BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No.5 I. Allegro con brio and Sonata form

Transcription

1 BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY No.5 I. Allegro con brio and Sonata form

2 BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5 in C minor Op.67 The Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven Country: Germany Era: Classical ( ) Ludwig van Beethoven composed Symphony No.5 between 1804 and It is one of nine symphonies Beethoven composed throughout his life. Beethoven composed this work when he was aged in this thirties and his deafness was starting to become a problem. By the end of his life he was totally deaf. The symphony has four movements: 1. Allegro con brio Lively and fast with spirit (This resource focuses on this movement) 2. Andante con moto At a walking pace but with movement 3. Scherzo: Allegro A light, playful movement in triple time, performed lively and fast 4. Allegro Lively and fast LISTEN AND WATCH YouTube Video: Beethoven, Symphony No.5 in C minor

3 BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5 in C minor Op.67 I. Allegro con brio Key C minor Time signature Two crotchet beats in a bar (2/4) Instrumentation Woodwind: 1 piccolo (4 th movement only), 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 1 contra bassoon Brass: 2 french horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones (4 th movement only). Percussion: timpani Strings: violins, violas, celli and double basses Time: The whole symphony takes around 30 to 40 minutes to perform depending on the orchestra and conductor Form: Sonata form SONATA FORM Exposition Development Recapitulation Coda The themes are introduced. There are two themes. The exposition is then repeated. The themes are adjusted by changing the key from D major through D minor and then C major. The original themes return in the original key Completes the movement.

4 C MAJOR AND C MINOR SCALE A scale is a sequence of notes played in order. The two most common types of scales are major and minor scales. You can usually hear the difference as a minor scale sounds sadder than a major scale. On a piano find middle C and then play all the white notes to play C major. To create C minor play the black note to the left of the third (E) and sixth (A) notes. The staff or stave are the 5 lines C major has no sharps or flats. C D E F G A B C on which music is written Treble clef C minor flattens the third (e) and sixth (a) notes.. This makes the sadder sound. C D E flat F G A flat B C. The E flat and A flat are shown in the key signature. B flat always comes before E and A flats so it is shown also but the B is naturalised again in the scale. Key signature Natural sign

5 FIRST MOVEMENT I. Allegro con brio THE OPENING The four note opening motif is one of the most famous sounds in classical music. The clarinets (not shown in this excerpt below) and the strings are all playing in unison. Key Signature for C minor Time signature is 2/4 (2 beats per bar). The conductor beats only one beat per bar as the tempo is fast. Treble clef for higher sounding instruments Alto clef used by violas only Bass clef for lower sounding instruments Pause or Fermata. Hold the note until the conductor stops the sound. The opening motif is passed around the instruments

6 FIRST MOVEMENT I. Allegro con brio EXPOSITION The exposition in sonata form is the first section of the movement in which the themes are introduced. There are usually two main themes in classical sonata form but there can be less or more. Theme 1: The first beat of the first bar is a quaver or ti rest followed by three quavers (ti). The second bar is a minim with a pause sign above. Fermata or pause sign Bridge: Heralds the arrival of the second theme. Theme 1 is played fortissimo followed by minims tied together. For a total of 26 beats. sforzando Tied notes Theme 2: Contrasts the first theme. The dynamic is piano (soft) with the direction to play dolce (sweetly). The theme has a four bar melody with an even rhythm using crotchet beats.

7 FIRST MOVEMENT I. Allegro con brio DEVELOPMENT The development is where the composer plays around with the themes, making them different by using a variety of compositional techniques including: Changing the mood Changing tempo Adding dissonance (clashing sounds) Using only parts of the themes Using different combinations of instruments Changing the key from major to minor, minor to major or moving to other major or minor keys Changing rhythms such is doubling or halving the value of the notes, changing to a dotted (uneven) rhythmic pattern. Inverting the themes or changing the order of the notes. Beethoven using the highlighted techniques in the development of the Allegro con brio. LISTEN AND WATCH YouTube Video: Beethoven Symphony No.5 in C minor with detailed analysis

8 FIRST MOVEMENT I. Allegro con brio RECAPITULATION The themes from the exposition return in the original key. CADENZA A cadenza is a musical passage for a soloist or one instrument in the orchestra to perform. In a concerto a cadenza was often composed as well as performed by the solo performer to showcase his or her skills and talent. In Symphony No.5, the whole orchestra pauses while the oboe performs a cadenza-like passage. The whole melody is written within one bar and the performer decides how the passage will be played. The tempo changes from allegro to adagio (slow) Solo - only one instrument plays The orchestra and the oboe pause. The conductor then waits without beating while the oboist performs the cadenza. The oboist pauses on the last note and then the conductor begins beating to bring the orchestra back in. All the notes to be played in the cadenza are written within one bar. The soloist decides on the rhythm, tempo and dynamics.

9 THE OBOE The oboe is a member of the woodwind family. The other members of the woodwind family are the piccolo, flute, clarinet and bassoon. The mouthpiece is made of two reeds tied together and placed in the smallest end of the oboe. The oboe is made of wood. The instrument has a conical (smaller at the top than the bottom) bore (hole along the length of the instrument) and a flared bell. Holes, which are covered by metal keys, are pressed with the fingers and this lengthens or shortens the instrument to change the sound. The mouthpiece is a double reed and sound is made by blowing into the reed so that both pieces of the bamboo-like material are vibrating. A cor anglais or english horn is a larger version of an oboe. It uses a slightly larger double reed and plays lower notes than the oboe. The largest double reed instrument is the bassoon. Keys LISTEN AND WATCH Oboe trio performing Variations on a Theme from Don Juan. In the trio there are oboes on either side of a cor anglais. Bell

10 FIRST MOVEMENT I. Allegro con brio CODA The coda signals the end of the movement The main theme returns. The winds and strings play a soft passage before the whole orchestra plays the same rhythm fortissimo (very loud) to finish the movement. The excerpt below is the horn part but every instrument is playing the same rhythm. Keep a beat and clap the rhythm. Fortissimo very loud 8 bars where the winds and strings are playing softly

11 CONDUCTOR AND CONDUCTING IN 2/4 The conductor leads an orchestra during rehearsal and in performance. In the rehearsal, the conductor ensures that everyone plays together by keeping the beat with a baton and also makes decisions on the interpretation of the piece and shows how fast or slow and how soft or loud the music is to be played using his or her hands. To beat two beats in a bar, think of the ticking of a clock and move your hand up and down. The down beat is beat one and the up beat is beat two. When the tempo is fast such as the first movement of Symphony No.5 most conductors will just beat the first or down beat only. This is achieved by a circular movement with the beat at the bottom of the circle. 1.

12 TERMS AND THEIR MEANINGS Quaver: Also known as a ti or a eighth note. It is worth a ½ beat Crotchet: Also known as a ta or a quarter note. It is worth 1 beat Minim: Also known as a ta-a or a half note. It is worth 2 beats Fermata: A pause sign. Hold the note for as long as the conductor says Tie: Only the first note is sounded and then held for the value of all notes tied together Motif: A recognisable theme or melody Tempo: The speed at which the music is played adagio slow allegro lively and fast Accent: sf sforzando a sudden, strong emphasis on the note Dynamics: levels of sound, loud or soft and all gradations in between pp pianissimo very soft p piano soft mp mezzo piano moderately soft mf mezzo forte moderately loud f forte loud ff fortissimo very loud Score: Click here to follow the score. A score is the music that the conductor follows and shows the music for every instrument

13 Australian Curriculum Music Elements of Music Foundation to Year 2 Years 3 and 4 Years 5 and 6 Years 7 and 8 Years 9 and 10 Rhythm Beat and rhythm Fast/slow Long/short Tempo changes ostinato Compound metre Time signature Rhythmic devices - anacrusis, syncopation, ties and pause Regular and irregular time subdivision Triplet, duplet Motif, Augmentation/ diminution Pitch High/low Pitch direction Pitch matching Unison Pentatonic patterns Melodic shape Intervals Treble clef and staff Major scales Pitch sequences, arpeggio, riff, Bass clef Minor scales Key and key signatures Major/minor chords Ledger lines Tonal centres, Modulation Consonance/dissonance Chromaticism Dynamics & Expression Forte, piano Dynamic gradations pp to ff Legato & staccato Staccato, legato accent Dynamic gradations Articulations relevant to style Rubato, vibrato, ornamentation, Form and Structure Introduction Same/different, echo patterns, repetition Verse, chorus, round Question & answer Repeat signs Binary (AB) form Ternary (ABA) form Theme, motif Phrase Rondo (ABACA) form ostinato Repetition and contrast Theme and Variation Verse chorus, bridge Motivic development Sonata form Symphony, Interlude, Improvisation Timbre How sound is produced Every voice and instrument has its own sound Recognise orchestral instruments by sound In isolations and in combination Acoustic and electronic sounds Voice and instrument types Recognise instrumental groups Identify instruments by name and sound production. Texture Melody Accompaniment Drone Patterns occurring simultaneously Contrast within layers of sound Layers of sound and their role. Unison, homo/ polyphonic Horizontal/vertical layers countermelody Creating Creating sounds using voice and instruments Performing Playing instruments in groups. Rhythms Playing and reading melodic and rhythmic excerpts Sing and play in two or more parts Responding Moving to beat and rhythms Respond to the stories. Historical context Awareness of ensemble

14 Prepared by Pam Lowry, Education Officer Queensland Symphony Orchestra