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

Textual questions

In the autograph score (that is, the original version from Beethoven's hand), the third (scherzo) movement contains a repeat mark: when the main scherzo and the trio section have been played through, the performers are directed to return to the very beginning and play the two sections again. Then comes a third rendering of the scherzo, this time notated differently for pizzicato strings and transitioning directly to the finale (see description above). Most modern printed editions of the score do not render this repeat mark; and indeed most modern performances of the symphony render the movement as ABA' (where A = scherzo, B = trio, and A' = modified scherzo), in contrast to the ABABA' form of the autograph score.

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The repeat mark in the autograph is unlikely to be a error on the composer's part, since Beethoven adopted the same ABABA' scheme for the scherzi of the Sixth and Seventh Symphonies. However, it seems impossible to know what Beethoven's final intentions were. It is possible that, later on in his career, Beethoven came to prefer an ABA' performance. It is also possible the dropping of the repeat in early editions was a printing error that Beethoven failed to detect.

Related Topics:
Sixth - Seventh

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The first modern printed edition to print the repeat sign was prepared by Peter Gülke and issued by the Peters publishing house in 1978.

Related Topics:
Peter Gülke - Peters - 1978

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The choice of ABABA' vs. ABA' for the scherzo appears to be one for which individual conductors may exercise their judgment. The conductor Caroline Brown, in notes to her recorded ABABA' performance with the Hanover Band (Nimbus Records, #5007), writes:

Related Topics:
Caroline Brown - Hanover Band

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:Re-establishing the repeat certainly alters the structural emphasis normally apparent in this Symphony. It makes the scherzo less of a transitional make-weight, and, by allowing the listener more time to become involved with the main thematic motif of the scherzo, the side-ways step into the bridge passage leading to the finale seems all the more unexpected and extraordinary in its intensity

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The scherzo has also been recorded in ABABA' form by David Zinman.

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