Beethoven

Symphony No. 5 was a famous piece written and composed by Ludwig van

Beethoven. Beethoven's life was at creative height when this piece was composed.

Although Symphony No.9 would later become his most popular composition the first

movement of Symphony No.5 is widely known as it connects the listener to Beethoven's

ideals of music. Its strong sounds exude the composer's ability in not only his genre but

today as well. His musical abilities were developed at an early age and were utilized to

support his family. His talents as a young pianist were recognized by many, namely,

Mozart, who predicted that he would become a great composer. Ironically, Beethoven

would later be compared to such composer's as Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven's ability to compose such a dramatic, unique piece as Symphony No. 5, clearly illustrates his ability to introduce ideas of music that have never been heard nor felt before. Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 exemplifies his musical maturity through distinctness, emotion, and influence.

A notably distinct feature of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is that it reuses the rhythm in the opening movement throughout the remaining three movements. E.T.A. Hoffman acknowledged this as one of the most distinct features of the fifth symphony as the "rhythmic recurrence of the opening motif" which is heard in all four movements. In addition, this symphony included a fourth movement as opposed to the usual three. Beethoven's style is noticed by a distinct idea or combination of ideas such as the reuse of devices throughout movements or simply the use of the same key.1 The transition from the third to the final movement is very subtle and it can easily go unnoticed. The allegro, andante, allegro, allegro movements finalize as the scherzo goes directly into the finale

Skinner 2

yet back to the scherzo prior to the recapitulation. The C Major appears in the finale as the movement "picks up the many references to this tonality that had been heard earlier - in the first movement at the recapitulation of the second theme; in the slow movement, at the big second theme; in the third movement, in the Trio - and gathers them all in with a feeling of ultimate resolution". Beethoven premiered the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies together at the Theater an der Wien. This was the only place that he premiered more than one symphony during the same performance. On the night of this premiere, December 22, 1808, Beethoven gave an impromptu performance. The program consisted of four hours of music including the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies as well as an extemporized finale of Beethoven as a soloist on the piano. In addition, similar instruments were used throughout both symphonies. For instance, trombones, piccolo, and a contrabassoon are added in the Finale of both symphonies. The final movement of both works is continuous from the preceding movement. All of these characteristics illustrate the numerous concepts of Beethoven's distinctness throughout the Fifth Symphony. Furthermore Beethoven's deep musical skills allowed him to convey emotion through his compositions.

Symphony No. 5 awakens emotion. E.T.A. Hoffman compares Beethoven to Haydn by stating that Beethoven's music "evokes terror, fright, horror, and pain, and awakens that endless longing that is the essence of romanticism"5. The beginning notes of the first movement are most widely recognized as an association to the symphony. Just as well, the same beginning motif causes an emotional jolt from the listener. Once, this

Skinner 3

motif was described as "fate knocking on the door" serving as imagery to the dark, tense, and energetic mood of the movement. Throughout the composition there are several tonal alterations which directly move the emotions of the listener. For instance the first theme, rather strong and fierce, plays opposite the second theme which is soft as if to have innocence. The use of the famous four notes in C-minor throughout the symphony is modified with tone and varied harmonies. As the music progresses the utilization of various instruments further instigates the emotion. For example the listener will find that in the first theme the four note C-minor motive grabs the attention in a rather fierce some way. Secondly, horns imitate the C-minor motive in a calmer reverberation which leads into the second theme comprised of woodwinds. The beginning of the development is introduced by horns. Further along, as one listens, suspense arises and yet is pleased for a moment