Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor was written in 1804-1808. In the catalog of Beethoven's works it is Opus 67. The symphony is one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of classical music, and is

Movements and scoring

The work is in four movements:

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:I. Allegro con brio

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:II. Andante con moto

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:III. Scherzo. Allegro

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:IV. Allegro

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The first three movements are scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B-flat, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and the usual string section of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. The fourth movement adds a piccolo, a contrabassoon and three trombones (alto, tenor and bass).

Related Topics:
Flute - Oboe - Clarinet - Bassoon - Horns - Trumpet - Timpani - Violin - Viola - Cello - Double bass - Piccolo - Contrabassoon - Trombone

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A performance of the work lasts about 35 minutes.

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First movement

The first movement opens with the four-note motif given above, one of the most famous in western music.

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This opening statement has been described as "Fate knocking at the door"; for more on this description, see below. The four-note motif is repeated in various forms throughout the symphony and unites it thematically.

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Although the movement evokes an emotional storm of unprecedented intensity, in its musical form it is entirely traditional, being written in orthodox sonata form, the traditional mold for symphonic first movements that Beethoven inherited from his predecessors Haydn and Mozart.

Related Topics:
Sonata form - Haydn - Mozart

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The movement includes a recitative for solo oboe just after the start of the recapitulation section, and a massive coda.

Related Topics:
Recitative - Oboe - Recapitulation - Coda

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Second movement

The second movement, in A flat major, is a lyrical work in theme and variations form, with two alternating themes and a long coda. This relatively relaxed and confident sequence is a respite from the darkness of the first movement.

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Third movement

The third movement is a scherzo, which returns to the opening key of C minor. In form it follows the traditional mold of Classical-era symphonic third movements, consisting of the main scherzo, a contrasting trio section, a return of the scherzo, and a coda. (For further discussion of this form, see "Textual questions", below).

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The movement begins with the following theme, played by the cellos and double basses:

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The composer and writer on music Antony Hopkins has pointed out that this theme has the same sequence of pitches (though in a different key and range) as the opening theme of the final movement of Mozart's famous Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550. Here is Mozart's theme:

Related Topics:
Antony Hopkins - Mozart - Symphony No. 40

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While such resemblances are sometimes true by accident, this is unlikely to be so in the present case. In the earliest sketchbook used by Beethoven for composing the Fifth Symphony appear 29 measures of Mozart's finale, copied out by Beethoven.

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The opening theme is answered by a contrasting theme played by the winds, and this sequence is repeated. Then the horns loudly announce the main theme of the movement, and the music proceeds from there.

Related Topics:
Winds - Horn

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The trio section is in C major and is written in a contrapuntal texture. When the scherzo returns for the final time, it is performed by the strings pizzicato and very quietly.

Related Topics:
Contrapuntal - Pizzicato

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In the final coda, the music drops to a whisper before slowly building in a huge crescendo and transitioning without interruption to the fourth movement. This final passage takes the music from C minor to the C major of the finale. (Beethoven had tried a similar key change from B flat minor to B flat major at the opening of his Symphony No. 4).

Related Topics:
Crescendo - C minor - C major - Symphony No. 4

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Fourth movement

The triumphant and exhilarating finale begins without interruption after the scherzo. It is written in an unusual variant of sonata form: at the end of the development section, the music halts on a dominant cadence, played fortissimo, and the music continues after a pause with a quiet reprise of the "horn theme" of the scherzo movement. The recapitulation is then introduced by a crescendo coming out of the last bars of the interpolated scherzo section, just as the same music was introduced at the opening of the movement.

Related Topics:
Sonata form - Development - Dominant - Fortissimo

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There is a very large coda, in which the main themes of the movement are played in temporally-compressed form. At the end the tempo is increased to presto. The symphony ends with 29 bars of C major chords, played fortissimo.

Related Topics:
Presto - Chords

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