Introduction to Music

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Introduction to Music
Beethoven His life and times Symphony No. 5 A
new era
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Ca. 1799, Beethoven learned his increasing
deafness was irreversible. Deep in despair, he
remained in Heiligenstadt the summer and fall of
1802 contemplating suicide.
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Beethoven did not succumb to this, the gravest of
a musicians ills. Instead, within months he
began composing the epic and remarkably
optimistic Third Symphony, the Eroica. It was,
and still is, a giant of a masterpiece, and it
is today one of the best loved orchestral
works ever written.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
True, its van, not the aristocratic von,
but if someone mistakenly thinks Im a von of
royal blood I certainly wont correct him.
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Beethoven, the pianist

• most virtuosic in Europe
• incomparable improviser
• Critics and journalists loved his playing.

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Ferdinand Ries recalls the piano contest with
Stiebelt Stiebelt again played a quintet with
much success and in addition (and this was quite
evident) had prepared a brilliant improvisation,
choosing as the theme the subject of the
variations of Beethoven's trio (Op.11). This
outraged not only Beethoven's supporters but also
the composer himself. He now had to seat himself
at the piano in order to improvise. He went in
his usual, I must say ungracious, manner to the
instrument as if half lunging towards it,
grabbing as he passed, the 'cello part of
Stiebelt's quintet, placed it (intentionally?)
upside down on the music stand and from the
opening notes drummed out a theme with one
finger. Offended and stimulated at the same
time, he improvised in such a manner that
Stiebelt left the room before Beethoven had
finished. He refused ever to meet him again in
fact he made it a condition that Beethoven should
not be invited anywhere where his company was
requested.

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Beethoven, the composer

• many works for piano
• music required pianos improvement
• compositions drew mixed reactions for years
• journalists V/ criticalreferring to Symphony No.
  5a sort of odious meowing, and discords to
  shatter the least sensitive ears.

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Ferdinand Ries describes the concert of 22 Dec
1808 Beethoven gave a large concert in the
Theater an der Wien at which were performed for
the first time the 5th and 6th Symphonies as well
as his Fantasia for Piano/orchestra and chorus.
In this last work, at the place where the last
theme already appears in a varied form, the
clarinet player made, by mistake, a repeat of 8
bars. Since only a few instruments were playing,
this error was all the more evident to the ear.
Beethoven leapt up in a fury, turned round and
abused the orchestra players in the coarsest
terms and so loudly that he could be heard
throughout the auditorium. Finally he shouted
"From the beginning! The concert was a great
success, but afterwards the artists remembering
only too well the honourable title which
Beethoven had bestowed on them in public swore
never to play for Beethoven again - this went on
until Beethoven composed something new and their
curiosity got the better of them.
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Ludwig Reelstab on Beethoven's deafness
Beethoven This is a beautiful piano! I got
it as a gift from London. Look at the name!" He
pointed with his finger to the strip of wood
above the keyboard. It is a wonderful present,
said Beethoven looking at me, "and it has a
beautiful tone," he continued turning towards the
piano without taking his eyes off me. He struck
a chord softly. Never will another chord pierce
me to the quick with such sadness and heartbreak.
He has played C major in the right hand and B
natural in the bass he looked at me steadily and
repeated the false chord several times to let the
mild tone of the instrument sound, and the
greatest musician on earth could not hear the
dissonance!
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Ludwig van Beethoven wrote much of his
music--many of the worlds greatest art works--in
a state of TOTAL deafness.
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• Place CD 3 in your drive before starting the
  listening work.

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LOG

• Beethoven
• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
• Symphony
• I mvt. 1 sonata form
• standard symphony format
• IMP Romantic characteristics
• cyclicism
• You are responsible to know
• listening for movement 1.
• summary points about the entire symphony.

Mvt 1CD3Tks 17-24
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It looks like a classical symphony, but mark this
well Inside that polite, predictable
exterior,seethes an implacable romanticism, and
it will not be contained. DWRitz
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Guided listening of Symphony No. 5 follows.
Answer all questions and address all issues in
the green font.
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1CD 3
Exposition Development Recapitulation Coda T1 B
T2 CT T1 B T2 Ct What? How?
Q. Whole movement Does this look like standard
sonata form?
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Analyze the ExpositionListen to each item, and
answer the questions.
Theme 1
motive
Theme 2 Phrase 1 (Question) What inst is
prominent? Any thots on the melodys
origin? Phrase 2 (Answer) What is happening
to the answer? What are the basses playing?
Exposition T1 B T2 CT
4.
1.
2.
3.
ExpositionDefend Standard Non-standard
Themes 1 2 What are the elements of contrast?
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Motive uses
Motives 2 components 1. Melody
(High-H-H-Low) 2. Rhythm (Short-S-S-Long)
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1CD 3
Exposition Development Recapitulation Coda T1 B
T2 CT T1 B T2 Ct
4.
1.
2.
3.
motive
What instruments?

• Sonata form

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Development procedure checklist

• Repeat theme
• Fragment theme (and use part of it)
• Use imitation
• Add counter-melody
• Change tone color (instruments)
• Change dynamics
• Change themes rhythm
• Change themes character
• Change accompaniment
• Modulate (change key)

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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1Kamien,
Exposition Development Recapitulation T1 B T2
CT T1 B T2 Ct What? How?
LONG!New ideas
What change from Expos?
What instruments?
motive
What instruments?

• Sonata form

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Development analysis
D e v e l o p m e n t
1.a.
1.b.
2.b.c.d.
2.e.
2.a.
Based on Th 2
motive
Reminder of Th 1
horn callquestion w/ new answer
2 notes of horn call!
1 note of horn call!!
Q How does Beethoven develop Th2?Q Name as many
differences betweenit and the Expositions Th2
as you can.
Expos. Th2 Devel. Th2
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1
Click for guided listening to the entire
development. Restart the page if text and music
do not begin simultaneously. (Press followed
by .)
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1
D e v e l o p m e n t
Based on Th 2
Reminder of Th 1
Based on Th 1
Horn call questionw/ new answer
2 notes of horn call!
New melody motive R
motivemelody R
1 noteof horn call!!
motive is ubiquitous!
Reminder of Th 2
Back to1 note
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1
Click for guided listening to the entire
recapitulation. Restart the page if text
and music do not begin simultaneously. (Press
followed by .)
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1
R e c a p i t u l a t i o n
Theme 2
Closing Th
Theme 1
Bridge
Subdued horns Bassoons! in basses
Important addition
What inst plays this short cadenza?
motive is ubiquitous!
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1
C o d a
Long! some new ideas introduced Do you hear ideas
that are based on the motive? How about
?
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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1
Exposition Development Recapitulation Coda T1 B
T2 CT T1 B T2 Ct What?
motive
motive
motive
motive

• This movement is UNIFIED like no earlier piece
  had ever been unified!

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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 2

• I contrasting key time out,
  lyrical double theme variations
• A B A B A (?)
  A Coda
  Ths
  A B Mood?
  Instruments?

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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 3

• I scherzo (joke) minuet trio form
  triple meter BUT character is rough and
  rollicking, not genteel

A B A
energy level? Perceived tempo? Texture? Dynamic? V
irtuoso double bass
motive R
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Symphony No. 5Bridge between mvts. 3 4

• Listen for
• timpani motive R
• repeated patterns--high strings
• ambiguous mode (How will this symphony end?)
• C minor? (turmoil, struggle, failure)
• C major? (victory, triumph, overcoming)
• Crescendo at end leads to Mvt 4

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Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 4
Exposition Development Recapitulation Coda T1 B
T2 CT T1 B T2 Ct What? How?
VERY LONG!Earlier themes reviewed including
motive R!
motive Ra la mvt 3
C Major! Triumphant mood
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Symphony No. 5

• Mvt 1 motive used in every part of sonata
  form
• Cyclicism motive used in Mvts 1, 3, 3-4
  bridge, 4. (It is even obscurely used in mvt
  2!!!)
• Mvts 3 4 tied together by ambiguous bridge

Unified
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Symphony No. 5 Romantic Characteristics

• 1. Postponement of gratification, emotional
  progression
• 2. Conflict struggle idea of C minor
• 3. Symphony is more highly unified than any
  previous work
• 4. Symphony deals with emotion, passion

Entire symphony
Mvt. 1 Mvt. 2 Mvt. 3 Mvt. 4C
minor C Major
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Classical LOG entries

• Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, Mvt 1(Sonata
  form)
• Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G Major, Mvt 2(Theme
  Variations)
• Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Mvt 3(Minuet
  trio)
• Beethoven, String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No
  4, Mvt 4 (Rondo)
• Mozart, Don Giovanni
• Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Mvt 1