Symphony No. 5 in C minor

The famous symphony, the one everyone knows and loves: Beethoven’s 5th. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor was completed between 1807-1808 and premiered in Vienna. The first movement is in our familiar sonata form but Beethoven introduces some interesting changes. First of all, here it seems as if Beethoven is much more interested in developing his theme instead of tonal areas. We get our eight note opening which commences the primary theme. After the transition comes and goes, the secondary theme begins, going to the expected key area: Eb Major (III). However, instead of a new, contrasting theme, Beethoven brings back the same old four notes. Even though it is disguised over a slow violin melody, the original theme is still heard clearly in the cello and bass. Then it comes back in full blast to close off part 1. During the return of the first section is where Beethoven really changes things. He orchestrates it much more thickly and introduces more moving lines in the winds. Then, there is a striking oboe solo added in where the listener expected all of the moving lines to continue. Then Beethoven gives the horn call that introduced the secondary theme to a basson. Instead of keeping the same exact music, Beethoven plays with the theme in new ways. In the closing theme, he brings us to C major, which is not uncommon by any means; but then he takes away the heroic finish by pulling the piece back to its minor mode in the coda.

While there is so much to talk about with this symphony, it is important to note that instead of treating the movements as four separate entities unified by key like most symphonies of this time, Beethoven chose to unify them with his theme so prevalent in the 1st movement. He brings back the rhythmic motif in subtle ways throughout the last three movements. In movement IV, he almost directly quotes the third. This concept of unifying a work by themes and motifs is extremely important in music now. Jumping forward a few decades, could you imagine the finale of Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony without the striking regression to the very first theme belted out by the horns? More recently, for those of you who went to the FSU Wind Orchestra CBDNA preview concert, hearing the return of the first march in the third movement of Wine Dark Sea saturated with all its previous arrogance and hubris is incredibly satisfying, brilliantly achieved by Mackey. It is something that is all but essential to music now, and Beethoven really pioneered this movement.

For this purpose, I chose to use a recording done by the Chicago Symphony, located on Spotify.