Akram Najjar Karaz w Laimoon

Presented at the Aeroclub du Liban

22 May 2019

Beethoven Faces the Abyss:

The 5th Symphony

Agenda

A) Placing Beethoven and the symphony in context

B) Some important musical terms we will be using

C) The sonata allegro form (and the battle with form)

D) The importance of the Heiligenstadt Testament

E) The innovations introduced by Beethoven

F) The structure of each movement of the symphony

You can download this presentation from

www.karazwlaimoon.com

This talk is by a Non-Musician

to Non-Musicians

A)Placing the

5th Symphony in context

Renaissance

Early Baroque

Mid Baroque

High Baroque

Classical

Beethoven

Romantic

21st Century

Periods in Western Music

Beethoven came at the end of the Classical Period (he may have caused it to end)

• Music had a lighter and clearer texture than in the Baroque Period

• Counterpoint was not as common

• Concentration was on homophonic writing: melody over bass line

• The Piano replaced the Harpsichord

• Most Baroque Concertos became extinct • Concerto Grosso, Ripieno and Concertino

• Only the Solo Concerto evolved to dominate the Classical Period

• Classical Period Composers focused on Musical Development

More characteristics of the Classical Era . . .

New Forms of movements emergedSonata Form, Rondo, Theme and Variations, Scherzos, etc.

New Genres replaced older formsString Quartets and Quintets, Piano Quartets and Quintets, etc.

Miniatures mostly innovated by Schubert (a few by Beethoven)Impromptus, Fantasies, Romances, Bagatelles

Lieder again, single handedly innovated by SchubertStand alone songs stressing individual lyricism

Opera was mostly by Mozart and Beethoven (only Fidelio) Schubert and Haydn wrote many, but very few were significant

Beethoven’s Life Line and Some Milestones

1770 1827‘02

57 years

‘78

FirstVienna

Trip

‘92

Settles inVienna

for GoodHeiligenstadt

Testament

‘97

DeafnessStarts

Symphony 5

’08

Bonn (22 years) Vienna (35 years)

The 3 Periods of Beethoven’s Work

1770 1827‘12

Early (8 years)

Late(15 years)

Middle(10 years)

Op 1 to 29 Op 96 to 138Op 30 to 95

‘02

HeiligenstadtTestament

‘94

Symphony 5

’08

Symphony 5 is in the Middle of the Middle Period Here are it’s Neighbors

Op 55 - Symphony No 3 in F “Eroica” 1803-04

Op 56 - Triple Concerto in C 1804-05

Op 57 - Sonata No 23 in F min “Appassionata” 1804-06

Op 58 - Piano Concerto No 4 in G 1805-06

Op 59 - The 3 “Razumovsky” Quartets 1806

Op 60 - Symphony No 4 in B flat 1807

Op 61 - The Violin Concerto in D major 1806

Op 62 - Coriolan Overture 1807. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Op 67 - Symphony No 5 in C min 1808

Op 68 - Symphony No 6 in in F major "Pastoral" 1808

OP 69 - Cello Sonata No 3 in A major 1808

5 Critical Yearsjust after the HeiligenstadtTestament

Beethoven’s 9 Symphonies

1 Op 21 C major 1800

2 Op 36 D major 1802

3 Op 55 E-flat major ("Eroica") 1804

4 Op 60 B-flat major 1806

5 Op 67 C minor 1808

6 Op 68 F major ("Pastoral") 1808

7 Op 92 A major 1812

8 Op 93 F major 1812

9 Op 125 D minor ("Choral") 1824

12

yea

rs

B)Some Musical Terms

we will need

1) Classical Works consist of Movements and Movements consist of Sections

The Whole Work

Movement 1

Movement 2

Movement ...

Movement N

Every Movement

Section1

Section 2

Section . . .

Section N

Each type of Movement has it own Section names

Sonata Allegro: Exposition, Development, Recapitulation

Scherzo: Scherzo 1, Trio, Scherzo 2

Theme + Variations: Theme, Var 1, Var 2, Var 3 . . .

Rondo: Rondo Theme, Episode, Rondo, Episode

Fugue: Voice 1, Voice 2, Voice 3, Episodes, Restatements

We mostly listen to melody, rhythm and instrumentation in music.

We need to be aware of the FORM of movements, their sections and various components within sections.

2) What are Themes?

• Themes are small units of notes that do not stand alone

• Melodies are longer and have a musical completeness

• Themes form parts of larger melodies or phrases

• Examples• Symphony No 5 in C minor (Op 67): the Fate Motif

• Symphony No 7 in A major (Op 92): movements 2 and 3

• And . . .

3) What is a Cadence? (Not a Cadenza)

• Cadence is a phrase announcing the End of a Movement

• It can also announce the End of a Section within a movement

• It can also be a False cadence: you expect an end but composer tricks you + continues to another section

• Normally, cadences are short passages

• But Beethoven and Normal do not go together

• In the 5th, they are long, elaborate and with long developed sections

4) What are Transitions or Modulation Bridges?

This is a section that takes us from one section to the next

Purpose 1: to introduce the next section smoothly

Purpose 2: to change from the present key to a new key

The 2 terms are “almost” interchangeable

Modulation Bridges (Transitions) are usually short

Again, Usual and Beethoven don’t go togetherHe will develop long modulation bridges

He might even drop them or have very short transitions… (Horn Call)

5) Keys

• This is quite complex and outside my learning

• But we need a small intro since this is critical in Beethoven’s 5th

• There are 12 notes in Western Music which repeat (octaves)7 white and 5 black on a piano

• Of the 12 notes, a special set of 7 notes is called the Major Scale

• If 1 or 2 of the 7 are shifted downwards, we get the Minor Scale

• The Major Scale is considered joyful and bright

• The Minor Scale is melancholic and dark

C)The Sonata Allegro Form (and the battle with form)

Let us compare 2 movements by Beethoven

1793 Sonata in F minor Op 2 No 1 Movement 1

1808 Symphony 5 in C minor Op 67 Movement 1

(Both movements are in Sonata Allegro Form)

Why?

To see how Beethoven broke away from the Classical Form

What is the Sonata Allegro form?

• It is a structure of a specific movement in a Classical work

• It was created by early Classical Period composers: CPE Bach + JC Bach (the English Bach and friend of Mozart)

• The form has nothing to do with Sonatas nor with Allegros

• It is used in Concertos, Symphonies, Trios, Quartets, etc.

• The form is generally found in first movements

The Sections of the Sonata Allegro Form

Exposition Development Recapitulation

Each of these is composed of Sub-Sections(and there will be “Options”)

The “Standard” Sonata Allegro Form(Haydn / Mozart / Beethoven / Schubert)

1) Exposition

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

3) Recap

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

1) Expo Repeat

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

Intro

du

ction

Co

da

2) Development

T1T2

Can have New Themes

Yellow sections are optional

The Harmonic Structure of the Sonata Form

Exposition: if the work is in a major key (tonic):Theme 1 is the tonic key (Say it is a C or an F)

Theme 2 is the dominant (this will be the 5th step after the tonic: G or C)

Exposition: if the work is in a minor key (tonic):Theme 1 is the tonic key (Say it is a C minor or an F minor)

Theme 2 is the 6th step below or the 3rd step above the tonic

This will be the 6th step after the tonic: E flat major or A flat major)

Development: can be in any key (around the tonic)

Recapitulation: both Themes 1 and 2 are in the tonic key

Sonata No 1 (Op 2) in F minor (1793): Movement 1

No introduction –Beethoven starts directly with Theme 1

No coda

Themes 1 and 2 are very simple – not even melodies

Theme 1 goes up a scale then curls a little

This was called a Mannheim Rocket

Theme 2 almost reverses theme 1: down and curl

The Sonata Allegro Form in Sonata 1

Duration: 3 min 10 seconds

1) Exposition

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

3) Recap

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

1) Expo Exact Repeat

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

2) Development

T1

T2

The Sonata Form in Sonata 1 is RIGID

Beethoven uses a short and simple Bridge from T1 to T2It takes us from F minor to A flat major

F minor is the relative minor of A flat major and is 6 notes above it

This is standard practice for movements in a minor key

The Cadence after T2 is a simple short phrase to close the Expo and introduce the Development section

Beethoven repeats the Expo Verbatim

We really hear Theme 1 three timesExposition / Exposition Repeat / Recapitulation

Soon, Beethoven will be bored with such a rigid structures

D) The importance of the HeiligenstadtTestament1808:15 years and 65 works later, Beethoven writes the 5th Symphony

Nothing as simple as Sonata 1 Why?

What happened between Op 2 and Op 67?

1. 1802: Beethoven realized he was going severely deaf and was about to kill himself. (Heiligenstadt Testament)

2. Beethoven felt his creativity was severely constrained by Classical Forms.

So, rather than fall, he picked himself up with a massive creative drive: overcoming his deafness, Mozart and Haydn.

The first work after the Testament: the highly innovative Eroica Symphony

Albert Camus1913 - 1960

The Absurd

The Mythof Sisyphus

1942

Camus published “The Stranger” in the same year as

the “Myth”

1942

Camus Asked:

“What happens when a person realizes there is no meaning in life?”

Didn’t Beethoven facethe same question, 140 years earlier?

1 2 3

1First Path: SuicideThis is a philosophical suicide.

You decide that there is no meaning in life

no reason to continue

2

Second Path:Leap of FaithYou jump into someone else’s “system” such as a religion, social system, Marxism.

Sartre calls this “Mauvaise Foie”

3Third Path:You insist on facing the

Abyss (Absurd)(l’abîme)

and generate your own meaning

“I am resolved to rise superior to every obstacle.

With whom need I be afraid of measuring my own strength? I will take Fate by the throat. It shall not overcome me.

Oh how beautiful it is to be alive — would that I could live a thousand times.”

Beethoven

E)Innovations in the 5th Symphony

Beethoven used Innovations in his Music to Transcend his situation.

Although he used innovations in his Early Period, it was in his Middle Period that they became prominent.And in the Late Period that they became extreme.

Let us keep in mind that . . .

In Beethoven’s time, audiences expected Classical Forms

Any unusual practice would have been shocking to them

We are used to music after the Classical Period

Therefore, we might not feel the innovations of Beethoven

Innovation 1: the Stress on Development

• Composers will state a Theme then change it (develop it)

• In Jazz we call this “improvisation” or تقسيم in Oriental Music

• Development Sections have no rules … free form

• Development in music plays on our expectations

• We might think something is new … but it uses earlier material

• We might think something is old … but inside it we get new material

• These transformations can apply to many musical components . . .

What Components does a Composer Develop?

Theme / Motif / Figure / Subject / Phrase

Tempo (notes per minute)

Meter (the number of beats per measure or bar)

Rhythm (a pattern of notes)

Timbre

Orchestration

Instrumentation

Shape or form of melodies

Keys and harmonic patterns

How does a Composer “Transform” or “Develop”?

Invert themes (upside-down, back-to-front)

Sequence them (change their register or pitch)

Break them up into smaller components

Change their instrumentation

Vary the rhythm and tempo

Use unusual harmonies (non-Classical)

Introduce musical devices such as Ritardando, accelerando, rubato, crescendo

Change the dynamics (loud and soft)

Beethoven was a Great Improviser

Given any melody by the audience, he could weave a long sonata out of it … without preparation

Improvisation is spontaneous development

Development is simply improvisation that is written down

Beethoven was Obsessed with Development

• In Classical Forms, development was restricted To the Sonata Allegro form’s middle section

And to movements within Theme and Variations

• Beethoven developed sections almost everywhereModulation Bridges, Cadences, Codas

• Beethoven’s development sections were longer than usual

• And with more complex structures

• He would often introduce new themes in different sections

Innovation 2: the Use of Instruments

New: he gave basses and cellos an important role

New: he assigned important passage to special instruments:

Horn Call, Oboe Cadenza, Tympani

New: in Movement 4 of the 5th, Beethoven introduced 3 instruments for the first time ever

3 Trombones, a Contre (double) Bassoon and a Piccolo

Innovation 3: the Use of Rhythmic Development

• Melodies = long, closed and song like passages

• Traditionally, composers used lyrical melodies as the basis for development

• Beethoven built whole movements (and in our case, symphonies) out of very short almost boring themes

• He used themes based on rhythm and not melody

Innovation 4: Unusual Harmonic Structures

• Classically, a work must start and remain in its key: C minor

• C major and C minor are not often used togetherIn spite of their nearness

• But Beethoven lets C major raise its head, here and there

• In Movement 4 C major takes over triumphantly

Innovation 5: the Use of Musical Narratives

• Earlier composers placed sections in sequence without logic

• Beethoven used narratives in movements and whole works

• Heroes: themes, instruments, harmonies, rhythms

• Events: development, modulations, cadences, repeats

• Plot: each section follows musically from a previous section

• Only in the Pastoral Symphony (No 6) did Beethoven use non-musical narratives

• We had to wait for Schumann, Liszt and Berlioz (and others) for program music

F)The Structure of the 5th Symphony

Movement 1: Allegro con brio (C minor) (7 minutes) (Sonata Allegro Form)

Movement 2: Andante con motto (A flat) (10 minutes)(Double Theme and Variations)

Movement 3: Allegro (C minor) (5 minutes)

(Scherzo and Trio)

Movement 4: Allegro (C major) (9 minutes)

(Sonata Allegro Form)

Movement 1: Allegro Con Brio (in C minor)(Sonata Allegro Form)

• The movement is based on a 4 note motif / theme

• Beethoven said it came from a bird he heard once

• Schindler claims Beethoven to have said:

“This is Fate Knocking on the Door”

• Today, it is known as the Fate Motif …

• Beethoven is going to do everything possible with this theme

• Result: a massive, dynamic, bulldozer of a movement

• Highly rhythmic, most of the time with lots of lyrical passages

Exposition(first section of movement 1)

Classical in shape but contains new sections

Highly developmental

Horn Call is very important … the shortest Modulating Bridge ever

Theme 2 is derived from Theme 1

T1 Develop T1Re-Develop

T1T1

Again

Modulating Bridge HORN Call

T2 Develop T2T1

RepCadence

Theme 1

Theme 2

Cadence

Bridge

Changing the Form of T1 or the Fate Motif

Horn CallTheme 1

G / E flat / F / D

B flat / E flat / F / B flat

Contouring the Fate Motif

Innovation 6: Pervasive Use of Similar Themes

• Beethoven uses 4 notes everywhere in the symphony

• Some themes are used in more than 1 movement

• They are so well integrated that we do not notice them

• In most of his compositions, Beethoven uses small themes to build larger and great forms It is like painting with one color

Development (middle of Movement 1)

• Narrative: Beethoven starts with the 8 note motif

• He strips it to 6 notes --- then to 5 notes then 4 --- then to 2 notes

• He goes on to 1 note (octave): soft subdued depressive

• This is Beethoven at his lowest: the Heiligenstadt Testament

• Fate Motif tries to raise its head … 1 note again

• Fate Motif triumphantly returns to end the Development

Recapitulation (last section of Movement 1)

• A repetition of the Exposition …. BUT highly developed

• The G note is now a short cadenza by an Oboe

• Theme 2 returns in C major … supposed to have been C minor

• Ends with a coda that is another development

• In the coda, Beethoven introduces a new theme (T3)

• T3 is made up of “rolling” 4 notes ….

• He ignores finishing Movement 1 and starts developing T3

Movement 2: Andante Con Moto (in E flat)(Double Theme and Variations)

The Theme and Variations form became popular in the Classic Era

It allowed composers to experiment with “development”

Two types were used:

1) Theme and Variations: One Single Theme, varied N times

A – A1 – A2 – A3 – A4 . . . A

2) Double Theme and Variations: Two Themes, varied N times

A – B – A1 – B1 – A2 – B2 – A3 – B3 . . . A – B

Will Beethoven follow this? No Way

Two Types of Variation

Elaborative method (the Andante in the Appassionata)Take a melody and add to it

Speed it up and make it more elaborate

Developmental method (many by Beethoven / Brahms)Use the harmonic structure of the main them

Develop each variation to be different in form, style and mood

Theme and Variations

Theme A (very lyrical in A flat major)

Theme B (very lyrical in A flat major >> A flat 7th then to C Major)

Variation 1 Theme A (Elaborative)

Variation 1 Theme B (Elaborative)

Variation 2 Theme A (Elaborative but starts losing shape)

Variation 2 Theme B (Developmental but extreme)

Variation 3 Theme A only (Developmental but extreme)

No Variation 3 Theme B . . .

CodaTriumphant entry of C major will be reused in Movement 4

Movement 3: Ternary Form

Ternary Forms: A - B - A

A - B - A - B - A

A - B - C - B - A

A - B - A - B - A - B - A

A - B - A - C - A - B - A

Traditionally, composers used a Minuet (dance) + Trio + Minuet

Beethoven changed that to Scherzos: more lively but still ternary

Scherzo 1 (3 pairs)A1 (Mysterious Melody) B1 (C major Fate Motif) – A1 B1 – A2 B2

Trio (fugue in 3 voices) in C majorHighly lyrical, unusual for counterpoint composition

We will view the strange structure of the Fugue on the next slide

Scherzo 2 (3 pairs) highly developed Scherzo 1

Mysterious transition to Movement 4 (without stopping)Fate Motif on Tympani --- wind like

The Structure of Movement 3 (with innovations)

Only Beethoven will Structure a Fugue like a Sonata Allegro Form

3 Voice FugueEpisodes and Restatements

General Fugue Form

Coda1 Voice Repeat

3 Voice Fugue3 Voice Fugue

(Repeat)Episodes and Restatements

Cadence3 Voice Fugue

(Repeat)

Exposition Repeat Expo Development Recapitulation

The Trio of Movement 3 as a Fugue

Movement 4: Allegro (Sonata Allegro Form)

• Essentially a standard Sonata Allegro form with a long coda

• There are 3 themes

• The key should be the same as the key of the first movement

• But it is not … it is in C major and triumphantly so

• Beethoven introduces first time ever new instruments:3 Trombones + Picolo + Contre or Double Bassoon

• Beethoven uses a rhythmic and lyrical themes

• Again, the coda is a second development section

Thank you for you

kind attention