Written by Anna Vorhes
BORN: Probably December 16, 1770, as he was baptized December 17, Bonn, Germany
DIED: March 26, 1827
INSTRUMENTATION: two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings
COMPOSED: 1804-1808 (sketches exist from 1800)
WORLD PREMIERE: December 22, 1808, at the Theater-an-der-Wien
DURATION: 36 minutes
SOMETHING INTERESTING TO LISTEN FOR: The opening rhythmic motive of this symphony (short-short-short-long) can be heard throughout this work. The speed of the presentation and the melody are particular to each movement, but the return of the rhythmic figure is consistent. It has at times been called the Fate motive, though there is no particular evidence Beethoven thought of it as such except a cryptic possible quotation made to his biographer Schindler. Schindler tried very hard to polish the image of the composer he so admired, and perhaps to embellish the friendship in the process. Another interesting thing to listen for is the use of major and minor keys through the symphony. It begins in c minor and moves through various keys to an emphatic ending in C major.
If you have always wanted to follow sonata form as you listen this is a good symphony to hone your skills. The first movement starts the exposition with the well-known motive theme. It is followed by a lovely contrasting theme. The section ends with a plaintive horn call. The entire exposition is usually repeated so you have a chance to remember what you’ve heard. The development section takes those melodies and explores different ways to present them. If you pay attention, you’ll note that they sound “wrong” at times, not ending as you expect or playing with the materials. At the end of the development, you can hear the orchestra “looking” for the correct key of c minor so they can play the recapitulation. The recapitulation gives listeners a presentation of both the opening theme and the second theme, this time in the same key. At the end there’s a strong Coda.
PROGRAM NOTES
Many of us would nod in recognition when considering that twentieth century musicologist Karl Dalhaus said, “The history of Beethoven is tantamount to an intellectual history of the nineteenth century.” Perhaps on further thought we might debate the point, but there is a sense that the statement holds some validity and is worthy of careful examination. What makes this complex composer with a catalog of compositions much slimmer than his immediate predecessors the object of so much adoration? And why is he always high on the list of the world’s greatest composers?
When some works become very familiar they are relegated to the “light classic” repertoire lists, despite their beginnings as serious offerings from important composers. (Think of Rossini’s Overture to William Tell and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, especially the last “fireworks” section.) However, no matter how many times Beethoven’s Symphony #No. 5 is heard, it remains a strong and serious concert hall offering. Why does it hold its important position?
First, Beethoven lived in the perfect time to suit his irascible and complex personality, including his advancing deafness. Patronage, that bartering of creativity in exchange for financial support with control of output and choice of composition by the patron, was dying away. Beethoven was intensely private, and enjoyed a small group of supporters who gave him a stipend to compose in complete freedom. He also had the option of offering a public concert of his works to secure funds for his own use. Prior to the American and French revolutions that was not as accessible an option. As the philosophy of equality of human experience central to the American “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” and the French “liberty, equality, fraternity” began to be part of how people thought of society in the world, there was Beethoven to reach out with music that touched his audiences of all classes.
The revolutions, both in thought and governance, also meant the diminishing value of inherited importance. No longer were people of noble lineage recognized as automatic heroes, worthy of adulation and imitation. Who would fill their places as role models to society? Those with amazing artistic ability became strong candidates for this position. Beethoven, complex as a person but able to touch audiences at many levels, was an obvious choice. Legends abounded about him even during his life and were expanded in the century immediately following. Just as people told tales about their kings and dukes and earls, they told tales about the artists they admired. And listeners found Beethoven’s music both emotionally moving and intellectually accessible. He could belong to everyone through this music.
The premiere of this work was part of a massive concert for Beethoven’s benefit. The composer was given the use of the Theater-an-der-Wien in late December. He planned a massive program by today’s standards, though the hall was unheated. Both Symphony #No. 5 and Symphony #No. 6 premiered that evening, along with the Fourth Piano Concerto with Beethoven at the keyboard, and the massive Choral Fantasy Opus 80. In case the audience was bored, there were also a number of lesser pieces. The evening was four hours long!
Beethoven used the classical era’s standard and expected forms to connect his compositions to audiences. These forms are so flexible that fine composers can use them to underpin their works without being limited. Even today composers who create music many people find incomprehensible use the forms that began in the era of endeavoring to connect people at all levels of society. Beethoven used the expected movements, and forms within movements while he brought something fresh and innovative to each offering. Audiences felt connected even as he expanded the forms to offer new concepts. Symphony #No. 5 is a fine example of this combination of predictability with new ideas.
The first movement begins with the most famous motive in the world. The first four notes are instantly identifiable. While Haydn and Mozart offer extended phrases, musical sentences if you will, Beethoven begins with a sparse four notes which move through the range of the orchestra drawing our attention and offering excitement. The second theme is refreshingly more lyric, and more similar to the earlier composers. The first movement is an excellent example of the sonata form that was the bread and butter of classical composers, and still remains a working tool to explain that form today.
The second movement takes the theme and variation form. Two themes are used to construct the variations. The second of these uses the rhythmic structure (short--short--short--long) of the first theme of the first movement, though the notes are different.
The third movement is scherzo and trio, Beethoven’s replacement of the minuet and trio. A scherzo is faster and not based on a dance. Giving the low string instruments the opening theme is a particularly Beethovian touch. The horns answer with a repeated note version of the first movement rhythm. The scherzo and trio proceed as expected, but they don’t end. Instead, Beethoven offers a modulation to the major key, and begins the fourth movement without pausing at the finish of the third.
The final movement is triumphant in its major key and upbeat tempo. We revisit the sonata form of the first movement, though Beethoven has crafted four melodies instead of the more normal two. Beethoven doesn’t have quite the orchestra; timbre he wants at this point, so he adds a contrabassoon and trombones. In the development section Beethoven evokes the sense of the first melody of the symphony through his use of rhythm.
For all it fits the forms expected of composers in the early nineteenth century, what Beethoven created here is very different from the other composers around him. He continued to think and rethink the symphony, and with his Symphony #No. 9, it is considered to have exploded the classical symphony, replacing it with the Romantic aesthetic.