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Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, was dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer. The piece was published in 1801 by Hoffmeister & Kühnel of Leipzig. It is not known exactly when Beethoven finished writing this work, but sketches of the finale were found to be from 1795. [1]
With the Symphony No. 1 in C, Beethoven firmly establishes himself into the tradition of the Classical symphonic style of his predecessors and idols Haydn and Mozart. And yet his own voice shines through, particularly in the ways he uses tricks and turns in the last two movements.
- Haydn—Beethoven’s mentor—thought the younger composer had a bit of an attitude, notoriously referring to his student as “the grand mogul” or “big shot.”
- The Haydn–Mozart–Beethoven connection climaxes in the Symphony No. 2. While the early masters codified the four-movement Classical symphony, Beethoven expanded their visions in this work.
- “Eroica” Beethoven admired Napoleon and dedicated his Symphony No. 3 to the French general. However, he furiously withdrew his dedication when Napoleon declared himself emperor, violently scratching Napoleon’s name from the dedication page with such vigor that he tore through the paper.
- Explore the nine symphonies and you’ll hear that the odd-numbered works are tempestuous while the even-numbered ones are more sedate. Consider Symphony No. 4.
- Symphony No. 1 in C Major
- Symphony No. 2 in D Major
- Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major, 'Eroica'
- Symphony No. 4 in B Flat Major
- Symphony No. 5 in C Minor
- Symphony No. 6 in F Major, 'Pastoral'
- Symphony No. 7 in A Major
- Symphony No. 8 in F Major
- Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, 'Choral'
Now, don't panic, but if you're looking for Beethoven the revolutionary musical visionary, you might not find him here. He was only about 25 when he finished this work, so it's understandable that he might not have completely found his voice yet. However, aside from hints of Mozart and Haydn (he even nicks one of Haydn's themes in the finale), you ...
Things are starting to progress. By this point, the Beethoven tics are starting to fall into place. So, that means we get an exceptionally bold and dramatic opening, lightning-quick strings and, in the second movement, some seriously mournful moments. It would be totally wrong to call Beethoven depressing, but his slow movements do tend to lay bare...
This is where it starts to get interesting. And by 'get interesting', we mean 'the rulebook gets incinerated in a political and revolutionary rage by a deaf genius'. The third symphony is the one that, everyone generally agrees, changed everything and kick-started the Romantic period in music. Just listen to the crash-crash of the opening - he's no...
The trouble with writing something as bold as the 'Eroica' is that whatever comes next is bound to be a disappointment. From the off, where the third symphony was declamatory and brash, the fourth is subdued and moody. But that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to enjoy. In fact, the fourth has some of Beethoven's most poignant writing in it. Give th...
We've made it to the biggie, and one of the only works in history that has become defined by its first eight notes. In fact, those eight notes and the way they're played has become a musical hot potato - no-one seems to agree on how quickly to play them - but once you're past them, it's triumphantly full-blooded stuff. You'll know the first movemen...
If there was any doubt as to whether Beethoven was a romantic composer at heart, then the Pastoral symphony squashed it. What's more, he took all his inspiration for the sixth directly from nature. He was a keen walker and wanted to make this symphony reflect that, so much of the musical material actually sounds like a walk in the country. Conseque...
By this point in his life, Beethoven was churning out belter after belter. Seemingly unable to put a foot wrong with his symphonies, the reaction he got from the seventh was predictably positive. In fact, when it was premiered in 1813, the crowd got so excited that they demanded to hear the second movement again. Neatly, that particular movement is...
The eighth is something of a curio in the Beethoven canon. Clearly it was one of the composer's favourites (he called it 'my little symphony in F'), and it features some delightful themes. Beethoven knocked it together in four months and claimed it was better than the seventh (he never was a fan of his own audience), but it got a fairly 'polite' re...
If you're going to write a big symphony, you might as well make it the biggest one ever composed (at the time). And if you're going to make it about something, you might as well make it about the triumphant union of mankind. No pressure, then. Beethoven's final symphony is a beast, but arguably the most rewarding of all of them. Listen to how the o...
Jun 5, 2006 · Beethoven's First Symphony, dedicated to Baron Gottfried Van Swieten, came at age 29. Fittingly, it was the dawn of a new century.
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, was dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer.
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Apr 30, 2021 · The Fourth Symphony was first heard in March 1807 during a private concert of Beethoven’s music at the Vienna palace of Prince Joseph Lobkowitz, a wealthy patron to whom Beethoven dedicated many works.
