seventh Symphony (which had been premiered two months earlier) was also played. Beethoven was growing increasingly deaf at the time, but nevertheless led the premiere. Reportedly, “the orchestra largely ignored his ungainly gestures and followed the first violin instead.

The first movement, Allegro Vivace,  starts with the home chord of F major and begins a lively tune in 3/4. Like almost all of his works, the movement is written in sonata form. When the development section starts, a variety of eighth note runs are played in rapid succession going into a coda section. In the coda, the winds take a solid lead and push for an F chord that lands on a C chord, the dominant of F. The movement ends with a resounding sound back in the tonic chord, resolving the movement system.

The second movement, Scherzando, is played at a much faster tempo than the first. The movement is characterized with a much lighter tone than the rest of the symphony. It starts with rapid notes in the upper strings and imitations of bird noises in the woodwinds. The movement then moves into a staccato section, with altercations in accented notes. The accented notes play into this idea of “musical jokes”. Because of the direct contrast that this articulation has with more serious and somber tones, seasoned audience members tend to chuckle during performances of these specific sections.

The third movement, Menuetto, is slower than the 2nd movement. Like in most minuets, this one is written in ternary form, with a contrasting trio section containing prized solos for horns and clarinet. The movement is also recognized by a continuing pattern of triplets.

The fourth movement, Allegro Vivace, puts together all the thematic material we heard in the preceding movements into one unique blend. The idea of musical humor is still tugged at with light articulation in a relatively pleasing key. The movement ends with chords in F tonic, C dominant, and back in F tonic, concluding the blend of his second to last symphony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV1zTM2P_LE

Beethoven’s 7th symphony is written in A major and composed in 4 movements in 1812. The piece was premiered in the spring of 1812 and was performed for the first time as a charity concert for wounded Austrian soldiers in the War of the Sixth Coalition.

The first movement, Vivace, is noted for the number of ascending and descending scale patterns. In measure six, an ascending A major scale immediately starts and is taken over by the wind section. The pattern is then passed around the entire orchestra, with the upper strings taking over followed by the lower strings. The movement finishes with a long coda, which starts similarly as the development section. The coda contains a famous twenty-bar passage consisting of a two-bar motif repeated ten times to the background a grinding four-octave pedal point of an E.

The second movement, Allegretto, is an extensively popular movement. The fast, fun and brisk melodies set an immediate attraction with the audience. Currently, the movement is often played as an encore piece, separate from the entire four movements as a whole. The movement is also noted for being particularly strings heavy, with a lot of emphases placed on the string sections. The winds in this movement predominantly show their parts by playing and holding long tones while most of the movement comes from the strings. An example of this can be seen in measure 56 as the violins begin an incredibly difficult technical passage that sees them running up and down the fingerboard.

The third movement, Presto, is even faster than the second. The movement begins in F major then follows into a trio section of D major. Like many of his other works, this movement is written in the ternary form, with an introduction, a development, and recapitulation.

The final movement is a fiery end to a fantastic symphony. A majority of the movement is written in loud volumes. The piece ends on loud A major chords, rounding up all thematic materials into one simple weave.

Critics and listeners have often felt stirred or inspired by the Seventh Symphony. For instance, one program-note author writes:

… the final movement zips along at an irrepressible pace that threatens to sweep the entire orchestra off its feet and around the theater, caught up in the sheer joy of performing one of the most perfect symphonies ever written.

As the semester comes to a close and we start running out of Beethoven symphonies to write, I think that it is important to reflect on how Beethoven’s writing style has changed throughout his short life. The 7th symphony is one of the first examples of his writing style changes. His music becomes less square and more free to interpretation and movement. When we investigate his 8th next week, we will see for sure how his music has drastically changed.

Beethoven’s 6th symphony, also known as the Pastorale, was composed in F major and presented in the summer of 1808. This symphony is known for highlighting one of Beethoven’s favorite hobbies and pastimes, walking in nature. The symphony was premiered at the Wien theatre in Austria the same month of its completion.

At this point in his life, Beethoven had gone completely deaf. His inability to hear frustrated him and it was noted by many of his closest friends and colleagues that he had begun acting extremely irrational and dangerous as a result. However, with his hearing stripped away from him, Beethoven began spending much of his time taking walks in nature and local forests. During the composition of the piece, he frequently left his home in Vienna to explore the countryside The cheerful and happy melodies within the Pastorale symphony is a clear testament to that fact.

The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, begins with a very charming melody, indicating the composer’s initial arrival to the countryside. The pick-up eighth notes played in F major by the violins suddenly chime in. This melody is then further developed in the sonata form that the movement is written in. Beethoven continues to build themes and motifs based on this original violin melody with the winds.

The second movement, Andante, is written in the subdominant key of F major, B flat major. This movement is notably slower and sets a major contrasting tone with the tempo of the first movement. The second movement is primarily led by the string section with the baseline being played by a section of two cellos. The notes of the section are written chromatically, clearly representing the movement of the flowing waters commonly found in the Austrian countryside. The movement ends with cadenza by the oboes leading into the third.

The third movement, Allegro, sets another contrasting tone from the second. The movement is immediately faster representing an impending thunderstorm. The lower strings are required to play 64th notes at an almost unreasonable speed.

The final movement, Allegretto, returns to sonata-rondo form with another charming melody, similar to the first. The coda starts quietly and gradually builds to an ecstatic culmination for the full orchestra (minus “storm instruments”) with the first violins playing very rapid triplet trill on a high F. There follows a fervent passage suggestive of prayer, marked by Beethoven piano. After a brief period of afterglow, the work ends with two emphatic F-major chords.

Beethoven’s 6th symphony has left a strong impact on popular media and culture, not unlike the 5th. It was animated by Disney studios in 1999 to be featured in their Fantasia film.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 opus 67 in C minor was written between 1804 and 1808 in Vienna, Austria. It was debuted at the Theater an de Wien in Vienna and is one of if not the most iconic piece Beethoven has ever written. The famous intro to the symphony has ingrained itself in modern pop culture and is one of a few classical works that are almost universally recognized. The theme has been used in various forms of media and has seen itself included in incantations of multiple different genres of music.

The first movement, Allegro con Brio, immediately presents the themes of four notes that we have come to know so well. The movement then continues to develop through several keys and motifs. The development section sees Beethoven transition from the dark and brooding key of C minor to E flat major. The new section is introduced with sets of blaring fanfares from the brass section. Following it, the main theme recaps and the four, fortissimo notes return to prominence, ending the movement.

The second movement, Allegro con molto, is a slower, marching theme played in A flat major, the subdominant key of C minor. This movement is written in double variation form and there are two predominant themes to this movement and they are alternatively varied. The movement opens with a lyrical section played by the low strings. The theme is then varied with the rest of the string section and the woodwinds with an alteration in rhythm.

The third movement, Scherzo, suddenly becomes very fast. This particular movement is composed in ternary form, with the scherzo concluding with a trio section. The middle of the third movement returns to the dominant C minor key of the first, with a section of rising quarter notes played by lower strings and viola.

Finally, the fourth movement is a bombastic Allegro. Beethoven writes the Allegro in C major, a strange dissonant contrast with the dominant c minor key. This movement boasts an unusual alteration of the traditional sonata form. Instead of the movement recapitulating to the original theme completely. It plays the theme but in an alternate key. The movement concludes its finale with a barrage of massive C major chords blared by each section of the orchestra, one after the next, concluding Beethoven’s 5th symphony.

Beethoven 5 is, without a doubt, the most influential work that both he and the classical time period left for the audience. No other work has been so featured in all aspects of life that virtually everyone knows the main theme. Don’t believe me? Take a listen. tell me if you know it.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 Opus 60 in B flat major was composed in the summer of 1806. It was performed for the first time in the spring of the following year for Bohemian aristocrat, Joseph Franz von Lobkovitz. Like his previous works, Symphony No. 4 is composed of four movements, Allegro Vivace, Adagio, Menuetto, and Allegro ma non troppo. The four movements take roughly 35 minutes to perform.

The work was dedicated to Count Oppersdorf, a relative of Beethoven’s patron. The Count enjoyed Beethoven’s previous symphonies so much that he paid Beethoven to commission this piece for himself.

The first movement begins with winds landing a tonic B flat major chord with strings continuing the motif that was precedented by the winds section. At measure 88, a new theme is played by the strings in the dominant chord of B flat major. The movement ends with a coda section that is played by all the sections simultaneously, the movement suddenly shifts to a 3/4 section and ends with a waltz-like feel.

The second movement, Adagio, is a slow but playful dance. The movement is started with the lower strings playing a series of quarter notes that beat into the main passage. The winds then play a relatively faster passage of sixteenths that are displayed in an arpeggiating fashion. The movement concludes with the tonic chord being played by all sections and ended with just the winds finishing, concluding the second movement.

The third movement, Menuetto, is similar to the dance of the Adagio but in a much faster tempo. The winds are accompanied by a multitude of fast, technical running sections by the strings with a brass section fanfare. The phrasing of the movement is composed of sonata form, of which much of Beethoven and his predecessors’ music was. A middle developmental section is played that uses the tonality of the entire orchestra. The movement is then concluded with a brilliant display of technicality from all sections of the orchestra, maximizing the use of the harmonic resonance in the piece and concluding the third movement.

The final movement, Allegro ma non troppo, sets a completely new tone and idea for the piece. Instead of working in congruence with each other, Beethoven seemingly writes the movement so that each of the sections is being played against one another. This, in turn, gives the audience an uneasy feeling and keeps them on their toes for the fantastic conclusion of the piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctBqW5e16YM

Beethoven’s third symphony in E flat major, also known as Sinfonia Eroica (the Heroic Symphony), was composed between 1802 and 1804. Due to the majestic style and tone of the symphony, the Sinfonia Eroica is one of Beethoven’s most celebrated and performed pieces. The piece was composed in the middle of Beethoven’s life and is well known to have been one of the pieces that bridged his classical and romantic writing styles.  The symphony is composed in 4 movements (Allegro con brio, Adagio assai, Allegro Vivace, and Finale: Allegro molto) taking up to 54 minutes.

The first movement is written in 3/4 time and is composed in sonata form. The movement begins with large E flat chords that help establish the harmonic functions of the movement. The wind section starts the expositions with the chords and sets the thematic material of the movement. The string section then comes in the reinforce those tonic notes and continues the phrase. The strings then enter a large repeated section where quarter notes are being played in rapid succession in an ascending motion. The timpani supports the section by following with those respective sections. The movement then recaps the main theme, but this time in F major. The movement then ends with a lengthy coda section that sets up the following movement.

The second movement, Adagio Assai, is a sad, funeral march written in the ternary form, with an exposition, development, and a recap. The movement opens with the string section in C minor. Throughout, the movement, Beethoven consistently alters the key to keep the audience on its toes.

The third movement, Allegro Vivace, is a trio written in a lively, scherzo, tempo. The strings begin in a pianissimo volume and in the key of B flat major. The movement is notoriously difficult for winds due to the wide variety of volume changes that constantly occur. At measure 143, a trio section then occurs played in duple time. The movement ends with a coda with a sudden volume change from pianissimo to forte. 

The last movement is written in variation form, meaning that the main theme is played and sets of variations are played that revolve around it. The variations alter the keys, rhythms, articulations, and volume. For example, variation two consists of groupings of triplets that are played successively to each other. The movement ends with another coda with tonic E flat chords played on triple forte, concluding the “eroica” symphony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InxT4S6wQf4&t=1002s

Beethoven’s second symphony was composed in the key of D major. The piece was composed between 1801 and 1802 and was dedicated to Karl Alois, then Chamberlain of the Roya Austrian Court. The symphony was composed in standard symphonic form, consisting of four movements with the entire work lasting around forty minutes.

The 1st movement, Adagio molto, begins with a slow, somber theme. This theme then develops into a more pronounced and lively section with the tempo suddenly changing to an Allegro con brio. The Allegro section sees a modification in its key as the work suddenly sees a shift in B-flat major. The theme relies heavily on the winds section being able to constantly maintain strong tones and vocal vibrations. Starting at measure 229, there is a type of recapitulation that can be heard establishing itself in the dominant key. A Coda can be heard later recapturing the moods of the previous clause.

The second movement, Larghetto, plays in the Dominant key of D major, A major. The thematic material of the second movement can be seen as a very pleasant and nature-like dance. The strings accompany the winds in a series of arpeggiating figures causing a rift in that same thematic material. This movement, like most of Beethoven’s other works, is written in Sonata form, or ternary form, with the main theme being played, developed, and then returned to.

The third movement is a Scherzo, a fast and tricky movement. The woodwinds play a very large role in this movement, especially that of the low winds, the bassoons. There is a lot of harmonic development that can be heard from the bassoons and they begin to tie into the themes played by the other instruments.

Finally, the fourth movement of the Symphony is an Allegro molto. The entire premise of this movement is composed of a very rapid string phrase that continuously run up and down. Their playing is accompanied by the brass lending them a hand in the dominant tune. Throughout the movement, there are many fluctuations in dynamics. Critics believe this to be Beethoven alluding to his slowly diminishing health.

Musicologist, Robert Greenberg, described the movement as “Beethoven’s gastric problems, particularly in times of great stress – like the fall of 1802 – were legendary. … It has been understood almost since the day of its premiere that that is what this music is all about. Beethoven never refuted it; in fact, he must have encouraged it. Otherwise, how could such an interpretation become common coin? And common coin it is.”

Ludwig van Beethoven was a master of the art and arguably the most influential figure to classical music of all time. His music demonstrated a type of flexibility, variation, and artistic craftsmanship that was never before seen at the time and seems almost impossible to replicate now. Current music scholars and theorists have spent the better part of their lives analyzing and trying to understand what one man accomplished in half a century. In his fifty active years of composing and music making, Beethoven synthesized nine symphonies (ten if considering the final, unfinished work), each a powerhouse in its own right. In the coming weeks, we will be investigating each of his elaborate symphonies, breaking apart the audio we hear and trying to use the scores the make comparisons to his own personal life.

Beethoven’s first symphony in C major premiered in April of 1800 in Vienna, Austria, the capital of classical music. The entire symphony has an approximate duration of half an hour, the shortest of all his symphonies in terms of time span. Upon beginning the first movement, we see a distinct similarity in the writing of Beethoven and his previous mentors, Haydn and Mozart.

The intro to the first movement begins with a lengthy twelve measure figure. The strings lead with transitioning tonic-dominant chord progressions with supporting winds remaining on tonic continuos.

The second movement, Andante, begins in F major, relating as the subdominant tone of the original key. The second movement is particularly interesting as it displays a wide variety of instrumental melodic shifts, especially coming from the woodwind section.

The third movement, indicated as Menuetto, is essentially played at the tempo of a running scherzo movement. The movement predominantly uses linear scalar and triad motions to demonstrate instrumental and musical fluidity.

Finally, the finale opens with an intro of fragmented scales composed of mostly violins. The pitch notion of the movement outlines a dominant 7th chord in C major.

Upon investigating the entire work, we can also witness a strategic writing form that Beethoven and his predecessors used in their music. Especially the case with Mozart, sonata form was predominantly used in the classical time period. In each case, the music begins with a theme (A section) that grows and develops with an audience until it begins instantly recognizable in any given situation. The movement then transitions to a development (B section) and further develops the main theme with alterations in pitch, tone, and rhythm. Finally, it returns back to the A section and repeats the theme, synthesizing the entire work into one piece.

This “sonata form” is especially worth mentioning as it had a tremendous influence on American Jazz music and has essentially shaped all the pop and modern music we hear today!

Audio Included:

Beethoven Symphony No. 1 in C Major

Mo Bamba by Sheck Wes (listen for “sonata form” and similarities with Beethoven)

The d minor Allemande is a very special movement, even in the case of this being a primarily minor suite. For starters, the movement is notably more aggressive and mean in its style. It immediately starts with a broken d minor chord and rushes into a section of descending sixteenth notes starting from b-flat. Next, halfway through the second measure, another broken chord is played except this time, in an inversion. Sixteenths again follow the broken chord but in an ascending pattern.

At measure 9, a very technically difficult section for the cellist is presented. Though to the ear, it doesn’t sound any different from sections before it, the number of accidentals and odd notations in the music makes it a very challenging section for the left hand.

One unexpected bit of free-form, improvisatory writing in this Allemande happens at measure 9. Bach takes a D sharp to A harmony and connects it to a long a running pattern of 32nd notes. The sudden increase in speed is both difficult for the musician to play and difficult for an audience to interpret.

Another technique that Bach utilizes in the Allemande movement is four-bar phrases. Each phrase ends with a cadential figure on the 4th bar. For example, from measure 13 to 17, the music starts with an augmented A major chord. Four measures later, the phrases finishes on an e, the V chord of that A. Later on, we see a section filled with cadences except instead of ending with the V chord falling to the I chord, they play out in the exact opposite manner.

Personal liberties in this movement are especially noticeable in the broken double-stop chords that are constantly being played. The chords are presented in a way so that they can be manipulated and elongated if need be. In Maisky’s version of this piece, he takes the time to elongate each of the double-stops and the chord endings.

This specific movement is actually very special to me as it is the first movement of the Bach suites that I played for my current private teacher. As a university professor, he really wanted on me to focus on the importance of knowing when personal liberties should or should not be taken. This has influenced my personal rendition of this movement. Personally, I think that time should be taken on such double-stops but only if they come at the end of a phrase. A good example of this would be at measure 13. Though there is a massive chord that is played, the chord actually starts the transition into a new phrase instead of ending, thus, it would be counter-productive to take any time in that specific double stop.