Music Appreciation 3 Beethoven’s Fifth Parts 3-4

Maestro Schwarz's third presentation covers Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, third and fourth movements. 

The third movement of a symphony typically was a minuet and trio form or a scherzo and trio form and Beethoven's Fifth is no different.  A scherzo was typically light and playful.  I've heard it referred to as a musical joke.  In this symphony, though, Beethoven's joke is huge, like the laughter of some enormous monster--good-humored and maybe just a bit terrifying.  The bold statement in the horns gives it a kind of nobility we wouldn't expect in a joke!

The last movement finally gives us the culmination of Beethoven's development of the simple musical idea stated as the first four notes of the symphony.  In fact the main musical ideas of each movement are a journey to state the complete tonic triad Do-Mi-Sol:

First movement: three shorts and a long, Sol-Sol-Sol-Me, impending doom, C Minor

Second movement: two shorts and a long, Sol-Do-Mi, lyric and sweet, Ab Major

Third movement: three shorts and a long, Sol-Sol-Sol-Sol, light-hearted yet somber expectation, C Minor

Fourth movement: two shorts and a long, Do-Mi-Sol, C Major, heroic and triumphant exuberance

Words can never capture, of course, the emotional power and complexity of this work.  If they could, Beethoven would not have needed to write the music!

We are privileged to be able to hear this masterpiece whenever we want.  Don't forget: you can hear the whole piece performed by the All Star Orchestra by clicking on the Watch the full performance link on the lesson web page. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNB-OVWlRbk

I wrote an 8-question quiz I invite you to take to find out how much you were able to absorb from the maestro's lecture.  Find it here. 

Next week: Music Appreciation 4 Brahms's Academic Festival Overture