Ludwig Van Beethoven 17701827

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Ludwig Van Beethoven(1770-1827)

• The Nineteenth Century

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Beethoven (1770-1827)

• Chief Works
• Nine Symphonies, Most famous being the 3rd
  (Eroica) 5th, 6th (Pastoral), 7th and 9th
  (choral).
• 17 String Quartets
• ONE opera (Fidelio)
• Five Piano Concertos (Including The Emperor (No.
  5)
• 32 Piano Sonatas (considered to be The New
  Testament for Pianists) Including the
  Pathétique, Moonlight, Appasionata, and
  Hammerklavier.
• A few sacred works, including mass settings, most
  notably his Missa Solemnis in D

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Characteristics of Composition

• Rhythmic Drive
• Strong Accents
• Manheim Crescendo
• Less elegant than his predecesors
• Motivic Consistancy
• Can base an entire symphony (all movements) on
  one motivic element (5th Symphony based on 4
  notes)
• Psychological progression
• An entire symphony can have a coherent and
  dramatic psychological progression.

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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

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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

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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

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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
• Recapitulations 2nd group in major key
• LONG, developmental coda with new theme
• Main motive repeated varied in every bar!

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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

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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

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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

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Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, III (2)

• B section (Trio) points to Fates defeat
• Humorous fugal section in C major
• Return of A completely transformed
• Mysterious pizzicato oboe
• Leads into doubly mysterious transition

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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

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Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, IV (2)

• End of development brings back 3rd movements 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

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Conclusions

• The dramatic strength rhythmic power of this
  work went far beyond earlier music
• Beethoven 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