Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

464 Words1 Page

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

If you are part of society, I think it is safe to make the assumption you are familiar

with and have heard Symphony No. five by Beethoven. Whether it was a theme in movie

or part of an advertisement on TV, it captured your attention and added emotion and

excitement to the particular segment that it coincided with. Total unification and the

pervasive use of a single motif combine to make the Fifth Symphony, which had one of

the longest gestation periods of any Beethoven work, the first in which all movements are

shown plainly to be part of a cyclic design. The famous motif which dominates the first

movement in the form also makes significant appearances that are dramatic entrances in

the other three. This feature gives the Fifth Symphony its widespread popularity that it

has had over so many generations. Tonal unity is provided by the close relationship

between the parallel keys of C minor (the tonic) and C major, and the gradual yielding of

the minor to major in the course of the work. To help achieve this transfer of c control,

from m...

More about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Open Document