V. FATE symphony -
c-minor, opus 67
Analysis of the
Movement form: sonata form.
Movement tempo designation: Allegro con brio,
time signature: 2/4
I. Exposition
The first theme is in fact not a musical
theme, but a motif, the so called. fate-motif. It
consists of four notes. Three, short and fast notes is followed by a lengthened
note. The motif is repeated. Allegedly, Beethoven said the following: “This is how faith knocks on the door.” ♫
According to experts, within
the fate-motif resides extreme massiveness, fearful power, unprecedented
concentration, burning tension and violent energy. Why? Because its united by
contrast. Many believe, that Beethoven used Hegel’s thesis-antithesis-synthesis, the unity and battle of contrasts, in
his compositions even before the famous philosopher.
These four notes determine the
continuation. The sign of the fate-motif and its musical material is: A – This
musical material is repeated.
The melody of the second theme
can be divided into two sections. ♫
The melody of the first
section sounds on horns. The melody of the
second section is the lyrical continuation of the first section: it first
sounds on string instruments, then twice on a
aerophones; then it
is followed by downward moving, energetic sequence-passages.
So far the musical material of
the exposition is as follows: A A B, – this musical material is repeated. Use
of a flowing chart is not possible.
II. Elaboration
Here, the themes of the
exposition are in arrangement, there is no need for further analysis. I
recommend you to listen to it several times.
III. Reexposition
The repetition of the xposition begins with the fate-motif sounding on the whole orchestra. The musical material of the
exposition sounds in a shortened form; its sign can be roughly outlined as: A B
In the „A” part, a slightly
melancholic melody sounds on oboe, which
resembles the unhappy and joyless state of the people in oppression.
IV. Coda:
In case of this symphony, the
coda gains a more important role, as it functions as the peak of the movement. It
has the same value as the musical material of the exposition and the
elaboration. The role of the coda is to summarize. It is similar to a teacher’s
summary at the end of a class of that day’s material. This is what happens at
the end of a rhetorical speech, when the speaker summarizes what he said in the
speech itself. Its most important role is to leave a positive and lasting
impression of what has been said.
Analysis of the
II. movement
Movement form: free variation
form.
Movement tempo designation: Andante con moto, time signature: 3/8
In this movement Beethoven
relieves the unprecedented tension of the previous movement. Its message: pondering on fate’s
challenges; gathering strength for the upcoming battle. The movement’s musical
material can be divided into four blocks, and it basically consists of two
themes.
Contents of block
A:
The music begins with the
melody of the first
theme, which is followed by the consequent
part of the melody composed of the last four notes played on string instruments. ♫
The second theme is not a real theme, since
its melody is without conclusion. It is played twice:
a/ first softly and in „dolce”,
b/ then on the whole orchestra and with full volume. ♫
After
a transition we reach the next block. Te musical material of the
transition is composed of the 2. theme.
Contents of block
B:
The music begins with the
variation development of the first theme (marked as 1v),
after which the musical material of
block A is repeated.
Contents of block
C:
In the following the variation
development of the first theme sounds for the third time, on whole orchestra. After
a gradual crescendo, the orchestra comes to a pause.
This is followed by an interlude, then the forte version of
the second theme. Finally, chordal figuration
leads to the next block.
Contents of block
D:
The music begins with the minor-version of the first theme (its
rhythm is noteworthy), then we can hear scale passages in a short, transitional
section. Then a powerful conclusion
follows, which is composed of the first theme’s motifs. Finally, the consequent
part of the first theme’s melody closes the block.
Coda
The coda begins with a short preparatory music, then an intimate
melody, composed of the consequent part of the first theme, sounds first on the
oboe, then,
even more beautifully on violins. After this,
the rhythmic variation of the first
theme’s opening motif prepares the conclusion of the first movement.
Analysis of the
III. movement
The traditional scherzo form
is not marked, but actually it is in scherzo form. The movement’s music can be
divided into three sections:
- first section :
scherzo,
- second section : of trio quality,
- third section : repetition of scherzo + a short coda
Tempo designation: Allegro, time
signature: 3/4
First section
The musical material of the
first section, the scherzo consists of one theme and the fate-motif:
-
the theme is the so called bass-theme,
♫
-
the fate-motif
(also known as knocking-motif), ♫
This section can also be
divided into three further short sections:
1/ It begins with an
upward moving bass theme, which is repeated, then the repetitions of the
fate-motif follows.
2/ The musical
material is the same as in the 1/ section, with a few rhythmic and orchestrational changes (Varietas
delectat!).
3/ First we hear the
bass theme, then its countertheme (which has
beautiful sound!), and then the fate-motif twice and a very short conclusion,
which marks the end of the first section.
Second section
The movement’s seconds section
has the quality of a “trio” and has one single
melody, called the trio-theme, which
has a fugato setting. ♫
It is repeated three times
with slight changes, then a transition section follows, leading to the
movement’s third main section.
Third section
The third section – the
reprise of the scherzo – consists of two sections and the coda.
In the first section we hear the two
themes of the scherzo, but here he rhythm becomes broken, the motifs stumble;
the mood is gloomy, suffocating. Naturally, these are variations.
In the second section only the outline
of the bass-theme remains, the previous bad mood deepens still. Its effect is
grotesque.
Coda.
The mood of the coda brings
about tension and anxious suspense within the listener, and leads to the IV.
movement without interruption. So the coda connects the III. and IV. movement.
The maintained musical tone
gradually increases, then the IV. Movement’s first theme bursts in with
elemental force, and rises higher and higher, which reverberates with feelings
of triumph over fate itself.
Analysis of the
IV. movement
Movement form: sonata form.
Movement tempo designation: Allegro, time
signature: 4/4
The way the III. movement
continuously leads into the IV. movement, where Beethoven answers the dramatic
question posed in the
I. Exposition
The first
theme sounds with fortissimo dynamics right after the uneasy mood of the
III. movement’s transition section; its melody can be divided into two parts.
The first part of the melody is extremely
simple, yet it has an elemental force.
The second part of the melody is repeated three
times, then concluded, and then followed by a short transitional section. ♫
The transition into the second theme is in fact an independent theme,
and it is also known as the second theme;
it sounds twice on aerophones,
then it is concluded.
The second theme
the first half sounds on string instruments, these are upward moving triplet-figures;
the second half moves downward; here the second theme is repeated. ♫
We hear the closing theme
/a short repeating melody/ first softly, then in forte version. The
closing theme is followed by an energetic transition, while the music stops on
an orchestral pause; then the
elaboration follows. ♫
II. Elaboration
In the elaboration part, one
of the second theme’s motifs, the so called triplet-motif is developed. The
main emphasis is on the bass-motif’s repetition.
(It can already be heard under the triplet-motif, but only softly.) The entry
of the trombones marks the climax of the elaboration.
After this – in pianissimo (dynamic
shift, contrast!) – the repetitions of the a fate-motif follows.
III. Reexposition
In the reexposition, the musical material of
the exposition is exactly repeated.
IV. The coda consists of three sections:
a/ First we hear the
triplet-motif of the second theme, then the bass-motif wil
become dominant; it is repeated several times, then chord-beats follow.
b/ It may seem ike that we have reached the end of the movement, but then
a new, energetic, upward moving motif, the so called warning-motif sounds, then it is concluded, and finally repeated in
a new instrumentation.
c/ The third
section is the concluding section. First we hear the repetitions of one of the
closing theme’s motifs, then the raving
motif of the closing theme is repeated eight times. Beethoven then brings
back the beginning of the first theme’s melody, then orchestral chords follow
in succession, which end the movement, as well as the symphony.
What is this symphony about?
This is the “symphony of the most”:
it is the most well known, most popular and most often played masterpiece,
which gained the “FATE” title later.
Its opening night was in Wien,
in the Theater an der Wien on the 22th of
December, 1808. (This was the opening night of the VI. Symphony as well.) It
was dedicated to baron Andrey Kirillovich
(1752-1836), who was a Russian diplomat in Wien, ad who later became state
chancellor in
According to Schering, a German musicologist (1877-1941),
the symphony is not the symbol of a man’s struggle with fate, (however it
cannot be excluded from what the music has to say!) but the composition of the
oppression, fight for freedom, and finally, victorious liberation of a whole
nation.
This symphony is the heroic
story of men’s willpower and ability to fight. It is a brave opposition with
fate and its struggles. In a philosophical sense it carries the most universal
message for one single person as well as a larger community.
The
The second
theme expresses the people’s wish for freedom, and to be able to rise
from oppression.
Thus the first movement
presents the battles of tyrannical power and fight for independence. The tension
is permanent and concentrated; the dramatic battle is about life and death, and
it is not known whether tyranny or freedom will prevail.
In the movement – along with
the dramatic tone – there is only one lyrical part. This short melody expresses
the people’s immeasurable suffering.
The movement’s final outcome: so far tyranny has
won, but hope for gaining freedom is not yet lost. The fate of the battle will
be decided in the IV. movement.
The II.
movement’s first theme – musical idea – expresses the suffering of the oppressed
people. Beside pain and complaint there is the faith in freedom’s victory
present. (The aerophone’s upward moving forte melody
sections foretell freedom’s triumph) In our time, we say: NEVER GIVE UP!
The movement’s peaceful harmony
relieves the
In
the III. movement, the people’s suffering continues, tyranny does not
loosen the grasp of oppressing power. The fate-motif’s “knocking” is always
present! Within this music there is no trace of joyous and amusing mood, as it
would be usual in another III. movement. Beethoven, instead of Scherzo,
prescribes only an Allegro tempo.
The movement is not independent;
rather it is the preparation for the finale, the IV. movement. There is no
break between the two movements, they are connected with transition music.
At the end of the movement it
seems that all is lost, and there is no escape. The livid orchestra becomes
faint, as if the dark veil of tyranny covers everything, and the orchestra goes
silent. For a longer time some kind of tense anticipation emanates from the
music. This is the transition’s music. (One time, during the symphony’s
performance, a boy sitting next to Schumann grabbed his arms at this part, and
whispered: “I am really afraid!”)
At the end of the transition, from
one moment to the next the first theme of the IV. movement bursts on the whole orchestra with elemental force.
(In 1828 – seven years after
Napoleon’s death – a small group of French veterans were listening to the
symphony, and at this point, they yelled “The Emperor! The Emperor!”, jumped
from their seats and the performance almost ended in failure.)
The theme’s melody soars
upward, ascends higher and higher. This is the self-abandoned, rapturous
jubilation upon triumph, it captivates the audience. None can stay indifferent
as no one can back out of its effect.
In the elaboration section the
fate-motif returns once more, but it no longer has power, it serves only as a
memento, a warning, after which the themes and melody of freedom’s victory
sound and reverberate again.
In Hector Berlioz’s (1803-1869) – French composer – memoir, the
following story is noted down:
„Lesueur (Berlioz’s teacher) did not want to acknowledge or
become familiar with Beethoven’s music. He was cautious not to listen to any
part of Beethoven’s works, not to witness the works’ sudden success, that was spreadin fast throughout
Once, after many
persuasion attempts, Berlioz succeeded in taking him to the performance of the
V. Symphony. Lesueur listened to the performance
alone from a box seat. Berlioz, after the performance, met his excited,
agitated teacher.
– “Well,
master?...”
– “Leave me! I need
to go outside! This is incredible, this is wonderful! It unsettled and shook me
so, that when leaving my box and trying to put my hat on, I hardly knew where
my head was. Leave me. Tomorrow…”
When the
enthusiastic Berlioz visited his master the other day, he found him in a
calmer, reserved mood. He shook his head, and said with a peculiar smile:
– “Well, music like
this should not be written!”
Then the
quick-witted Berlioz could not stand to sharply retort:
– “Rest assured,
dear master, no one will compose such music for a long time.”
Dénes, Bartha: Beethoven kilenc szimfóniája – Zeneműkiadó Vállalat,
After getting
acquainted with the symphony’s movements
I advise you to read from the
selections section
Ø the poem of Illyés Gyula, its title: A sentence on tyranny. It was written in 1950, but
published in print only on the 2nd of November, 1956.
Ø The poem
Ø The Human Rights
supplement
And if I don’t bore my fellow
man with my further thoughts which arose when listening to this symphony, and
which have kept me occupied, I would share them.
My thoughts when
listening to the V. symphony
In European history, the XVII.
century may rightly claim the title “the century of reason, since this was the
time when those thoughts arose, which marks the beginning of the intellectual
tendency we call enlightenment.
The following two quotations
have the same value, as when they were first written down, and will have the
same value in the future as long as people live on Earth.
J. J. Rousseau /1712-1778/ wrote the following
sentence in his treatise The Social Contract /1762/: “Man is born free, and
everywhere he is in chains.”
Two famous sentences from the
United States Declaration of Independence /1776/: “We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Beethoven was familiar with
these thoughts, and it may not be a coincidence, that it is in his
compositions, in which liberty, and wish for freedom can be felt as the
strongest, and it is his music that can deliver this message the farthest. He
did not compose on order, but for the aspiring middle class, and later, for the
whole of humanity. Although he received donations from aristocrats, he was
neither employee, nor slave; he is the first, consciously “free artist”. He proudly professed: “There
are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.”
Beethoven was particularly
susceptible to the advancing French ideas and thoughts. He was Rousseau’s
enthusiastic follower throughout his life. At the age 23, he wrote the
following: “To do good whenever one can, to love
liberty above all else, never to deny the truth, even though it be before the
throne!”
The idea of liberty is present
in his artistic confession: „A művészet
célja a mindenség célja: szabadság és haladás.”
Without further comments – here
and now – the motto of enlightenment must be quoted: „Sapere aude!”
– Dare to think! In a looser interpretation: Have the courage to use your wit!
It is obligatory even today!
The motto of the preceding
historical period, the thousand year long Middle Ages, however, was: „Credere aude!” – Dare to
believe! In a looser interpretation: Do not think, oly
believe!
There is no need to further
explain what has been said so far, but I’ll write a few lines about another
important thought. The most important message of Martin
Luther’s (1483-1546) life and legacy is only two words, which is
valid for every age, every men or community: „semper reformári” – always
improve. Only one thing is permanent: change and reform. Reform is the key and
engine of progress. Be the one who is intelligent, the adherent of sensible
reform!
After J. Haydn (1732-1809) and W. A. Mozart (1756-1791), it was L. v Beethoven (1770-1827) who culminates the
Classical music style. They all compose in the same language, yet it is
Beethoven, who is a reformer in every field of music. He differs, innovates,
changes, moves on, not to throw away the old, but to express himself. His art
opens the way for the cult of individuality.
His art has an elemental force
(he was a prodigy, without limits),worthy of admiration. He is a part of the
universal human culture, he has everlasting value. Only the art of Shakespeare or Michalengelo
can be compared to his – wrote Bence Szabolcsi musicologist.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) wrote the following:“…without fear he
exposed himself, and with it he expressed us, common folk as well”
(He received the Nobel Prize in 1925.)
Two centuries had passed since
the composition of the V. Symphony, thus it is justified to ask: What thoughts
does this unique symphony, this unparalleled work of art arouse, or if you
like, what is its message for people in our time?
There are many representatives
of the notion that life’s aim is to fight. Sulla,
the famous dictator of
antiquity believed this.
“Man: strive on, and trust!” –
and there are many more examples…
I will quote Goethe as closing
remarks.
Naturally our existence has
many purposes, and it would be impossible to list them, but it is undeniable
that without struggle there is no life, no true joy, maybe no happiness either:
You have to fight for everything in life.
Life and fate has smaller and
bigger challenges in store for everyone, and these cannot be evaded, ignored,
concealed; one cannot wait for the problems to go away. One must take a stand:
say yes or no; overcome or surrender. The most comfortable solution is to
submit and tolerate how tings turn out. To fight is a thousand times harder,
but it is worth it! Churchill believed the same: „”NEVER
GIVE UP!” I do not know a better, truer, more human saying than this!
After this short digression,
let us return to the symphony. What is this symphony about?
It is about the people’s fight
for liberty against tyrannical power and oppression, then about the triumph
over the achieved freedom. In short, it is about the battle o the forces of
tyranny and liberty, more importantly, about struggling.
What does the word tyranny
mean? – This is what Illyés Gyula’s one
sentence poem writes about, which can be found among the selections.
What does the word liberty mean? – The Explanatory Dictinary writes the following: “The
state in which someone, or something is free. In aphylosophical
sense: “The possibility for man to decide in his actions based on recognized
necessity” (There is possibility for someone to do something.)
Apart from the scientific
explanation, the poem’s interpretation is closer to us and our life: tyranny
robs people of everything freedom offers. (I again refer to the French poet’s
poem: Paul Eluard:
When we use the word liberty –
whether we want it or not – it includes the state of human rights, the degree
and quality of democracy, the success of justice and the state of legality, as
well as the free flow of ideas, information and so on.
All of these questions are
always present in relation to everyday relationships: in the relationship of
man and fellow man, individual and community, employer and employee, manager
and staff, husband and wife, loving boy and girl, teacher and student… and not
only in general, but in particular, in small and large matters, below and
above, all the time and under any circumstances…
Let us now concentrate on one
question, the question of human rights.
„S a nép hajdan csak eledelt kívánt,
Mivelhogy
akkor még állat vala;
De az
állatból végre ember lett,
S embernek
illik, hogy legyen joga.
Jogot
tehát, emberjogot a népnek!
Mert
jogtalanság a legrútabb bélyeg
Isten
teremtményén, s ki rásüti:
Isten kezét el nem kerülheti.”
In the fifth stanza, he repeats
more and more urgently:
„Jogot
a népnek, az emberiség
Nagy szent
nevében, adjatok jogot,”
Many claim that Petőfi was a prophet, the prophet of Hungarian people, who
foresaw the future, as he surpassed European politicians and thinkers by
centuries, when he shouted and fought for human rights upon seeing and
experiencing the era’s state of injustice and inhumanity
As we know, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (not its
practice!) was written and signed by several nations of the world in 1946.
Despite this we can hear news
from all around the world of injustice and tyranny every day.
In our time, many are afraid
to tell their opinion in fear that they can lose their job and small salary,
even though the Constitution provides the right of expressing our opinion.
There are even more problems
concerning democratic rights and their practice, even though the népfenség joga??? is known for two thousand years. There is no
free flow of information either. Let us look at one example: The Hungarian
uranium contamination caused by the
Today, in the year 2013, can
we be satisfied with the state of freedom, democracy and justice?
Aren’t human rights infringed?
Does justice always prevail?
Dear young reader,
When you will have finished
your studies, and start your journey in life you will experience at every step,
how much injustice and illegality there is around you, and how democracy’s
sublime ideas are humiliated day by day. The fundamental norms of coexistence
are kept by fewer and fewer people, the human rights are constantly violated,
so there will be much to fight for. No wonder then, that the following
quotation often appears on high-school graduation invitation cards:
Bár
zord a harc, megéri a világ
Ha az
ember az marad, ami volt;
Nemes,
küzdő, szabadlelkű diák.
This is how things were in
every age, and this is how it will be in your whole life and future. This is
why I have emphasized that the most important goal in life is to struggle.
Resourcefulness is gained through the will to fight.
Thus I can boldly state:
-
Struggle awaits everyone in every age,
-
Without struggle, there is no life, no success,
- the reward of our struggles are – true joy,
– self-abandoned joy,
– triumphant joy,
as we can hear it in the IV. movement.
Finally, let me describe in a
few sentences – as honestly as possible –, my opinion, thoughts and feelings –
my whole experience when listening to the symphony.
Upon listening this symphony,
I am close to Beethoven. His music amazes me and fills me with charm. It brakes
me, lifts me up, its intellectuality captivates me.
I ascend to the realm of the
sublime and true art, where my thoughts can soar freely without limits. They
cannot be tied up, cannot be chained by shallow, earthly things and conceits. Here
harmony advocates everlasting truths, and the fighters of a true cause are
glorified; there is no vile, selfish interest at work here.
I feel that the melody I hear
and the thoughts that arise from it fill me with the strength to act
-
they give me strength to carry out my work and my
tasks in existence,
-
they give me strength to honestly stand my ground,
-
an inexplicable will to act overcomes me,
-
I am filled with energy,
-
I am set free from everyday’s trivial duties
-
my hopes strengthen; I trustfully look forward to
tomorrow and the future,
-
I feel myself to be more than before.
Dear reader,
I may have written more than
necessary, more than I planned, so I will conclude with a short quote from Goethe’s:
”Faust”, the words of the dying Faust at the
end of the play.
For me these four lines
express in the most beautiful and most concise way what I have tried to explain
concerning the message and intellectuality of the symphony. These four lines
answer the question: What is this symphony about?
It is about this:
“My will from this design not swerveth,
The last
resolve of human wit,
For liberty, as
life, alone deserveth
He daily that
must conquer it.”
Dunaújváros,
December 17th, 2007.