So, we can all hum the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth symphony, but why is it really so important and well remembered?
The piece was revolutionary in several different ways:
Compositionaly it was the first symphony ever to have one movement lead directly into the next. The transition between the third and forth movements is one seamless gust which served as a precedent for symphonic cohesion for centuries to come. Additionally, the connecting passage between the movements was the first such passage ever to bring the orchestra from a dynamic marking of ppp to fff so quickly. In layman's terms that means it gets REALLY loud REALLY fast. Here's the forth movement in all of its Indiana Jones inspiring glory:
Those with a little more music theory experience may notice that the tonal center is basically moving from V to I over and over again creating a sense of finality and triumph. This symphony represents triumph over fate.
Orchestrally this was the first symphony whose score includes any of the following instruments: piccolo, contra-bassoon, trombone. Beethoven simply needed more power than the traditional orchestra could offer so he did what any visionary would and broke the rules.
Many have argued that the fifth symphony is actually the beginning of the Romantic period (I would say it's probably his third symphony). Whether or not that is the case, until Beethoven's works symphonies were often a total of 15 minutes in length (that's right folks, classical music has not always dragged on for hours!), but in many Beethoven Symphonies each movement alone is more than 15 minutes. Sheesh.
The piece was revolutionary in several different ways:
Compositionaly it was the first symphony ever to have one movement lead directly into the next. The transition between the third and forth movements is one seamless gust which served as a precedent for symphonic cohesion for centuries to come. Additionally, the connecting passage between the movements was the first such passage ever to bring the orchestra from a dynamic marking of ppp to fff so quickly. In layman's terms that means it gets REALLY loud REALLY fast. Here's the forth movement in all of its Indiana Jones inspiring glory:
Those with a little more music theory experience may notice that the tonal center is basically moving from V to I over and over again creating a sense of finality and triumph. This symphony represents triumph over fate.
Orchestrally this was the first symphony whose score includes any of the following instruments: piccolo, contra-bassoon, trombone. Beethoven simply needed more power than the traditional orchestra could offer so he did what any visionary would and broke the rules.
Many have argued that the fifth symphony is actually the beginning of the Romantic period (I would say it's probably his third symphony). Whether or not that is the case, until Beethoven's works symphonies were often a total of 15 minutes in length (that's right folks, classical music has not always dragged on for hours!), but in many Beethoven Symphonies each movement alone is more than 15 minutes. Sheesh.
