The Classical Symphony

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N The symphony was one of the principal

instrumental forms of the Classical era.

N Quickly ascending rocket themes and steamroller

effects (drawn-out crescendos ) became standard

in the Classical symphony.

N The heart of the Classical orchestra (about thirty

to forty players) was the strings, assisted by

woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

N Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, subtitled

the Romantic , mingles Classical and Romantic

elements.

N Joseph Haydn wrote over 100 symphonies; among

these, his last twelve—the so-called London

symphonies, including the Military Symphony (No.

100)—are his masterpieces in the genre.

N Ludwig van Beethoven’s music straddles the

Classical and Romantic eras. Of his nine

monumental symphonies intended for the

concert hall, best known is his Fifth, built on a

famous four-note motive that permeates all four

movements.

KEY POINTS StudySpace wwnorton.com/enjoy

23 The Classical Symphony “I frequently compare a symphony with a novel in which the themes

are characters. After we have made their acquaintance, we follow

their evolution, the unfolding of their psychology.”

—Arthur Honegger

Historical BackgroundThe symphony, which held the central place in Classical instrumental music, grew

in dimension and signicance throughout the era. With the nal works of Mozart

and Haydn and the nine monumental symphonies by Beethoven, it became the

most important type of absolute music.

The symphony had its roots in the Italian opera overture of the early eigh-

teenth century, an orchestral piece in three sections: fast-slow-fast. First played to

introduce an opera, these sections eventually became separate movements, to

which the early German symphonists added a number of e ects that were later

taken over by the classical masters. One innovation was the use of a quick, aggres-sively rhythmic theme rising from low to high register with such speed that it

became known as a rocket theme (as in Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik). Equally

important was the use of drawn-out crescendos (sometimes referred to as a steam-

roller effect ) slowly gathering force as they rose to a climax. Both e ects are gener-

ally credited to composers active at Mannheim, a German city along the Rhine

River. With the addition of the minuet and trio, also a Mannheim contribution, the

symphony paralleled the string quartet in following the four-movement multi-

movement cycle.

Rocket theme

Mannheim School

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CHAPTER 23 | The Classical Symphony 171

The Classical OrchestraThe Classical masters established the orchestra

as we know it today: as an ensemble of the four

instrumental families. The heart of the orches-

tra was the string family. Woodwinds provided

varying colors and assisted the strings, oftendoubling them. The brass sustained the harmo-

nies and contributed body to the sound mass,

while the timpani supplied rhythmic life and

vitality. The eighteenth-century orchestra num-

bered from thirty to forty players (see chart

above); thus the volume of sound was still more

appropriate for the salon than the concert hall.

(We will hear a movement from Haydn’s Sym-

phony No. 100 on eighteenth-century period

instruments.)

Classical composers created a dynamic style of orchestral writing in which all

the instruments participated actively and each timbre could be heard. The inter-

change and imitation of themes among the various instrumental groups assumedthe excitement of a witty conversation.

The Movements of the SymphonyThe rst movement of a Classical symphony is an Allegro in sonata-allegro form,

sometimes preceded by a slow introduction (especially in the symphonies of

Haydn). Sonata-allegro form, as we saw in Chapter 21 (p. 161), is based on the

Natural horns (without valves)

and woodwinds are seen in

this painting of a small orches-

tra performing in an 18th-

century Venetian palace.

THE CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA (30–40 PLAYERS) iMusic

HAYDN’S ORCHESTRA BEETHOVEN’S ORCHESTRA

(Symphony No. 94, 1792) (Symphony No. 5, 1807–08)

STRINGS Violins 1 Violins 1

Violins 2 Violins 2

Violas Violas

Cellos and Double basses Cellos

Double basses

WOODWINDS 2 Flutes 1 Piccolo (4th movement only)

2 Flutes 2 Flutes

2 Oboes 2 Oboes

2 Clarinets

2 Bassoons

1 Contrabassoon (4th movement only)

BRASS 2 French horns 2 French horns

2 Trumpets 2 Trumpets3 Trombones (4th movement only)

PERCUSSION Timpani Timpani

First movement

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PART 4 | Eighteenth-Century Classicism174

Ottoman Empire, cultural exchanges

between these political domains

allowed Western Europeans the

opportunity to hear—and adopt—

these exotic sounds.

Haydn’s Military symphony fol-lows the multimovement pattern, and

features a memorable second move-

ment that combines the concept of

variations with a simple three-part, or

ternary, structure (see Listening Guide

21, p. 173). The graceful opening

theme is heard in various guises that

alter the timbre and harmony through-

out. We are startled by the sudden

change to minor mode in the middle

section, and also struck by the trum-

pet fanfare and drum roll that intro-

duce the closing coda. The works ends

with a victorious fortissimo climax.

Beethoven and the Symphonyin Transition

“Freedom above all”

The symphony provided Beethoven with the ideal medium through which to

address his public. The rst two symphonies are closest in style to the two Classical

masters who preceded him, but with his Third Symphony, the Eroica, Beethovenachieved his own mature approach. The Fifth Symphony, which we consider here,

is popularly viewed as the model of the genre. The nale of the Ninth, or Choral

Symphony, in which vocal soloists and chorus join the orchestra, is a setting of

Schiller’s Ode to Joy, a ringing prophecy of the time when “all people will be broth-

ers” (for more on the Ninth, see HTTN 4, p. 181).

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, into a troubled family situation. From age

eleven, he supported his mother and two younger brothers by performing as an organist and

harpsichordist. At seventeen, during a visit to Vienna, he played for Mozart; the youth impro-

vised so brilliantly that Mozart remarked to his friends, “Keep an eye on him—he will make anoise in the world some day.”

Although he was not attached to the court of a prince, the music-loving aristocrats of

Vienna helped Beethoven in various ways—by paying him handsomely for lessons or presenting

him with gifts. He was also aided by the emergence of a middle-class public and the growth of

concert life and music publishing. Then fate struck in a vulnerable spot: Beethoven began to

lose his hearing. His helplessness in the face of this afiction dealt a shattering blow to his

pride: “. . . how could I possibly admit an inrmity in the one sense that should have been more

perfect in me than in others.” As deafness closed in on him—the rst symptoms appeared

when he was in his late twenties—it brought a sense of isolation from the world. He retired in

The hall in the Eszteráza

Palace where Haydn presented

his symphonies.

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CHAPTER 23 | The Classical Symphony 175

1802 to Heiligenstadt, outside Vienna, where he wrote his famous Heiligenstadt Testament, a

letter penned to his brother that exposed how he was torn between the destructive forces in his

soul and his desire to live and create.

Although he never regained his hearing, he fought his way back to health, and the remain-

der of his career was spent in ceaseless effort to achieve his artistic goals. A ride in an open

carriage during severe weather brought on, however, an attack of edema that proved fatal.Beethoven died at age fty-seven, famous and revered.

Beethoven is the supreme architect in music. His genius found expression in the structural

type of thinking required in large-scale forms like the sonata and the symphony. The sketchbooks

in which he worked out his ideas show how his pieces gradually reached their nal shape.

Beethoven’s compositional activity fell into three periods. The rst reected the Classical

elements he inherited from Haydn and Mozart. The middle period saw the appearance of

characteristics more closely associated with the nineteenth century: strong dynamic con-

trasts, explosive accents, and longer movements. In his third period, Beethoven used more

chromatic harmonies and developed a skeletal language from which all nonessentials were

rigidly pared away. It was a language that transcended his time.

Beethoven’s nine symphonies are conceived on a scale too large for the aristocratic salon;

they demand the concert hall. His highly virtuosic piano concertos coincided with and encour-

aged the popularity of this new instrument (see Btw, p. 188). The thirty-two piano sonatas are

indispensable to the instrument’s repertory, often considered the performer’s New Testament.Of his chamber music, the string quartet was closest to his heart, and, like his sonatas, they

span his entire compositional career. In the realm of vocal music, his one opera, Fidelio , and

his Missa solemnis both rank among his masterpieces.

Major Works: Orchestral music, including 9 symphonies (Ode to Joy , from Symphony No.

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including Op. 13 (Pathétique ) and Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight t0UIFSQJBOPNVTJDFür Elise )

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iMusic: Für Elise Symphony No. 5, I

Moonlight Sonata, I Ode to Joy , from Symphony No. 9

Pathétique Sonata, I

The Fifth Symphony

Perhaps the best-known of all symphonies, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 pro-

gresses from conict and struggle to victorious ending. The rst movement, in a

sonata-allegro form marked Allegro con brio (lively, with vigor), springs out of the

rhythmic idea of “three shorts and a long” that dominates the entire symphony.

This idea, perhaps the most commanding gesture in the whole symphonic litera-

ture, is pursued with an almost terrifying single-mindedness in this dramatic move-

ment. In an extended coda, the basic rhythm reveals a new fount of explosive

energy. Beethoven described the motive as “Fate knocks at the door.”(See Listen-

ing Guide 22.)

The second movement is a serene theme and variations, with two melodic ideas.In this movement, Beethoven exploits his two themes with all the procedures of

variation—changes in melodic outline, harmony, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, regis-

ter, key, mode, and timbre. The familiar four-note rhythm (short-short-short-long)

is sounded in the second theme, providing unity to the symphony.

Third in the cycle of movements is the scherzo, which opens with a rocket theme

introduced by cellos and double basses. After the gru , humorous trio in C major,

the scherzo returns in a modied version, followed by a transitional passage to the

nal movement in which the timpani sound the memorable four-note motive.

In His Own Words

I carry my thoughts about

with me for a long time . . .

before writing them down. I

change many things, discard

others, and try again and

again until I am satisfied;

. . . I turn my ideas into

tones that resound, roar, and

rage until at last they stand

before me in the form of

notes.

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The Classical Symphony

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