Beethovens no 5 symphony

Even during his own lifetime, Beethoven was hailed as a genius, and his influence on the orchestral tradition that followed can be felt to the present day. His ability to disrupt the elegant, balanced musical conversation of the Classical era is seen as evidence of supreme inspiration, the mark of an artist who will say what he needs to say regardless of the effect on the social order. In deed, the presence of “Beethoven the hero” in the imagination of Western culture has extended far beyond the concert hall- countered the name of any composer considered so far, you likely had heard of Beethoven. Yet this composer was also working carefully to balance the formal expectations of the tradition within which he had been trained-which would have been understood as necessary for musical meaning by both him and his audiences-with opportunities for “strategic disruptions.” His unique approaches do not entail rejecting the conventions of Classical form: in fact, formal considerations are absolutely essential to the meaning and power of his music. This transitional place between convention and disruption is one major element that keeps Beethoven’s music so compelling more than two centuries after it was written.

BEETHOVEN’S SYMPHONIES
The symphony provided Beethoven with the ideal medium through which to address his public. His first two symphonies are closest in style to the two Classical Masters who preceded him. but with his third, the Eroica, Beethoven began to expand the possibilities of the genre the work was originally dedicated to Napolian and it was as quickly interpreted as a personal narrative of individual heroism. The Fifth Symphony which we consider here, is popularly viewed as a model of the genre. The finale of the Ninth, or Choral Symphony, in which vocal soloists and chorus join the orchestra, is a setting of Friedrich von Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” a ringing prophecy of the time when “all people will be brothers”

The Fifth Symphony
Perhaps the best-known of all symphonies, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 can be heard not just as a standard four-movement cycle but as a unified whole that progresses from conflict and struggle to victorious ending. Now that we have examined each movement in the cycle individually, we can tackle an entire symphony and consider both how it fits the parameters of the Classical cycle and how it pushes beyond them.

The first movement, in a sonata-allegro form marked Allegro con brio” (lively, with vigor), springs out of the rhythmic idea of “three shorts and a long dominates the entire symphony. This idea, perhaps the most commanding and recognizable gesture in the whole symphonic literature, is pursued with an almost terrifying single-mindedness in this dramatic movement. In an extended coda, the basic rhythm reveals a new fount of explosive energy. Beethoven described the motive as “Fate knocking at the door”

The second movement is a serene theme and variations, with two melodic ideas. Beethoven exploits his two themes with all the procedures of variation-changes in melodic outline, harmony, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, register, key, mode, and timbre. The familiar four-note rhythm (short-short-short-long) is sounded in the second theme, relating this movement to the first.

Third in the cycle is the scherzo, which opens with a rocket theme introduced by cellos and double basses. After the gruff, humorous trio in C major, the scherzo returns in a modified version, followed by a transitional passage to the final movement, in which the timpani sounds the memorable four-note motive.

The monumental fourth movement bursts forth without pause, once again bringing back the unifying rhythmic motive. This unification makes the symphony an early example of cyclical form, in which a theme or musical idea from one movement returns in a later one. Here, Beethoven unleashes not only a new energy and passion but also new instruments not yet part of the standard orchestra: piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombones all expand the ensemble’s range and intensity This last movement, in sonata-allegro form with an extended coda, closes with the tonic chord proclaimed triumphantly by the orchestra again and again.

Beethoven’s career bridged the transition from the old society to the new. His commanding musical voice and an all-conquering will forged a link to the coming Romantic age.

Now, let’s put the sound and interpretation together! Introduced by conductor Gerald Schwarz:

You have learned about Beethoven’s symphony No 5, saw the video on Schwarz’s analysis of the symphony, please review them in specific module, then pick ONLY ONE topic from the following to discuss:

Discuss Beethoven use of Motif, what is it, and how it was managed within his symphony No. 5?
In Movement 1, what form did Beethoven employed? And how was it managed?
As stated in the module, Beethoven have revitalized the orchestra and take the orchestra into a different height. What is this phrase really mean?
Please write no more than one to two paragraphs for your discussion!