Beethoven's Seventh Symphony introduced by MTT

[Seán]

This introduction is by Michael Tilson Thomas.

With all these symphonies, it’s worth reflecting upon the occasion for which they were written, in this instance, one of Beethoven’s ‘academies’. Beethoven’s previous attempt at an academy-style grand premiere – comprising the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies – was not a great success, but he was a clever promoter of his own music and preferred the idea of a public concert to an evening in an aristocratic ballroom. He wanted to give the public something amazing and knew how to create a furore. In the same programme as the Seventh, Wellington’s Victory gave the composer his most successful premiere, but the symphony, too, caused quite a stir and its second movement had to be encored.

The Seventh has more up-tempo music in it than any other Beethoven symphony, written for the smallest orchestra he had used in a while, without trombones and with only two horns. The opening positively proclaims that an extraordinary amount of this work will be in the key of A major. There is a certain tread, an underlying, procession-like pulse, to this first movement. It’s almost minimalist. The transition – the opening tune of the Allegro – is presented quietly, as a flute solo, with a rather bucolic accompaniment and a vaguely equestrian feel. It is also quite obsessive about one particular rhythmic motif: a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver, followed by a quaver. The themes of the exposition are elided one over another; the normal stages of a sonata are not covered. In other Beethoven symphonies, the structure is usually quite clear: the first theme ends here and the second begins here. There might be a little transition, but it’s obvious where one theme ends and the next begins. Here, the themes are overlapped. In the development section, a slicing and dicing occurs with tiny bits of the main motif, in shifting keys and extremely different orchestrations. Ultimately, though, it all centres on a single harmonic place – using a ‘pedal point’, as Bach and especially Handel both do so effectively. Having wrapped you up completely in the excitement of all this, he comes to a sudden halt. There’s an oboe solo, then we make our way to the recapitulation. There is a droning, chromatic bass-line, with a little tune superimposed by the fiddles, with a motif of a perfect fourth, a charming arabesque. It starts gently, becomes more capricious and then, as the listeners drop their guard, it turns quite obsessional.

‘I think this movement appeals because it is simple and expressive, like a perfect scene in an opera’

In the second movement we shift into A minor. The winds proclaim the harmony with a mono-motivic quality that makes a profound impression. This is like a march and the controversy is whether it should be played Allegretto or Andante con moto. It is still quite common for this to be played at a rather monumental tempo, with a strong accent at the beginning of each bar, but it’s quite clear from source materials that this is not what the composer intended. An early copyist made this mistake and we can see for ourselves Beethoven’s furious reaction. There are three very specific types of articulation set out, which describe a two-bar phrase. This music draws attention by means of understatement, including the use of echo phrases. We head through the string section, there is an almost organ-like, radiant moment in the winds, then a little fugue on the main motif. It ends just as it began. Things don’t get much more simple or perfect. I think this movement appeals because it is simple and expressive, like a perfect scene in an opera.

In the Scherzo in F major there is a slight element of hilarity, a quality of laughter. Chains of falling scales jump back, even higher; and all kinds of little games are being played. This movement is designed to confound you and surprise you, in a very nice way. The trio is a kind of pastoral drinking song. Everything in this symphony is very orchestral, but this is the most self-consciously virtuoso movement. The big decision is how to treat all the ‘hairpins’.

The finale has the highest energy of all. Beethoven uses a sforzando marking, almost mimicking a certain style of peasant fiddle playing. The main theme has obsessional repeats. It’s march-like, military and up-tempo. Two elements are interchanged – orchestration and some extreme excursions of key, even into C major. There is a big contrast between the extreme treble and the extreme bass. Even more than the others, this movement is designed, I believe, to demonstrate sheer physicality. The development section has fugitive keys and moments of delicacy, but then we return to the big fiddle tune, punctuated by extremely loud, periodic trumpet and drums fanfares. Again, there is obsessive, chromatic droning in the bass-line, as the violins and violas exchange, at a very extreme dynamic, the fragments of the fiddle tune. The overwhelming vitality draws an obvious parallel with the end of the opening movement. In his improvising days, which were pretty much over by this time, Beethoven would sometimes stupefy people, playing for an hour or more with incredible energy. I think, here, he is using the orchestra to create the same effect. Beethoven is not programmatic, but his music is always distinctive and recognisable; and always, somehow, he succeeds in examining some different part of us and our nature.

[fergus]

I do not own this recording and there is no clip to accompany the original article. Neither is there a performance on YouTube other than a tantalising six minutes or so which seems very good. Therefore as my listening guide for this project I have opted for the No. 7 from this set….





This is a work that does not place any great demands on the listener. It is almost a celebratory work. Perhaps that is why it has such appeal; it has a great intensity and a great sense of forward movement throughout the work. As Tilson Thomas says above “The Seventh has more up-tempo music in it than any other Beethoven symphony, written for the smallest orchestra he had used in a while.” Perhaps these aspects of the work make it more accessible to a general listener. Richard Wagner's once said “The Symphony is the Apotheosis of the Dance itself: it is Dance in its highest aspect, the loftiest deed of bodily motion, incorporated into an ideal mold of tone." However the work does not glorify the dance as capture the essence of dance rhythms. The first movement has a rhythm that reminds us of a peasant dance. The second movement has a stately pace that reminds us of courtiers dancing gracefully and elegantly. The third movement is written in waltz time. The final movement dashes at a pace that would wear out an unfit orchestra. So each movement is dominated by characteristic rhythmic patterns. It is a highly crafted yet very visceral work and would be one of my top favourite Beethoven works.


Despite what has been said, however, the first movement begins in a tone that is grave and sombre which belies what has to come and it opens with what is apparently the longest of Beethoven's introductions. When we get through the introduction [with a transition that seems to repeat the same note interminably] the solo flute introduces the main theme of the vivace section and it is then taken up by the violins. This is one of my most favoured themes in all of classical music. I think that it is powerfully emotional and rousing. The movement really comes alive here, bursts into life and then lilts and jaunts along until its climactic finale with a great sense of forward movement. I also like the effect of the brass at the conclusion of this movement.

The second movement is initially very dark and sombre, almost funeral march like. There is wonderful counterpoint throughout this movement which greatly adds to the listening pleasure. It is really beautiful, noble music and this movement had such an effect on the audience at the premiere of this symphony that it had to be encored! The music builds in intensity as it progresses but tapers off and concludes quietly. There is a wonderful relentlessness to the music however as it continually drives forward.

The bright world of the dance returns once again in the whimsical Scherzo which has a beguiling Trio section scored for brass and woodwind over a violin drone which is very charming music. I particularly like this Trio section and how it is also then developed for full orchestra before we return to the principle Scherzo theme again.

The Finale is full of nervous energy and excitement from the opening bars. It really is high voltage stuff, almost aggressive in places, and which is almost unremitting. The horns seem to egg things on every so often! The forward drive is unrelenting as the music races to a powerful, climactic conclusion. It must be a challenging movement to perform properly and a great one for conductors to drive and punish an orchestra!
This must be one of the finest symphonies ever written. Its construction is almost perfect; it is well balanced and proportioned and it appeals cerebrally and viscerally. Momentum never flags, interest is always maintained and it has an appealing palette provided by the orchestral colours, especially the woodwind.

[cybot]

A mighty fine piece of writing Fergus. Inspiring is the term I would use. Easy knowing, like myself, at the end of the day, it's all about the music. The Hi-Fi bits are just a means to and end......of course they do help.....a little bit anyway ;)

Now where did I see that sumptuous Beethoven vinyl box set???

[Seán]

That is a really splendid piece Fergus, I am impressed, well done.

[fergus]

A mighty fine piece of writing Fergus. Inspiring is the term I would use. Easy knowing, like myself, at the end of the day, it's all about the music. The Hi-Fi bits are just a means to and end......of course they do help.....a little bit anyway ;)

Now where did I see that sumptuous Beethoven vinyl box set???

Thank you Dermot. I would be curious about that "sumptuous Beethoven vinyl box set" of yours!!

[fergus]

That is a really splendid piece Fergus, I am impressed, well done.

Thank you Seán; these are just personal notes as you know, published to share with members. It is easy to write about such beautiful and wonderful music!

[cybot]

A mighty fine piece of writing Fergus. Inspiring is the term I would use. Easy knowing, like myself, at the end of the day, it's all about the music. The Hi-Fi bits are just a means to and end......of course they do help.....a little bit anyway ;)

Now where did I see that sumptuous Beethoven vinyl box set???

Thank you Dermot. I would be curious about that "sumptuous Beethoven vinyl box set" of yours!!

Now THAT would telling Fergus......wouldn't it ;)

[Seán]

This extract is from the Beethoven site on Facebook:

Beethoven Symphony No 7.

The Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1811 and 1812, while improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice. The work is dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.


Premiere
The work was premiered with Beethoven himself conducting in Vienna on 8 December 1813 at a charity concert for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau. In Beethoven's address to the participants, the motives are openly named: "We are moved by nothing but pure patriotism and the joyful sacrifice of our powers for those who have sacrificed so much for us."

The program also included the patriotic work Wellington's Victory exalting the victory of the British over Napoleon's France. The orchestra was led by Beethoven's friend Ignaz Schuppanzigh and included some of the finest musicians of the day: violinist Louis Spohr, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Antonio Salieri, bassoonist Anton Romberg, and the Italian double bass virtuoso Domenico Dragonetti, whom Beethoven himself described as playing "with great fire and expressive power". It is also said that the Italian guitar virtuoso Mauro Giuliani played cello at the premiere.

The piece was very well received, and the second movement, the Allegretto, had to be encored immediately. Spohr made particular mention of Beethoven's antics on the rostrum ("as a sforzando occurred, he tore his arms with a great vehemence asunder ... at the entrance of a forte he jumped in the air"),[4] and the concert was repeated due to its immense success.

Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in A (E and D in the inner movements), 2 trumpets in D, timpani, and strings.

Form
The Seventh Symphony is in four movements:

Poco sostenuto – Vivace
Allegretto
Presto – Assai meno presto (trio)
Allegro con brio
Performance time lasts approximately 40 minutes. The work as a whole is known for its use of rhythmic devices suggestive of a dance, such as dotted rhythm and repeated rhythmic figures. It is also tonally subtle, making use of the tensions between the key centres of A, C and F. For instance, the first movement is in A major but has repeated episodes in C major and F major. In addition, the second movement is in A minor with episodes in A major, and the third movement, a scherzo, is in F major.

First movement
The first movement starts with a long, expanded introduction marked Poco sostenuto (metronome mark: quarter=69) that is noted for its long ascending scales and a cascading series of applied dominants that facilitates modulations to C major and F major. From the last episode in F major, the movement transitions to Vivace through a series of no fewer than sixty-one repetitions of the note E. The Vivace (dotted quarter=104) is in sonata form, and is dominated by lively dance-like rhythms (such as dotted rhythms), sudden dynamic changes, and abrupt modulations. In particular, the development section opens in C major and contains extensive episodes in F major. The movement finishes with a long coda, which starts similarly as the development section. The coda contains a famous twenty-bar passage consisting of a two-bar motif repeated ten times to the background a grinding four octave deep Pedal point of an E. The critic and composer Carl Maria von Weber took particular exception to this (see below).

Second movement
The second movement in A minor has a tempo marking of Allegretto (a little lively), making it slow only in comparison to the other three movements. This movement was encored at the premiere and has remained popular since. The ostinato (repeated rhythmic figure) of a quarter note, two eighth notes and two quarter notes is heard repeatedly. This movement is structured in a double variation form. The movement begins with the main melody played by the violas and cellos. This melody is then played by the second violins while the violas and cellos play a second, but equally important melody, a melody described by George Grove as "a string of beauties hand-in-hand". Then, the first violins take the first melody while the second violins take the second. This progression culminates with the wind section playing the first melody while the first violin plays the second. After this climax, the music changes from A minor to A major as the clarinets take a calmer melody to the background of light triplets played by the violins. This section ends thirty-seven bars later with a quick descent of the strings on an A minor scale, and the first melody is resumed and elaborated upon in a strict fugato.

Third movement
The third movement is a scherzo in F major and trio in D major. Here, the trio (based on an Austrian pilgrims' hymn[6]) is played twice rather than once. This expansion of the usual A–B–A structure of ternary form into A–B–A–B–A was quite common in other works of Beethoven of this period, such as his Fourth Symphony and String Quartet Op. 59 No. 2.

Fourth movement
The last movement is in sonata form, the coda of which contains an example, rare in Beethoven's music, of the dynamic marking ƒƒƒ (called forte fortissimo or fortississimo). In his book Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies (1896), Sir George Grove wrote, "The force that reigns throughout this movement is literally prodigious, and reminds one of Carlyle's hero Ram Dass, who has 'fire enough in his belly to burn up the entire world.' " Donald Tovey, writing in his Essays in Musical Analysis, commented on this movement's "Bacchic fury" and many other writers have commented on its whirling dance-energy: the main theme vaguely resembles Beethoven's arrangement of the Irish folk-song "Save me from the grave and wise", No. 8 of his Twelve Irish Folk Songs, WoO 154.

Reception
Critics and listeners have often felt stirred or inspired by the Seventh Symphony. For instance, one program-note author writes:

... the final movement zips along at an irrepressible pace that threatens to sweep the entire orchestra off its feet and around the theater, caught up in the sheer joy of performing one of the most perfect symphonies ever written.

Composer and music author Antony Hopkins says of the symphony:

The Seventh Symphony perhaps more than any of the others gives us a feeling of true spontaneity; the notes seem to fly off the page as we are borne along on a floodtide of inspired invention. Beethoven himself spoke of it fondly as "one of my best works". Who are we to dispute his judgment?

Another admirer, Richard Wagner, referring to the lively rhythms which permeate the work, called it the "apotheosis of the dance".

On the other hand, admiration for the work has not been universal. Friedrich Wieck, who was present during rehearsals, said that the consensus, among musicians and laymen alike, was that Beethoven must have composed the symphony in a drunken state. Carl Maria von Weber considered the chromatic bass line in the coda of the first movement evidence that Beethoven was "ripe for the madhouse",and the conductor Thomas Beecham commented on the fourth movement: "What can you do with it? It's like a lot of yaks jumping about."