Struggle, Then Victory

Struggle, Then Victory

In the nineteenth century people had a certain expectation of what a symphony should sound like. Listeners were accustom to clear structures and emotional constraint like symphonies composed by Mozart and Haydn. Symphonies had four movements. The first movement in allegro form had four to five parts within that movement. The first part was the exposition which introduces the first theme, second theme and the closing theme. The second part is the development which is more dramatic and can have any or all themes. Also, the development contains a retransition that takes us into the third part that is called a recapitulation. It is a repeat of the exposition. The coda is the last part and it announces to the listener that the movement is ending. About half of symphonies have an introduction which is never repeated and is intended to put the question in the audiences mind, “what am I about to listen to”? The second movement is in adagio form. The third movement was in minuet form which is a dance in Ð'Ñ* time that has a pleasant jaunty motion that contrasts with the adagio form that precedes it. The fourth movement, similar to the first movement except it does not contain a retransition or a coda. (Plotkin p. 103&182, Wright p. 193-195)

Then in the early 1800’s Beethoven composed his nine symphonies. Beethoven did not compose for the entertainment of others like other composers, but instead he composed for his own gratification. He added more emotion and turned the form into something more epic. His fifth symphony is the most memorable and I will use it as the example of how Beethoven changed the form and theme of a symphony. In the first movement he shows his obsession with rhythm and motive. Beethoven uses an short, elaborate four note motive versus a theme. According to Wright, the first four notes are referred to as “Fate knocking at the door”. The first, second, and closing theme is dominated by the three-shorts-and-a-long pattern. In the development the rhythm stays constant but the melody is switched back and forth between instruments. Then in the recapitulation he adds an oboe cadenza. The biggest surprise is the coda that is longer than the exposition. (Grove p.149-154, Wright p.239-240)

Then we return to Adante in the second movement. Beethoven introduces us to something new again, “double” theme and variation. The first theme is played by the violas and cellos and is emotional and peaceful. The second theme is played mostly by brasses and sounds victorious. By combining these two themes he shows how brilliant and different he is. (Grove p.158-162, Wright p.242)

Beethoven makes the third movement more playful by creating a scherzo (Italian for joke). According to Wright, a scherzo is a “rapid,