Symphony No. 1 (Beethoven)

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Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C Major (Op. 21) was written in 1799–1800. The symphony premiered April 2, 1800 at the K.K. Hoftheater nächst der Burg in Vienna, and is dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer. The piece was published in 1801 by Hoffmeister & Kühnel of Leipzig.

1 Background
2 Orchestration
3 Form
- 3.1 Description of movements
4 External links

[edit] Background

The symphony is clearly indebted to Beethoven's predecessors, particularly his teacher Haydn, but nonetheless has characteristics that clearly mark it as Beethoven's work, notably the frequent use of the dynamic sforzando and the prominent use of wind instruments.

[edit] Orchestration

The orchestration for the First Symphony is as follows:

Woodwinds: 2 Flutes D:; 2 Oboes D:; 2 Clarinets in C D:; 2 Bassoons D:

Brass: 2 Horns in C, F; 2 Trumpets in C

Percussion: Timpani

Strings: 1st, 2nd Violins; Violas; Violoncellos; Double Basses

[edit] Form

There are four movements:

Adagio molto -- Allegro con brio
Andante cantabile con moto
Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
Adagio -- Allegro molto e vivace

It is about 28 minutes long.

[edit] Description of movements

The opening of the first movement is often considered a musical joke, but it may simply be a result of Beethoven's experimentation: it consists of a sequence of dominant-tonic chord sequences in the wrong key, so that the listener only gradually realizes the real key of the symphony. The labeled "Andante" of the second movement is played considerably fast, very much unlike the general concept of Andante. The third movement is remarkable in that although it is marked Menuetto, it is so fast that it is ostensibly a Scherzo. The finale opens with another (possible) joke; the adagio consists of slowly-played partial scales before the full C-major scale marks the start of the allegro.