Adventures with Beethoven

Scene Four

What to Listen For

Now it’s time to listen to Beethoven’s First Symphony! As you listen to a recording of the symphony, use the guide below and see if you can hear the moments described. If you don’t hear them all don’t worry! Maybe try listening to the piece again in a few days and see if you can hear more. The magic of music is there is always something new to discover every time you listen.

Movement 1

•   Opening chords played by the woodwinds and horns with pizzicato accompaniment in the strings

•   Fortepiano dynamic markings on each chord, a quick shift from loud to soft

•   Uncertainty of the home key

•   A scale in the strings leading into the main theme

•   Opening fast theme played by the violins with the winds answering

•   Repeated tonic chords to emphasize the key after the uncertainty of the introduction

•   Second more lyrical theme introduced by the oboe, followed by a flute response, then a version of the melody in the strings

•   Dynamic contrast and shifts in harmony throughout the rest of the movement

•   A reintroduction of the first theme near the end of the movement

•   Scales and repeated chords as the movement ends

•   Throughout a feeling of forward movement through the use of repeated notes and small motifs

Movement 2

•   Slow, lyrical melodies

•   A dotted rhythmic pattern that sounds a little uneven that is passed throughout the orchestra 

•   Use of the woodwinds to play important parts of the melody, often shared between sections sounding like conversations 

•   Trumpets and timpani

•   A restatement of the main melody with new accompaniment beneath 

•   A gradual building of sound throughout the movement as new instruments are added and the accompaniment is changed

•   A quiet and somewhat restrained ending with small snippets of the melody in the horns, woodwinds, and strings to contrast with the upcoming fast movement

Movement 3

•   Fast and energetic music

•   A forward rhythmic motion created by repeated notes and increases in volume

•   A repeat of the opening section

•   A graceful contrasting section introduced by the oboes followed by a flurry of notes in the strings

•   A conversation between the winds and the strings which gradually gets louder as more instruments add in

•   A repeat of the middle section

•   A return of the first section that rushes to the end

Movement 4

•   A loud opening chord in the brass

•   Slow introduction featuring a scale passage in the violins that keeps adding one more note

•   A flurry of notes in the violin to start the main section of the movement, which starts quietly and then get louder

•   Horn fanfares 

•   Interjections from the woodwinds over the strings melody

•   A repeat of the opening music

•   Use of bits of the main melody with changes in harmony and rhythm to explore the idea

•   Changes in tempo, sometimes slowing down before then rushing forward

•   Somewhat more lyrical melodies, but still with an underlying forward momentum

•   Unexpected, long-held chords which momentarily halt the forward motion

•   A breathless rush to the end of the movement featuring scale passages and ending with repeated loud chords