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Chapter 14:Beethoven
Beethoven and
the Symphony
Key Terms
Rhythmic drive
Motivic consistency
Psychological progression
Scherzo
Fragmentation
Rhythmic motive
Ludwig van Beethoven (1) (1770-1827)
Son & grandson of Bonn court musicians
To Vienna in 1792 to study with Haydn
Began a career as pianist & composer
Progressive deafness diagnosed in 1802•Beethoven considered suicide•Chose to devote his life to his art instead
His music now took on a new urgency
Forceful, strong-willed, uncompromising •He all but demanded support from nobility
Ludwig van Beethoven (2) (1770-1827)
Probably the 1st person to make a career solely from composing•Seen as a genius, he seemed to live for his art•Many affairs, but he never married
Totally deaf by 1820Adopted his orphan nephew in later years•Beethoven was much too overprotective•Shock of his nephew’s suicide attempt
hastened his own death
20,000 attended Beethoven’s funeral
Beethoven and the Symphony (1)
Beethoven created excitement & urgency by maximizing musical elements•Higher and lower registers•Sharper syncopations & stronger accents•Harsher dissonances that must struggle to
arrive at yet more profound resolutions•New demands on instruments•Expansion of the orchestra•Classical forms stretched to their limits
Beethoven and the Symphony (2)
Beethoven wrote only nine symphonies•He wrote many more piano sonatas (32) &
string quartets (16)
But Beethoven is associated especially with the symphony•Wrote some of the greatest symphonies ever•Orchestra provided the greatest range of
expression, variety, & sheer volume•Even his sonatas & quartets of 1800-1810
sound like symphonies – and require new techniques of piano & string playing!
Beethoven and the Symphony (3)
Beethoven’s “symphonic ideal” can be observed in his Fifth Symphony (1808)
Three main features have impressed generations of listeners•Rhythmic drive•Motivic consistency•Psychological progression
Rhythmic Drive
Blunt, even ferocious rhythms produce a palpable physical impactBeethoven hammers the meter•Emphasizes meter & disrupts it with equal
vigor•Piles accent upon accent, rhythm upon rhythm•Rhythmic motives surge forward
Long-range rhythmic planning & goalsA far cry from the elegance & wit of Classical style
Motivic Consistency
Constant repetition of a single motive•Especially in 1st movement of Symphony 5
Motive repeated, yet constantly varied
Variations never sound random•Motive becomes more significant & vivid as
work progresses•Creates a feeling of organic growth – like a
plant’s leaves growing from a single seed
Psychological Progression
Symphony no longer simply 4 contrasting movementsBeethoven now traces a coherent & dramatic psychological progression“There fate knocks at the door!”•Beethoven on the 1st movement•But Fate is trampled under by a military march
in the the last movement
Symphony now expresses an inspirational life process – a drama to rival opera!
The Scherzo
Beethoven substitutes a scherzo for the traditional minuet
Italian word scherzo = joke
Aristocratic minuet too formal
Scherzo shares a few features with minuet•A B A form & triple meter
But scherzo was much faster•Rhythmic drive & frequent syncopation give it
a brusque, jocular, even violent feel
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, I (1)
Motivic consistency prominent here
A single rhythmic motive dominates• It forms the first theme• It initiates the bridge• It appears as background to lyrical 2nd theme• It emerges again in the cadence material
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, I (2)
• It is used throughout the development
• It continues to grow in the long coda
Motive gives the work a gripping urgency
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, I (3)
Listen for—•Arresting, primal first statement of Theme 1
motives separated by fermatas•Horn-call bridge announces Theme 2•Theme 1 variant announces the development•Thematic fragmentation in the development•Oboe cadenza in the recapitulation•Recapitulation’s 2nd group in major key•LONG, developmental coda with new theme•Main motive repeated & varied in every bar!
The Remaining Movements
First movement ends with a standoff at the end of a heroic struggle
Later movements respond to and resolve this struggle
The rhythmic motive recurs in each movement to remind us of the struggle
C minor passages also recall the struggle
C major passages point to the ultimate triumph over Fate
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, II
Double theme & variations form•Six variations on Theme 1
Primary key is A-flat major•Modulates to C major 3 times for powerful,
triumphant fanfare passages
•Rhythmic motive appears in mysterious retransition to A-flat
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, III (1)
Scherzo movement in A B A form
A section recalls 1st movement•Spooky a theme is in C minor with fermata
interruptions•Rhythmic motive dominates forceful b theme
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, III (2)
B section (Trio) points to Fate’s defeat•Humorous fugal section in C major
Return of A completely transformed•Mysterious pizzicato & oboe•Leads into doubly mysterious transition
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, IV (1)
Eerie transition leads directly into IV•Rhythmic motive in timpani•Music grows gradually louder & clearer•At climax, full orchestra (with trombones)
announces marchlike 1st theme of the 4th movement – in C major
Straightforward sonata form movement•Theme 2 based on the rhythmic motive
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, IV (2)
End of development brings back 3rd movement’s b theme & eerie transition•A final reminder of the struggle
Recapitulation & coda provide a great C-major celebration•No surprises in recapitulation•LONG coda in three sections revisits previous
themes•Final section accelerates tempo for a rousing
Presto finale •Ending drives home C major chord
Conclusions
The dramatic strength & rhythmic power of this work went far beyond earlier musicBeethoven unified the symphony•Motives appear in more than one movement•Movements can be connected without pause•The symphony narrates a dramatic “story”
Beethoven single-handedly changed the nature of the symphony genre•Never again would the symphony be a simple
entertainment