Composed: 1807
Premiered: 1808, Vienna
Duration: 39 minutes

In 1807, Beethoven was working on two symphonies at the same time – the Fifth and the Sixth. The furiously stormy Fifth starts in an intense C Minor and ends in a blazing, triumphant C Major. The Sixth is almost entirely in a gentle, relaxed F Major. The contrast between them could not be greater. The two symphonies both had their premieres at the same concert in 1808. They show two distinct aspects of Beethoven’s approach to life, and therefore to music.

He was a complex man, who greatly enjoyed his frequent visits to the countryside. Two hundred years ago, the people in Lower Austria lived much as they had for hundreds of years. The land is gently rolling, not at all like the craggy mountains further west. Villages were small and compact, surrounded by fields and woods. Unlike in any other of his symphonies, Beethoven provided titles for each of the movements of the Sixth, which he called Pastoral. He was, however, at pains to emphasize that the music represents a visitor’s moods, not pictures. Nevertheless, some of the musical depictions are quite direct. In the second movement, the murmuring stream can be heard and the bird calls (explicitly identified in the score) are realistic. Beethoven pokes gentle fun at the village band in the third movement – some of the players seem to lose count, and the rest of the players have to adjust their rhythm to compensate. For the storm, the music turns to F Minor, and the piccolo and timpani make their contribution to the tumult. As the thunder recedes into the distance, we can easily imagine a rainbow as peace is restored. The main theme of the finale is based on the traditional peasant tune calling the cows to come home.

Program note by the late Dr. C.W. Helleiner.