Beethoven's Symphony No - NSC Music - Question 20 - 2023 - Paper 1

Beethoven lengthened the duration of the symphony:

• He added a movement to create a five-movement work.
• He expanded the coda to create almost a second development.
• The second movement was inserted between the traditional third and fourth movements, the last three movements being connected.
• He changed internal form types:
  • The second movement: conventional ternary form is replaced with sonata form.
  • The third movement: replaced the minuet and trio with a scherzo and trio.
  • The fourth movement: included episodical/free form.

Beethoven uses the standard Classical orchestra but added instruments to extend timbre:

• Added two trombones and a piccolo.
• Trombones added gravity and piccolo added tension for dramatic effect to convey the mood in the fourth movement: Storm.
• Beethoven extended the range of the orchestra and the difficulty of the parts; he assigns different parts to the cellos and double basses.

The symphony contains programmatic elements:

• The first movement depicts a thunderstorm.
• The fifth movement paints a picture of a rural scene.
• Title of Beethoven's symphony: Pastoral symphony – Symphony No. 6 in F Major Op. 68.
• Each movement has a title:
  • Fourth movement: Storm.
  • Fifth movement: Shepherd's song: cheerful and thankful feelings after a storm.

Beethoven both conformed to and deviated from the principles and structure of the standard classical symphony and in this way paved the way to the Romantic symphony.