Beethoven. 6th symphony, "Pastoral

27.06.2019

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Content

4. Musical analysis-schemeIparts of Symphony No. 7
6. Features of interpretation
Bibliography

1. The place of the symphony genre in the work of L.V. Beethoven

Contribution of L.V. Beethoven in world culture is determined, first of all, by his symphonic works. He was the greatest symphonist, and it was in symphonic music that his worldview and basic artistic principles were most fully embodied. The path of L. Beethoven as a symphonist covered almost a quarter of a century (1800 - 1824), but his influence extended to the entire 19th and even to a large extent the 20th century. In the 19th century, every symphonic composer had to decide for himself whether he would continue one of the lines of Beethoven's symphonism or try to create something fundamentally different. One way or another, but without L. Beethoven, symphonic music of the 19th century would have been completely different. Beethoven's symphonies arose on the ground prepared by the whole course of the development of instrumental music of the 18th century, in particular by his immediate predecessors - I. Haydn and V.A. Mozart. The sonata-symphonic cycle that finally took shape in their work, its reasonable slender constructions turned out to be a solid foundation for the massive architecture of L.V. Beethoven.

But Beethoven's symphonies could become what they are only as a result of the interaction of many phenomena and their deep generalization. Opera played a large role in the development of the symphony. Opera dramaturgy had a significant impact on the process of dramatization of the symphony - this was clearly already in the work of W. Mozart. L.V. Beethoven's symphony grows into a truly dramatic instrumental genre. Following the path laid by I. Haydn and W. Mozart, L. Beethoven created majestic tragedies and dramas in symphonic instrumental forms. As an artist of a different historical era, he intrudes into those areas of spiritual interests that his predecessors cautiously bypassed and could only indirectly affect them.

symphony beethoven genre composer

The line between the symphonic art of L. Beethoven and the symphony of the 18th century was drawn primarily by the themes, ideological content, and the nature of musical images. Beethoven's symphony, addressed to huge human masses, needed monumental forms "in proportion to the number, breath, vision of the assembled thousands" ("Musical Literature of Foreign Countries", issue 3, Music. Moscow, 1989, p. 9). Indeed, L. Beethoven broadly and freely pushes the boundaries of his symphonies.

The high consciousness of the responsibility of the artist, the audacity of ideas and creative concepts can explain the fact that L.V. Beethoven did not dare to write symphonies until the age of thirty. The same reasons, apparently, caused the slowness, thoroughness of finishing, the tension with which he wrote each topic. Any symphonic work by L. Beethoven is the fruit of a long, sometimes many years of work.

L.V. Beethoven's 9 symphonies (10 remained in sketches). Compared to 104 by Haydn or 41 by Mozart, this is not much, but each of them is an event. The conditions under which they were composed and performed were fundamentally different from what was under J. Haydn and W. Mozart. For L. Beethoven, the symphony is, firstly, a purely public genre, performed mainly in large halls by a fairly solid orchestra by the standards of that time; and secondly, the genre is ideologically very significant. Therefore, Beethoven's symphonies, as a rule, are much larger than even Mozart's (except for the 1st and 8th) and are fundamentally individual in concept. Each symphony gives the only thingdecision both figurative and dramatic.

True, in the sequence of Beethoven's symphonies, certain patterns are found that have long been noticed by musicians. So, odd symphonies are more explosive, heroic or dramatic (except for the 1st), and even symphonies are more "peaceful", genre-domestic (most of all - 4th, 6th and 8th). This can be explained by the fact that L.V. Beethoven often conceived symphonies in pairs and even wrote them simultaneously or immediately after each other (5 and 6 even "swapped" numbers at the premiere; 7 and 8 followed in a row).

The premiere of the First Symphony, which took place in Vienna on April 2, 1800, became an event not only in the life of the composer, but also in the musical life of the capital of Austria. The composition of the orchestra was striking: according to the reviewer of the Leipzig newspaper, "wind instruments were used too abundantly, so that it turned out to be brass music rather than the sound of a full symphony orchestra" ("Musical Literature of Foreign Countries" issue 3, Music, Moscow, 1989). L.V. Beethoven introduced two clarinets into the score, which was not yet widespread at the time. (W. A. Mozart rarely used them; I. Haydn first made clarinets equal members of the orchestra only in the last London symphonies).

Innovative features are also found in the Second Symphony (D major), although it, like the First, continues the traditions of I. Haydn and W. Mozart. It clearly expresses a craving for heroism, monumentality, for the first time the dance part disappears: the minuet is replaced by a scherzo.

Having passed through the labyrinth of spiritual searches, L. Beethoven found his own heroic-epic theme in the Third Symphony. For the first time in art, with such a depth of generalization, the passionate drama of the era, its upheavals and catastrophes, was refracted. The man himself is also shown, winning the right to freedom, love, joy. Beginning with the Third Symphony, the heroic theme inspires Beethoven to create the most outstanding symphonic works - the Egmont overture, Leonore No. 3. Already at the end of his life, this theme is revived with unattainable artistic perfection and scope in the Ninth Symphony. But each time the turn of this central theme for L. Beethoven is different.

The poetry of spring and youth, the joy of life, its eternal movement - this is the complex of poetic images of the Fourth Symphony in B-dur. The Sixth (Pastoral) Symphony is devoted to the theme of nature.

If the Third Symphony in spirit approaches the epic of ancient art, then the Fifth Symphony, with its laconicism and dynamic dramaturgy, is perceived as a rapidly developing drama. At the same time raises L.V. Beethoven in symphonic music and other layers.

In "incomprehensibly excellent", according to M.I. Glinka, Seventh Symphony A-dur, life phenomena appear in generalized dance images. The dynamics of life, its miraculous beauty is hidden behind the bright sparkle of changing rhythmic figures, behind the unexpected turns of dance movements. Even the deepest sadness of the famous Allegretto is not able to extinguish the sparkling of the dance, to moderate the fiery temperament of the parts surrounding the Allegretto.

Next to the mighty frescoes of the Seventh is the subtle and elegant chamber painting of the Eighth Symphony in F-dur. The ninth symphony sums up the searches of L.V. Beethoven in the symphonic genre and, above all, in the embodiment of the heroic idea, the images of struggle and victory, a search that began twenty years earlier in the Heroic Symphony. In the Ninth, he finds the most monumental, epic and at the same time innovative solution, expanding the philosophical possibilities of music and opening up new paths for symphonists of the 19th century. The introduction of the word (the finale of the Ninth Symphony with the final chorus to the words of Schiller's ode "For Joy", in D minor) facilitates the perception of the composer's most complex idea for the widest circles of listeners. Without the apotheosis created in it, without the glorification of truly nationwide joy and power, which is heard in the indomitable rhythms of the Seventh, L.V. Beethoven probably would not have been able to come up with the momentous "Hug, millions!"

2. The history of the creation of Symphony No. 7 and its place in the composer's work

The history of the creation of the Seventh Symphony is not known for certain, but some sources have been preserved in the form of letters from L. Beethoven himself, as well as letters from his friends and students.

Summer of 1811 and 1812 L.V. Beethoven, on the advice of doctors, spent in Teplice, a Czech resort famous for its healing hot springs. His deafness intensified, he resigned himself to his terrible illness and did not hide it from those around him, although he did not lose hope of improving his hearing. The composer felt very lonely; attempts to find a faithful, loving wife - all ended in complete disappointment. However, for many years he was possessed by a deep passionate feeling, captured in a mysterious letter dated July 6-7 (as established, 1812), which was found in a secret box the day after the composer's death. To whom was it intended? Why was it not with the addressee, but with L. Beethoven? This "immortal lover" researchers called many women. And the lovely Countess Juliette Guicciardi, to whom the Moonlight Sonata is dedicated, and the Countesses Teresa and Josephine Brunswick, and the singer Amalia Sebald, the writer Rachel Levin. But the riddle, apparently, will never be solved...

In Teplice, the composer met the greatest of his contemporaries - I. Goethe, on the texts of which he wrote many songs, and in 1810 Ode - music for the tragedy "Egmont". But she did not bring L.V. Nothing but disappointment to Beethoven. In Teplice, under the pretext of treatment on the waters, numerous rulers of Germany gathered for a secret congress in order to unite their forces in the fight against Napoleon, who had subjugated the German principalities. Among them was the Duke of Weimar, accompanied by his minister, the Privy Councillor. Goethe. L.V. Beethoven wrote: "J. Goethe likes the court air more than a poet should." A story has been preserved (its authenticity has not been proven) by the romantic writer Bettina von Arnim and a painting by the artist Remling, depicting the walk of L. Beethoven and J. Goethe: the poet, stepping aside and taking off his hat, bowed respectfully to the princes, and L. Beethoven, laying his hands behind his back and boldly tossing his head, resolutely walks through their crowd.

Work on the Seventh Symphony was probably begun in 1811, and completed, as the inscription in the manuscript says, on May 5 of the following year. It is dedicated to Count M. Fries, a Viennese philanthropist, in whose house Beethoven often performed as a pianist. The premiere took place on December 8, 1813 under the direction of the author in a charity concert in favor of disabled soldiers in the hall of the University of Vienna. The best musicians participated in the performance, but the central work of the concert was by no means this “completely new Beethoven symphony”, as the program announced. They became the final number - "Victory of Wellington, or the Battle of Vittoria", a noisy battle picture. It was this essay that was a tremendous success and brought an incredible amount of net collection - 4 thousand guilders. And the Seventh Symphony went unnoticed. One critic called it the "accompanying play" to The Battle of Vittoria.

It is surprising that this relatively small symphony, now so beloved by the public, seeming transparent, clear and easy, could cause misunderstanding among the musicians. And then the outstanding piano teacher Friedrich Wieck, father of Clara Schumann, believed that only a drunkard could write such music; the founding director of the Prague Conservatory Dionysus Weber announced that its author was quite ripe for a lunatic asylum. The French echoed him: Castile-Blaz called the finale "musical folly", and Fetis - "the product of a sublime and sick mind." But for M.I. Glinka, she was "incomprehensibly beautiful", and the best researcher of L. Beethoven's work, R. Rolland, wrote about her: "Symphony in A major - the very sincerity, liberty, power. This is an insane waste of mighty, inhuman forces - waste without any intention, but for the sake of fun - the joy of a flooded river that burst its banks and floods everything. The composer himself appreciated it very highly: "Among my best compositions, I can proudly point to the A-major symphony." (Quotes from R. Rolland's book "The Life of Beethoven", p. 24).

So, 1812. L.V. Beethoven struggles with ever-increasing deafness and vicissitudes of fate. Behind the tragic days of the Heiligenstadt testament, the heroic struggle of the Fifth Symphony. They say that during one of the performances of the Fifth, the French grenadiers who were in the hall at the end of the symphony stood up and saluted - so imbued with the spirit of the music of the Great French Revolution. But don't the same intonations, the same rhythms sound in the Seventh? It contains an amazing synthesis of the two leading figurative spheres of L.V. Beethoven - victorious-heroic and dance-genre, embodied with such fullness in Pastoral. In the Fifth there was struggle and victory; here - a statement of strength, the power of the victorious. And the thought involuntarily arises that the Seventh is a huge and necessary stage on the way to the final of the Ninth.

3. Determination of the form of the work as a whole, analysis of parts of the symphony

The Seventh Symphony in A major belongs to the most cheerful and powerful creations of the brilliant musician. Only the second movement (Allegretto) introduces a hint of sadness and thereby further emphasizes the overall jubilant tone of the entire work. Each of the four parts is permeated with a single rhythmic current that captivates the listener with the energy of movement. In the first part, an iron, forged rhythm dominates - in the second part - the rhythm of a measured procession -, the third part is based on the continuity of rhythmic movement at a fast pace, in the finale two energetic rhythmic figures predominate - I. Such rhythmic uniformity of each part gave rise to Richard Wagner (in his work "A work of art of the future") to call this symphony "the apotheosis of dance". True, the content of the Symphony is not reduced to danceability, but it was from dance that it grew into a symphonic concept of tremendous elemental power. The outstanding German conductor and pianist Hans Bülow called it "the work of a titan storming the sky". And this result is achieved by comparatively modest and stingy orchestral means: the symphony was written for the classical double composition of the orchestra; there are only two horns in the score, there are no trombones (used by L.V. Beethoven in the Fifth and Sixth symphonies).

4. Musical analysis-scheme of the I part of the Symphony No. 7

The first movement of the Seventh Symphony is preceded by a slow introduction on a large scale (Poco sostenuto), which exceeds the size of the introduction to the first movement of the Second Symphony and even acquires the character of an independent movement. This introduction contains two themes: light and majestic, which stands out from the very beginning in the oboe part from the jerky forte of the whole orchestra and is widely developed in the string group; march-like theme, sounding in the group of woodwinds. Gradually, on one sound “mi”, a dotted rhythm crystallizes, which prepares the dominant rhythm of the first part (Vivace). This is how the transition from the introduction to the sonata allegro is carried out. In the first four measures of Vivace (before the appearance of the theme), the woodwinds continue to sound the same rhythm.

It also underlies all three themes of the exposition: the main, connecting and side parts. Vivace's main party is brightly folk. (At one time, Beethoven was reproached for the "folkish" nature of this music, allegedly unsuitable for a high genre.)

Beethoven develops here the type of the main party, inherent in the London symphonies of I. Haydn, with their dance rhythm. The folk-genre flavor is exacerbated by instrumentation: the timbre of the flute and oboe in the first introduction of the theme introduces pastoral features.

But this main part is distinguished from Haydn's by the heroic reincarnation when it is repeated by the whole orchestra with the participation of trumpets and horns against the background of booming beats of the timpani. The idyll of a "free" man on a free land acquires Beethoven's revolutionary colors.

Embodying the activity, joyful upsurge inherent in the images of the Seventh Symphony, the leitrim of the sonata allegro unites the main, connecting and secondary parts, permeates the entire exposition, development and reprise.

The side part, which develops the folk-dance features of the main theme, is brightly highlighted in tonal terms. It modulates from cis-moll to as-moll and finally, at the climax, along with the triumphant rise of the melody, it comes to the dominant key of E-dur. These harmonic shifts within the side part make up bright contrasts in the exposition, reveal the diversity of its colors and dynamics.

At the end of the exposition, the main motif of Vivace takes on a fanfare structure. This line is continued by development. Melodic intonations are simplified, scale-like and tri-sound moves predominate - the punctuated rhythm becomes the main expressive means. In the final part, where the theme reappears, unexpected tonal shifts, the harmony of the reduced seventh chord sharpen the movement, give the development a more intense character. In development, a sharp shift is made to a new key in C major, and after two measures of a general pause, movement resumes in the same dotted rhythm. The tension builds as the dynamics increase, the instruments are added, and the theme is imitated.

The grandiose coda is remarkable: at the end of the reprise, two measures of a general pause follow (as at the end of the exposition); the sequential implementation of the main motive of the main part in different registers and timbres forms a series of tertian harmonic juxtapositions (As-dur - C-dur; F-dur - A-dur), ending with the course of horns and giving rise to picturesque landscape associations (echo, forest roll call of horns ). Cellos and double basses pianissimo have a chromatic ostinato figure. The sonority gradually intensifies, the dynamics grows, reaches fortissimo, and the first movement ends with a solemnly jubilant statement of the main theme.

Note the absence of a slow movement in this symphony. The second part is Allegretto instead of the usual Andante or Adagio. It is framed by the same A minor quarter-sixth chord. This part is based on a theme reminiscent of a sad funeral procession. This theme develops in variations with a gradual increase in dynamics. The strings begin without violins. In the first variation, it is adopted by the second violins, and in the next variation, by the first violins. At the same time, in the first variation, in the parts of violas and cellos, a new theme sounds in the form of a contrapuntal voice. This second theme is so melodically expressive that it eventually comes to the fore, rivaling the first theme in meaning.

New material is introduced into the contrasting middle part of the Allegretto: against the background of the soft triplet accompaniment of the first violins, the woodwinds play a light, tender melody - like a ray of hope amid a sad mood. The main theme returns, but in a new variational guise. Here, as it were, interrupted variations continue. One of the variations is the polyphonic holding of the main theme (fugato). The light serenade is repeated again, and the second part ends with the main theme, in the presentation of which strings and woodwinds alternate. Thus, this most popular Allegretto is a combination of variations with a double three-part form (with a middle repeated twice).

The third movement of the Presto symphony is a typical Beethoven scherzo. In a whirling motion with a uniform rhythmic pulsation, the scherzo sweeps swiftly. Sharp dynamic contrasts, staccato, trills, a sudden tonal shift from F major to A major give it a special poignancy and impart a character of great vitality. The middle part of the scherzo (Assai meno presto) introduces a contrast: in the solemn music, which reaches great power and is accompanied by trumpet fanfare, the melody of a Lower Austrian peasant song is used. This middle is repeated twice, forming (as in the second part of the symphony) a double three-part form.

The finale of the symphony (Allegro con brio), written in sonata form, is a spontaneous folk festival. All music of the finale is based on dance rhythms. The theme of the main part is close to Slavic dance melodies (as you know, L.V. Beethoven repeatedly turned to Russian folk songs in his work). The dotted rhythm of the side part gives it elasticity. The active, impetuous movement of the exposition, elaboration and reprise, the ever-increasing surge of energy leave the impression of an irresistibly rushing forward mass dance, merrily and jubilantly completing the Symphony.

5. Features of the form in connection with the content

In his instrumental music, L.V. Beethoven uses the historically established principle of organizing a cyclic work based on the contrasting alternation of parts of the cycle, and the sonata structure of the first part. The first, as a rule, sonata parts of Beethoven's chamber and symphonic cyclic compositions are of particular importance.

The sonata form attracted L.V. Beethoven by many, only her inherent qualities. The exposure of musical images different in character and content provided unlimited opportunities, opposing them, pushing them together in a sharp struggle and, following the internal dynamics, revealing the process of interaction, interpenetration and ultimately transition to a new quality. The deeper the contrast of images, the more dramatic the conflict, the more complex the process of development itself. Development at L.V. Beethoven becomes the main driving force that transforms the sonata form inherited from the 18th century. So the sonata form becomes the basis of the overwhelming number of chamber and orchestral works by L.V. Beethoven.

6. Features of interpretation

It is a difficult task for the performer (conductor) to interpret the Symphony 7. Basically, there is one main difference between the interpretations of the performance of this symphony. This is the choice of tempo and the transition from one part to another. Each performer - conductor adheres to his personal feelings and, of course, musical knowledge about the era of the creator-composer and the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a work. Naturally, each conductor has his own way of reading the score and seeing it as a musical image. This paper will present a comparison of the performances and interpretations of the Symphony 7 by such conductors as V. Fedoseev, F. Weingarner and D. Yurovsky.

The introduction in the first movement of Symphony 7 is marked Poco sostenuto, not Adagio, and not even Andante. It is especially important not to play it too slowly. F. Weingartner adheres to such a rule in his execution, and as V. Fedoseev noted. D. Yurovsky adheres to a different point of view, performing the introduction at a calm, but rather moving pace.

Page 16, bars 1-16. (L. Beethoven, Seventh Symphony, score, Muzgiz, 1961.) According to F. Weingartner, this episode sounds empty and meaningless when performed indifferently. In any case, one who sees nothing in it but the frequent repetition of the same sound will not know what to do with it, and may not notice the most essential. The fact is that the last two measures before Vivace, together with the lead-in, are already preparing the rhythm typical for the given part, while in the first two measures of this episode, echoes of the vibrating background of the introduction are still audible. The next two bars, which represent the moment of greatest calmness, contain at the same time the greatest tension. If you keep the first two measures at an unshakable pace, then in the next two measures you can increase the voltage with a very moderate deceleration. From the end of measure 4 of the quoted segment, where the new also announces itself by changing the timbre (now the wind instruments begin, and the strings continue), it is necessary to gradually speed up the tempo, which is followed in the performance by all three conductors, whose names are indicated earlier in the term paper.

With the introduction of a six-beat time signature, according to F. Weingartner, one should first equate it with the previous one and continue accelerating until the Vivace tempo is reached in the fifth measure, when the main part enters. The Vivace tempo indicated by the metronome must never be too fast; otherwise the part loses its inherent clarity and grandeur. It should be taken into account that the sequence itself is a very lively metric formula.

Page 18 measure 5. Artists do not recommend holding the fermata for too long; after it, it is necessary to directly rush forward, making the fortissimo sound with unrelenting force.

Page 26. It is customary not to repeat the exposition, although L. Beethoven staged a reprise in the score.

P. 29, bars 3 and 4. Both wooden instruments and horns should be doubled here - this is how F. Weingartner interprets. The second horn plays throughout this episode, that is, starting already with a double line, the lower B-flat. Most conductors, in particular V. Fedoseev and D. Yurovsky, also recommend doubling if possible.

P.35, bar 4, to p.33, last bar. Weingartner proposes to embody a powerful increase in a particularly convincing way: against the background of a continuing crescendo of wind instruments, it is suggested that the strings play in such a way that each phrase begins with a slight weakening of the sonority, and the culmination of the subsequent crescendo falls on sustained notes. Of course, these additional crescendos on long notes must be distributed in such a way that they sound the weakest the first time and the strongest the third.

P. 36, bar 4. After the grand build-up in the previous climax, another piu forte is added here, leading to the fortissimo of the recurring main theme. Therefore, it seems urgently necessary to somewhat reduce the sonority, which V. Fedoseev resorts to in his performance. The best moment for this seems to be the second half of bar 4 from the end, p.35. After playing with the greatest force the short phrases of wood and strings from measure 4, p. 35, he introduces poco meno mosso.

After fermat, according to F. Weingartner, a pause is just as unacceptable as on p. 9, measure 18.D. Yurovsky maintains the second fermata a little shorter than the first.

P. 39, measure 9, to p. 40, measure 8. In the interpretation of this episode, the performers (conductors) allow themselves some freedom: first of all, they supply the first of the quoted measures with poco diminuendo and prescribe pianissimo in all instruments when D minor appears. Also designate the entire episode from the second fermata, i.e. bar 8, from the introduction of the timpani on p. 40, bar 9, to p. 41, bar 4, tranquillo and use it to gradually return to the main tempo where fortissimo is indicated.

P.48, measure 10 and following. Here, in one of the most sublime moments that are found in all nine symphonies, the tempo should not be accelerated, otherwise the impression of an ordinary stretta would be created. On the contrary, the main tempo must be maintained until the end of the movement. The impact of this episode is incomparably enhanced if the double basses (or at least some of them that have a C string) are played from here to bar 8, p. 50, an octave lower, after which they return to the original again. (So did F. Weingartner and V. Fedoseev.) If it is possible to double the woodwinds, then this should be done on the piano in the last bar, p.50. They must participate in the crescendo, take it to the fortissimo and accompany the strings to the end.

Page 53. The prescribed tempo suggests that this movement cannot be understood in the sense of the usual Adagio or Andante. The metronomic designation, which provides for movement almost in the nature of a fast march, does not fit with the appearance of this part. Conductors take approx.

P. 55, measure 9, to p. 57, measure 2. Richard Wagner, performing this symphony in Mannheim, reinforced the woodwind and horn theme with trumpets in order to better emphasize it. Weingartner considered this to be erroneous. "The pipes with their concentratedly strict," ossified "movements from the dominant to the tonic, solemnly supported by the timpani, are so characteristic that they should never be sacrificed" (F. Weingartner "Advice to Conductors". Music, Moscow, 1965 , p.163). But even if R. Wagner, as F. Weingartner suggests, had 4 trumpeters, the miraculous effect of L. Beethoven's pipes is still damaged if two tasks are simultaneously assigned to the same instruments. Homogeneous sound colors cancel each other out. In fact, there is no danger that the melody will sound insufficiently bold if you double the horns and assign the performers of the second part, where the unison with the first is listed, to play the lower octave. If woodwinds can be doubled, the result is even better. In bars 1 and 2, p.56, the first flute takes the upper octave. The second trumpet takes the lower "d" throughout the quoted passage. The second French horn should already in bar 8, p.55, also take the lower "F".

P.66, bars 7-10. Even if it is not possible to double the wooden ones, it is good to have the second flute played in unison with the first, as this voice can easily be too weak. In the last bar of the episode quoted up to bar 8 of page 67, all woodwinds may be doubled. However, F. Weingartner does not recommend duplicating horns.

P.69, bar 7-10. The unusually solemn nature of the sound of these 4 measures of pianissimo justifies a very slight slowdown in tempo, after which the main tempo returns to the fortissimo. This interpretation is shared by V. Fedoseev and D. Yurovsky.

P.72, bars 15-18, and p.73, bars 11-14. It is extremely important that flutes and clarinets play these 4 bars of pianissimo. In other words, with a noticeable dynamic deviation from the previous cycles. But usually this scherzo is driven in such a way, the poor wind players do not have enough breath, and they are glad if they can somehow expel their part, which, however, often fails. Pianissimo is simply ignored, like many other things. Despite the prescribed Presto, the tempo should not be taken faster than necessary for a clear and correct performance. Metronomic notation requires, perhaps, too fast pace. It is more correct to count

Assai meno presto is marked. The correct tempo, according to F. Weingartner, should be approximately twice as slow as in the main part, and indicated approximately metronomically. It goes without saying that it should be conducted for one, and not for three, as is sometimes the case. A slight, slightly noticeable decrease in tempo after the double dash corresponds to the nature of this music.

In the third part of the symphony, all performers adhere to all signs of repetition, with the exception of the second (already repeated) trio, pp. 92-94.

Page 103. The finale allowed F. Weingartner to make a curious observation: performing it more slowly than all the major conductors known to him, he reaped praise and blame everywhere for his especially fast pace. This is explained by the fact that a calmer tempo made it possible for the performers to show greater intensity in the development of sonority, with which, naturally, greater distinctness was associated. As a result, the impression of strength produced by this part in the interpretation of F. Weingartner was replaced by the impression of speed. In fact, this part is labeled Allegro con brio, not Vivace or Presto, which in most cases is ignored. Therefore, the pace should never be too fast. F. Weingartner replaces a good metronomic designation in itself, since, in his opinion, it would be more correct to conduct in two, and not in one.

The execution of the finale with the appropriate expression is, according to many conductors, one of the greatest tasks, of course, not in technical, but in spiritual terms. "Whoever conducts this part without sacrificing his 'I' will fail." (Quoted from F. Weingartner's book "Advice to Conductors", p. 172.) Even the short repetitions on p. 103 and 104 should be played twice in the repetition of the exposition of the finale, and not once, as in minuets and scherzos. (In the performances of V. Fedoseev and D. Yurovsky, these repetitions are observed.)

P. 132, measure 8. After the fortissimo designation appeared from measure 9, p. 127, there are no dynamic prescriptions up to the cited measure, except for separate sforzando and single forte. There is also sempre piu forte, followed by ff again on p. 133, penultimate bar. It is quite obvious that this sempre piu forte only acquires its proper meaning if it is preceded by a weakening of the sound. Wagner was indignant at the sudden piano that his Dresden colleague Reisiger wrote here in party. The unexpected piano looks, of course, like a naive attempt to get out of the difficulty. It is the mentioned single forte in trumpets and timpani that speak against the fact that L.V. Beethoven provided for the reduction of sonority. When F. Weingartner performed this section in a uniform fortissimo, he could not get rid of the impression of emptiness; he also failed to fulfill the prescribed piu forte. Therefore, he decided, following only his musical instinct, to innovate. Starting from the third bar from the end on p. 130, after everything that had preceded had been played with the greatest energy, he introduced a gradual diminuendo, which, in bar 3, p. 132, turned into a piano lasting five bars.

The duplication of the horns, and if possible also the woodwinds in this movement, is absolutely necessary. From p. 127, bar 13, the doubling is maintained continuously until the end, regardless of diminuendo, piano and crescendo. The interpretations of V. Fedoseev and D. Yurovsky are similar in this respect.

The secret of the artistic performance of musical works, and therefore the secret of the art of conducting, lies in the understanding of style. The performing artist, in this case, the conductor, must be imbued with the originality of each composer and each work and subordinate his performance to the smallest detail to reveal this originality. "A brilliant conductor must combine as many individualities as many great creations will fall to his lot to conduct." (Quote by F. Weingartner from the book "Advice to Conductors", p.5.)

Bibliography

1. Ludwig van Beethoven. "Seventh Symphony. Score". Muzgiz. Music, 1961.

2. L. Markhasev. "Beloved and Others". Children's literature. Leningrad, 1978.

3. "Musical literature of foreign countries" issue 3, edition 8, edited by E. Tsareva. Music. Moscow, 1989.

4. F. Weingartner "Beethoven. Advice to conductors". Music. Moscow, 1965.

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Vein. Imperial royal privileged Vienna theatre. Here, on December 22, 1808, the "musical academy" took place, that is, the author's concert from the works of L. van Beethoven - "completely new and not previously performed publicly." Among them were two symphonies completed almost simultaneously - the Fifth, in C minor, and the Sixth, in F major. Both symphonies captured different states of mind of the great German composer. The fifth is the highest tension of the struggle, leading to the difficult achievement of victory. The sixth is the complete harmony of man and nature. These are, as it were, two faces of Beethoven's creativity, of his era. The Fifth Symphony is living evidence of Beethoven's closeness to the ideas and accomplishments of the French Revolution of 1789. In its initially gloomy flame, intonations akin to the hymns and songs of the revolution are forged. The finale of the symphony seems to reproduce the picture of the celebration in honor of the victory. In the Sixth Symphony, one can hear echoes of the ideas of J. Rousseau, who called for a return to "natural life." True joy gives a person communication with nature and villagers. The only disaster - a thunderstorm - turns into even greater grace: the renewed nature gives a person a special fullness of the feeling of life.

Both symphonies are characterized by the exceptional concreteness of the expression of the ideas embedded in them. In the Fifth Symphony, Beethoven found a brilliant musical generalization of the theme of fate, fate - everything that hinders a person in his desire for freedom. An extremely compressed, laconic motif (“this is how fate knocks at the door,” Beethoven said about it) permeates the music of the entire symphony. But it can also turn into a call to action, and a victory cry, and an expression of spiritual awe. The motive of fate forms the entire first part of the symphony, occasionally appears in the second, dominates in the third, a reminder of it in the fourth part sets off the overall picture of jubilation. Through struggle to victory - this basic thesis of Beethoven's symphonism - is embodied here with particular relief. All its parts: full of drama - the first, calm second, where a heroic theme gradually emerges, close to the Marseillaise, a scherzo that returns drama and strong contrasts from a new angle, a solemn, victorious finale - the essence of successive stages in the formation of a heroic idea, steps to conquest and affirmation of the power of Man in unity with humanity.
Beethoven's Sixth Symphony is completely different. Here reigns the peace of that highest harmony that a person finds in nature. The composer does not build the whole step by step, but turns it with different facets. The parts of a symphony are paintings or scenes. The concreteness of the images appears through associations with the murmur of a stream, the singing of birds, thunder, the playing of a shepherd's horn, the sound of a village orchestra. It is emphasized by the program titles that Beethoven prefaced the entire symphony and its individual parts. "Pastoral Symphony, or Memoirs of Country Life" includes "Joyful Feelings on Arrival to Jealousy", "Scene by the Stream", "Merry Gathering of Villagers", "Thunder, Thunderstorm" and "Shepherd's Song". At the end of the "Scene by the Stream" Beethoven even noted in the score which birds the lines imitating their voices belong to (quail, cuckoo, nightingale); the main theme of this part grew, according to him, from the tune of the oriole.

However, Beethoven, in his title of the symphony, also warns that there is "more expression of feelings than painting." Picturesqueness by no means excludes the deeply poetic lyricism of the second movement or the dynamic “onslaught” characteristic of Beethoven in the third. This is an integral world, in the peace of which there is its own movement, development, leading to a majestic hymn to nature.
The Fifth and Sixth symphonies paved their way into the future. It is with the idea of the Fifth Symphony that it is associated. we have the very concept of a dramatic symphony, a symphony about the most important thing in a person's life - the struggle to assert one's ideals. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony was considered by P. I. Tchaikovsky the prototype of his Fourth Symphony, the first drama symphony in his work. Brahms' First Symphony and Taneyev's Symphony in C Minor, Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto and Scriabin's Third Symphony, Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony - all these works by completely different composers, from different eras converge in a deep reliance on the brilliant composition of the great classic.
The Sixth Symphony turned out to be especially in tune with romantic composers: Schubert, Schumann, Berlioz. The program of the symphony, the new world of its colorful sounds, subtle chiaroscuro, song intonations, freedom in interpreting the cycle (five parts instead of the usual four for a classical symphony) - all this found its continuation in romantic symphonism. The theme of nature received a new development and embodiment in the symphonies of Schubert and Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler. In the work of Beethoven himself, the two symphonies of 1808 were the most important stages on the way to the culmination of his symphony - the Ninth Symphony, reached their highest expression and the intensity of the struggle, and the all-consuming joy of the unity of mankind, its merging with the whole universe.

The premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies did not bring success to their author, mainly due to unsuccessful performances. However, these works soon gained immense popularity. We know excellent recordings of symphonies in the interpretations of the world's greatest conductors - A. Toscanini and V. Furtwangler, B. Walter and G. Karajan. In the repertoire of many Soviet conductors, Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies are constantly present - companions of our life, in which the drama and heroism of the "eternal battle" and the desire for the beauty and wisdom of nature coexist.
E. Tsareva

"Music is higher than any wisdom and philosophy..."

Beethoven and symphony

The word "symphony" is very often used when talking about the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. The composer devoted a significant part of his life to perfecting the symphony genre. What is this form of composition, which is the most important part of Beethoven's legacy and is successfully developing today?

origins

A symphony is a large musical composition written for an orchestra. Thus, the concept of "symphony" does not refer to any particular genre of music. Many symphonies are tonal works in four movements, with the sonata considered to be the first form. They are usually classified as classical symphonies. However, even the compositions of some famous masters of the classical period - such as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven - do not fit into this model.

The word "symphony" comes from the Greek, which means "to sound together." Isidore of Seville was the first to use the Latin form of the word for a double-headed drum, and in the 12th and 14th centuries in France, the word meant "hurdy-gurdy". In the meaning of "to sound together", it also appears in the titles of some works by composers of the 16th and 17th centuries, including Giovanni Gabriele and Heinrich Schutz.

In the 17th century, for much of the Baroque period, the terms "symphony" and "synphony" were applied to a number of different compositions, including instrumental works used in operas, sonatas, and concertos - usually as part of a larger work. In the opera sinfonia, or Italian overture, in the 18th century a standard structure of three contrasting parts developed: fast, slow and fast dance. This form is considered to be the immediate predecessor of the orchestral symphony. For much of the 18th century, the terms overture, symphony, and sinfonia were considered interchangeable.

Another important predecessor of the symphony was the ripieno concerto, a relatively little-studied form reminiscent of the concerto for strings and basso continuo, but without solo instruments. The earliest and earliest of the ripieno concertos are the works of Giuseppe Torelli. Antonio Vivaldi also wrote works of this type. Perhaps the most famous ripieno concerto is Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto.

Symphony in the 18th century

Early symphonies were written in three parts with the following alternation of tempos: fast - slow - fast. Symphonies also differ from Italian overtures in that they are intended to be performed in concert rather than on the opera stage, although works originally written as overtures were later sometimes used as symphonies and vice versa. Most of the early symphonies were written in major.

Symphonies created in the 18th century for concert, opera or church performance were mixed with works of other genres or lined up in a chain composed of suites or overtures. Vocal music dominated, in which symphonies played the role of prelude, interlude and postlude (final parts).
At the time, most symphonies were short, between ten and twenty minutes long.

The "Italian" symphonies, commonly used as overtures and intermissions in opera productions, traditionally had a three-movement form: a fast movement (allegro), a slow movement and another fast movement. It is according to this scheme that all of Mozart's early symphonies were written. The early three-part form was gradually superseded by the four-part form that dominated the late 18th century and through much of the 19th century. This symphonic form, created by German composers, became associated with the "classical" style of Haydn and late Mozart. An additional "dance" part appeared, and at the same time the first part was recognized as "first among equals".

The standard four-part form consisted of:
1) fast part in binary or - in a later period - sonata form;
2) slow part;
3) minuet or trio in three-component form;
4) fast movement in the form of a sonata, rondo or sonata-rondo.

Variations on this structure were considered common, such as changing the order of the two middle movements or adding a slow introduction to the first fast movement. The first symphony known to us to include a minuet as a third movement was a work in D major written in 1740 by Georg Matthias Mann, and Jan Stamitz became the first composer to constantly add a minuet as a component of a four-movement form.

The composition of early symphonies was carried out mainly by Viennese and Mannheim composers. The early representatives of the Viennese school were Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Wenzel Raymond Birk and Georg Matthias Monn, while Jan Stamitz worked in Mannheim. True, this does not mean that symphonies were studied only in these two cities: they were composed throughout Europe.

The most famous symphonists of the late 18th century were Joseph Haydn, who wrote 108 symphonies in 36 years, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who created 56 symphonies in 24 years.

Symphony in the 19th century

With the advent of permanent professional orchestras in 1790-1820, the symphony began to occupy an increasingly prominent place in concert life. Beethoven's first academic concerto, "Christ on the Mount of Olives", received more fame than his first two symphonies and the piano concerto.

Beethoven significantly expanded the previous ideas about the genre of the symphony. His Third ("Heroic") Symphony is notable for its scale and emotional content, far surpassing in this respect all previously created works of the symphonic genre, and in the Ninth Symphony the composer took an unprecedented step, including in the last part of the part for soloist and choir, which turned this work into a choral symphony.

Hector Berlioz used the same principle in writing his "dramatic symphony" Romeo and Juliet. Beethoven and Franz Schubert replaced the traditional minuet with a livelier scherzo. In the Pastoral Symphony, Beethoven inserted a fragment of the “storm” before the final movement, and Berlioz used a march and a waltz in his program “Fantastic Symphony”, and also wrote it in five, and not in four, as is customary, parts.

Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn, the leading German composers, expanded the harmonic vocabulary of romantic music with their symphonies. Some composers - for example, the Frenchman Hector Berlioz and the Hungarian Franz Liszt - wrote clearly defined program symphonies. The creations of Johannes Brahms, who took the work of Schumann and Mendelssohn as a starting point, were distinguished by their particular structural rigor. Other prominent symphonists of the second half of the 19th century were Anton Bruckner, Antonin Dvorak and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Symphony in the 20th century

At the beginning of the 20th century, Gustav Mahler wrote several large-scale symphonies. The eighth of them was called the "Symphony of a Thousand": that is how many musicians were required to perform it.

In the twentieth century, further stylistic and semantic development of the composition, called symphonies, took place. Some composers, including Sergei Rachmaninoff and Carl Nielsen, continued to compose traditional four-movement symphonies, while others experimented extensively with the form: for example, Jean Sibelius' Seventh Symphony consists of just one movement.

However, certain trends persisted: symphonies were still orchestral works, and symphonies with vocal parts or with solo parts for individual instruments were exceptions, not the rule. If a work is called a symphony, then this implies a sufficiently high level of its complexity and the seriousness of the author's intentions. The term "symphonietta" also appeared: this is the name of works somewhat lighter than the traditional symphony. The most famous are the symphoniettas by Leoš Janáček.

In the 20th century, the number of musical compositions also increased, in the form of typical symphonies, to which the authors gave a different designation. For example, Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and Gustav Mahler's Song of the Earth are often regarded as symphonies by musicologists.

Other composers, on the contrary, are increasingly calling works that can hardly be attributed to this genre as symphonies. This may indicate the desire of the authors to emphasize their artistic intentions, which are not directly related to any symphonic tradition.

On the poster: Beethoven at work (painting by William Fassbender (1873-1938))

Ludwig van Beethoven. Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral"

Ludwig van Beethoven. Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral"

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, Pastoral

Orchestra composition: 2 flutes, piccolo flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, strings.

History of creation

The birth of the Pastoral Symphony falls on the central period of Beethoven's work. Almost simultaneously, three symphonies, completely different in character, came out from under his pen: in 1805 he began to write the heroic symphony in C minor, now known as No. and in 1807 he set about composing the Pastoral. Completed simultaneously with the C minor in 1808, it differs sharply from it. Beethoven, resigned to an incurable disease - deafness - here does not struggle with a hostile fate, but glorifies the great power of nature, the simple joys of life.

The first number of the program was "Symphony entitled" Reminiscence of rural life ", in F major, No. 5". It wasn't until some time later that she became the Sixth. The concert, held in a cold hall, where the audience sat in fur coats, was not a success. The orchestra was prefabricated, of a low level. Beethoven quarreled with the musicians at the rehearsal, conductor I. Seyfried worked with them, and the author only directed the premiere.

The pastoral symphony occupies a special place in his work. It is programmatic, and, the only one out of nine, has not only a common name, but also headings for each part. These parts are not four, as long ago established in the symphonic cycle, but five, which is connected precisely with the program: between the simple-hearted village dance and the peaceful finale, a dramatic picture of a thunderstorm is placed.

Beethoven loved to spend his summers in quiet villages around Vienna, wandering through forests and meadows from dawn to dusk, in rain and sun, and in this communion with nature, the ideas of his compositions arose. "No person can love rural life as much as I do, because oak forests, trees, rocky mountains respond to the thoughts and experiences of a person." Pastoral, which, according to the composer himself, depicts feelings born from contact with the world of nature and rural life, has become one of Beethoven's most romantic compositions. No wonder many romantics saw her as a source of their inspiration. This is evidenced by Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony, Schumann's Rhine Symphony, Mendelssohn's Scottish and Italian Symphonies, the symphonic poem "Preludes" and many of Liszt's piano pieces.

The first part is called by the composer "Awakening joyful feelings during your stay in the countryside." The uncomplicated, repeatedly repeated main theme that sounds on the violins is close to folk round dance melodies, and the accompaniment of the violas and cellos resembles the hum of a village bagpipe. A few side themes contrast little with the main one. The development is also idyllic, devoid of sharp contrasts. A long stay in one emotional state is diversified by colorful juxtapositions of tonalities, a change in orchestral timbres, rises and falls in sonority, which anticipates the principles of development among the romantics.

The second part - "Scene by the Stream" - is imbued with the same serene feelings. A melodious violin melody slowly unfolds against a murmuring background of other strings that persists throughout the movement. Only at the very end does the stream stop, and the call of birds becomes audible: the trills of a nightingale (flute), the cry of a quail (oboe), the cuckoo's call (clarinet). Listening to this music, it is impossible to imagine that it was written by a deaf composer who has not heard birdsong for a long time!

The third part - "Cheerful pastime of the peasants" - is the most cheerful and carefree. It combines the crafty innocence of peasant dances, introduced into the symphony by Beethoven's teacher Haydn, and the sharp humor of Beethoven's typical scherzos. The opening section is built on the repeated comparison of two themes - abrupt, with persistent stubborn repetitions, and lyrical melodious, but not without humor: the bassoons accompaniment sounds out of time, like inexperienced village musicians. The next theme, flexible and graceful, in the transparent timbre of an oboe accompanied by violins, is also not devoid of a comic shade, which is given to it by the syncopated rhythm and the suddenly entering bassoon basses. In the faster trio, a rough chant with sharp accents is persistently repeated in a very loud sound - as if the village musicians played with might and main, sparing no effort. In repeating the opening section, Beethoven breaks the classical tradition: instead of running through all the themes, there is only a brief reminder of the first two.

The fourth part - “Thunderstorm. Storm» - starts immediately, without interruption. It is in sharp contrast to everything that preceded it and is the only dramatic episode of the symphony. Drawing a majestic picture of the raging elements, the composer resorts to visual techniques, expanding the composition of the orchestra, including, as in the finale of the Fifth, the piccolo flute and trombones, which were not previously used in symphonic music. The contrast is particularly sharply emphasized by the fact that this movement is not separated by a pause from the neighboring ones: starting suddenly, it also passes without a pause into the finale, where the moods of the first movements return.

Finale - “Shepherd's tunes. Joyful and grateful feelings after the storm. The calm melody of the clarinet, which is answered by the horn, resembles the roll call of shepherd's horns against the background of bagpipes - they are imitated by the sustained sounds of violas and cellos. The roll calls of the instruments gradually fade away - the last melody is played by a horn with a mute against the background of light passages of strings. This is how this one-of-a-kind Beethoven symphony ends in an unusual way.
belcanto.ru
A. Koenigsberg

Beethoven Symphony No 6 in F Major Op 68 "The Pastoral" Mvt. 1 Allegro ma non troppo. Performed by the Peter Seymour Orchestra PSO led by the legendary John Ockwell at the Sydney Youth Orchestra SYO concert, December 4, 2010.

01 Allegro ma non troppo, Beethoven, Symphony 6/1, F major, Op 68, "Pastoral", Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Pastoral (derived from French pastorale, pastoral, rural) is a genre that poetizes peaceful and simple rural life.
Pastoral is a genre in literature, painting, music and theater that poeticizes the peaceful and simple rural life. Pastoral can be called:

Pastoral music, which can include both large and small works, dedicated to the depiction of nature or rural life. The musical pastoral is characterized by the sizes 6/8, 12/8, the smooth, calm movement of the melody, often doubled into a third. Examples of pastorals are found in the works of A. Vivaldi, D. Scarlatti, F. Couperin, J. S. Bach and other composers. Also known as Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.

A pastoral can also be called a symphonic episode in a musical stage work that draws pictures of nature (for example, a pastoral in the music of J. Bizet to the Arlesian by A. Daudet).

A small opera, pantomime, ballet based on idealized scenes from rural life. The first pastorals that arose in the 14th-15th centuries. are the forerunners of classical opera (for example, the French "performance with songs" The Tale of Robin and Marion). In the musical theater, the pastoral survived until the 18th and 19th centuries. (Mozart's opera The Shepherd King, 1775; ballet Delibes Silvius, 1876; etc.). Pastoral operas were written by K. V. Gluck, W. A. Mozart, J. B. Lully, J. F. Rameau.
Bucolic (from the Greek "shepherd") poetry of antiquity, dedicated to depicting the life of shepherds. Synonyms - eclogue and idyll.

A type of European literature that copies the bucolic worldview.
A genre of court theater that originated in Italy in the 16th century. and spread throughout Western Europe. The pastoral was a small play, often introduced into the program of court festivities. It depicted the rural life of gallant shepherds and shepherdesses, endowed with the manners, feelings and vocabulary of the aristocracy.

Kiyar Pierre-Antoine - Pastoral.

Orchestra composition: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, strings.

History of creation

The birth of the Pastoral Symphony falls on the central period of Beethoven's work. Almost simultaneously, three symphonies, completely different in character, came out from under his pen: in 1805 he began writing the heroic symphony in C minor, now known as No. 5, in mid-November of the following year he completed the lyrical Fourth, in B flat major, and in 1807 he set about composing the Pastoral. Completed simultaneously with the C minor in 1808, it differs sharply from it. Beethoven, resigned to an incurable disease - deafness - here does not struggle with a hostile fate, but glorifies the great power of nature, the simple joys of life.

Like the C minor, the Pastoral Symphony is dedicated to Beethoven's patron, the Viennese philanthropist, Prince F. I. Lobkovitz and the Russian envoy in Vienna, Count A. K. Razumovsky. Both of them were first performed in a large "academy" (that is, a concert in which the works of only one author were performed by himself as a virtuoso instrumentalist or an orchestra under his direction) on December 22, 1808 at the Vienna Theater. The first number of the program was "Symphony entitled" Reminiscence of rural life ", in F major, No. 5". It wasn't until some time later that she became the Sixth. The concert, held in a cold hall, where the audience sat in fur coats, was not a success. The orchestra was prefabricated, of a low level. Beethoven quarreled with the musicians at the rehearsal, conductor I. Seyfried worked with them, and the author only directed the premiere.

Music

First part named by the composer "Joyful feelings upon arrival in the village." The uncomplicated, repeatedly repeated main theme, sounding on the violins, is close to folk round dance melodies, and the accompaniment of the violas and cellos resembles the buzzing of a village bagpipe. A few side themes contrast little with the main one. The development is also idyllic, devoid of sharp contrasts. A long stay in one emotional state is diversified by colorful juxtapositions of tonalities, a change in orchestral timbres, rises and falls in sonority, which anticipates the principles of development among the romantics.

The second part- "Scene by the stream" - imbued with the same serene feelings. A melodious violin melody slowly unfolds against a murmuring background of other strings that persists throughout the movement. Only at the very end does the stream stop, and the call of birds becomes audible: the trills of a nightingale (flute), the cry of a quail (oboe), the cuckoo's call (clarinet). Listening to this music, it is impossible to imagine that it was written by a deaf composer who has not heard birdsong for a long time!

The third part- "Merry gathering of villagers" - the most cheerful and carefree. It combines the crafty innocence of peasant dances, introduced into the symphony by Beethoven's teacher Haydn, and the sharp humor of Beethoven's typical scherzos. The opening section is built on the repeated comparison of two themes - abrupt, with persistent stubborn repetitions, and lyrical melodious, but not without humor: the bassoons accompaniment sounds out of time, like inexperienced village musicians. The next theme, flexible and graceful, in the transparent timbre of an oboe accompanied by violins, is also not devoid of a comic shade, which is given to it by the syncopated rhythm and the suddenly entering bassoon basses. In the faster trio, a rough chant with sharp accents is persistently repeated in a very loud sound - as if the village musicians played with might and main, sparing no effort. In repeating the opening section, Beethoven breaks the classical tradition: instead of running through all the themes, there is only a brief reminder of the first two.

Fourth part- "Thunderstorm. Storm" - begins immediately, without interruption. It is in sharp contrast to everything that preceded it and is the only dramatic episode of the symphony. Drawing a majestic picture of the raging elements, the composer resorts to visual techniques, expanding the composition of the orchestra, including, as in the finale of the Fifth, the piccolo flute and trombones, which were not previously used in symphonic music. The contrast is particularly sharply emphasized by the fact that this movement is not separated by a pause from the neighboring ones: starting suddenly, it also passes without a pause into the finale, where the moods of the first movements return.

The final- Shepherd's song. Joyful and grateful feelings after the storm. The calm melody of the clarinet, which is answered by the horn, resembles the roll call of shepherd's horns against the background of bagpipes - they are imitated by the sustained sounds of violas and cellos. The roll calls of the instruments gradually fade away - the last melody is played by a horn with a mute against the background of light passages of strings. This is how this one-of-a-kind Beethoven symphony ends in an unusual way.

A. Koenigsberg

Nature and the merging of man with it, a sense of peace of mind, simple joys inspired by the fertile charm of the natural world - such are the themes, the circle of images of this work.

Among Beethoven's nine symphonies, the Sixth is the only programmatic in the direct sense of the term, that is, it has a common name that outlines the direction of poetic thought; in addition, each of the parts of the symphonic cycle is titled: the first part - "Joyful feelings upon arrival in the village", the second - "Scene by the stream", the third - "Merry gathering of villagers", the fourth - "Thunderstorm" and the fifth - "Shepherd's song" ("Joyful and grateful feelings after the storm").

In their attitude to the problem nature and man» Beethoven, as we have already mentioned, is close to the ideas of J.-J. Rousseau. He perceives nature lovingly, idyllically, reminiscent of Haydn, who sang the idyll of nature and rural labor in the oratorio The Four Seasons.

At the same time, Beethoven also acts as an artist of the new time. This is reflected in the greater poetic spirituality of the images of nature, and in picturesqueness symphonies.

Keeping intact the main pattern of cyclic forms - the contrast of the compared parts - Beethoven forms a symphony as a series of relatively independent paintings that depict various phenomena and states of nature or genre scenes from rural life.

The programmatic, picturesque nature of the Pastoral Symphony was reflected in the peculiarities of its composition and musical language. This is the only case when Beethoven in his symphonic compositions deviates from the four-movement composition.

The Sixth Symphony can be seen as a five-movement cycle; if we take into account that the last three parts go without interruption and in a certain sense continue one another, then only three parts are formed.

Such a "free" interpretation of the cycle, as well as the type of programming, the characteristic nature of the titles anticipate the future works of Berlioz, Liszt and other romantic composers. The figurative structure itself, which includes new, more subtle psychological reactions caused by communication with nature, makes the Pastoral Symphony a forerunner of the romantic direction in music.

AT first part of Beethoven's symphony in the title he himself emphasizes that this is not a description of a rural landscape, but the senses, called by it. This part is devoid of illustrativeness, onomatopoeia, which are found in other parts of the symphony.

Using the folk tune as the main theme, Beethoven enhances its characteristic with the peculiarity of harmonization: the theme sounds against the background of a sustained fifth in basses (a typical interval of folk instruments):

The violins freely and easily "bring out" the sprawling pattern of the melody of the side part; bass echoes "important" to her. The contrapuntal development, as it were, fills the theme with new juices:

Serene peace, transparency of the air are felt in the theme of the final part with its naive and unsophisticated instrumental tune (a new version of the primary melody) and the echo against the background of the fading rustles of the bass, based on the tonic organ sound C-dur (tonality of the side and final parts):

The novelty of development techniques is interesting for development, especially its first section. Taken as an object for development, the characteristic chant of the main part is repeated many times without any changes, but it is colored by the play of registers, instrumental timbres, the movement of tonalities in thirds: B-dur - D-dur, G-dur - E-dur.

Such techniques of colorful comparisons of tonalities, which will become widespread among the romantics, are aimed at evoking a certain mood, a feeling of a given landscape, landscape, picture of nature.

But in second part, in "The Stream Scene", as well as in fourth- "Thunderstorm" - an abundance of visual and onomatopoeic techniques. In the second part, short trills, grace notes, small and longer melodic turns are woven into the fabric of the accompaniment, which conveys the calm flow of the stream. The soft colors of the entire sound palette paint an idyllic picture of nature, its quivering calls, the slightest flutter, the whisper of leaves, etc. With a witty image of the discordant hubbub of birds, Beethoven completes the entire “scene”:

The next three parts, connected in one series, are scenes of peasant life.

The third part symphonies - "A Merry Gathering of Peasants" - a juicy and lively genre sketch. It has a lot of humor and sincere fun. Subtly noticed and sharply reproduced details give it great charm, such as a bassoonist entering at random from an unpretentious village orchestra or a deliberate imitation of a heavy peasant dance:

A simple village holiday is suddenly interrupted by a thunderstorm. The musical depiction of a thunderstorm - a raging element - is often found in various musical genres of the 18th and 19th centuries. Beethoven's interpretation of this phenomenon is closest to Haydn's: a thunderstorm is not a disaster, not devastation, but grace, it fills the earth and air with moisture, it is necessary for the growth of all living things.

Nevertheless, the depiction of a thunderstorm in the Sixth Symphony is an exception among works of this kind. It strikes with its true spontaneity, the boundless power of reproducing the phenomenon itself. Although Beethoven uses characteristic onomatopoeic devices, the main thing here is dramatic power.

the last part- "The Shepherd's Song" is the logical conclusion of the symphony, which follows from the whole concept. In it, Beethoven praises the life-giving beauty of nature. The most significant thing that notes the ear in the last part of the symphony is its songlike nature, the folk character of the very style of music. The slowly flowing pastoral melody that dominates throughout is saturated with the finest poetry that inspires the whole sound of this unusual finale: