BEETHOVEN'S EIGHTH SYMEHONY:

AN INTERPRETIVE ESSAY .

BY

STEPHEN WRIGHT

Document submitted t o t h e f a c u l t y .of t h e School of Music, Indiana Univers i ty ,

i n p a r t i a l f u l f i l l m e n t of t h e requirements f o r t h e degree Master of Kusic

December 1 980

This document i s a c r i t i c a l examination of Seethovents

.Symphony no. 8 a s seen from the viewpoint of a conductor; it

represen ts my attempt t o develop a performance philosophy f o r

t h i s work. Throughout t h i s essay I der ive impl icat ions f o r the

conduct o r from my examination, both in terms o f appropr ia te

emotional a t t i t u d e s f o r t h e conductor and s p e c i f i c methods of

o rches t r a l execution and baton technique.

One comment on t h e scope o f t h i s essay i s appropriate.

This i s not an t lanalysis l l i n the usual sense of t h e word, because

it lacks t he t h e o r e t i c a l r i g o r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f a t r u e ana lys i s ,

and because i t involves sub jec t ive and emotionally oriented ideas

t h a t , while important t o a conductor, would no t be appropr ia te

t o a t h e o r e t i c a l ana lys i s . This is a record of how I, as a con-

ductor, bel ieve t h i s work should be performed; emotions and sub-

SectiVe judgements a r e a v i t a l p a r t of conducting, and they

nus t be considered, though i t i s often d i f f i c d t w - i f no t impossible--

t o t h e o r e t i c a l l y j u s t i f y such ideas.

CONTENTS

FXEFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i v

BEETHGVEN ' S EIGHTH SYIdFHOl'iY : ANINTERERETIVEESSAY . 0 . a . 0 0 1

I n t r o d u c t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 F i r s t Kovement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Second Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 T h i r d DIovement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 F o u r t h I.;ovement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 C o n c l u s i o n s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a . . . 23

AIEEKEIX: BEZTHOVEN'S USE OF THE SFORZANUO HARK1::G I N H I S E I G E T f i S Y F ~ i k I 0 D ; Y ,. a a a . a 0 . a 26

LIST OF EXABZLES

2 i r s t movement. b a r s 1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . F i r s t movement. b a r s 82-89 5 F i r s t movement. b a r s 100-104 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 F i r s t novement. b a r s 108-111 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 F i r s t movement. bars 142-145 . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 sirst movement. b a r s 200-205 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . P i r s t movement. motive used i n coda 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second movement. b a r s 1-4 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second movement. bars..20-23 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second movement. b a r s 28-23 12 Second movement. b a r s 75-78 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Third movement. b a r s 3-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Third movement. b a r s 38-40 15 2our th movement. b a r s 1-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fourth movement. b a r s 51-53 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . Four th movement. b a r s 104-107 1 9 Four th movement. motive of c?eveloprnent . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . Four th movement. b a r s 154-160 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . ?ourth nlovenent. b a r s 279-2Pl 2 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . r 'ourth movement. b a r s 282-286 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second movement. b a r s 48-54 27

iii

BEETIiOVEN1 S EIGHTH SYMPHONY:

AN INTERFRETIVE ESSAY

Int roduct ion

Imagine, i f you w i l l , t h e dilemma of a conductor approach-

ing t h e Eighth Symphony of Beethoven f o r the f i r s t time. The

problem of i n t e r p r e t a t i o n f o r t h i s work i s considerable, f o r the

piece i t s e l f i s an anachronism: an apparent .reversion t o Class ica l

s t y l e by a composer who i s himself t he cen t r a l t r a n s i t i o n a l f igure

i n t h e phi losophical s h i f t t o Romanticism. Should the work be

approached as if it i s a r e a l C la s s i ca l symphony? Should t h e

conductor attempt t o br ing t h e p;bise, balance and c l a r i t y of

Mozart t o t h e music, o r should he ignore the work's C l a s s i c a l

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and f i l l t h e work with Beethovenian f i r e and fury?

The preconceptions t h a t t h e inexperienced conductor i s

l i k e l y t o have on f irst encounter with t he Eighth a r e of no help.

Fusic h i s t o r y professors and survey textbooks of ten devote only

minimal a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s symphony, usual ly charac te r iz ing it as

r eg re s s ive and conservative. It i s r a r e l y played i n comparison

t o t h e symphonies t h a t surround i t i n the Beethoven canon ( t h e

Seventh and Ninth Symphonies), and audiences and c r i t i c s a l i k e ,

puzzled by Beethovents apparent anachronist ic tendencies, have

shown l i t t l e sympathy f o r t h e piece. A l l of t h i s tends t o give

t he young conductor a r a t h e r d i s t o r t e d impression of t h i s prob-

lematic work; before he opens t h e score f o r the first t ime, h i s

2

general impression of t h e work is t h a t of a s t rangely conservative

but l a r g e l y harmless l i t t l e work, l ightened with an occasional

Haydnesque musical joke.

Barnination of t h e work y i e l d s a d i f f e r e n t impression. To

be sure , i n t h i s work t h e r e i s C las s i ca l form and gesture--

reduced orchest ra t ion, sho r t e r movements, per iodic themes--but

they mask an i n t e r i o r which is t r u e Beethoven. The elemental

power and pure force of Beethoven' i s indeed present here, but usual ly

as an undercurrent only. C la s s i ca l ges ture and ch i ld l ike innocence

hold t h e power d e l i c a t e l y i n check, but i n a few t e r r i f y i n g out-

bu r s t s , we glimpse t h e master sorcere r t h a t i s behind t h i s b r i l l i a n t

tour de f o r c e . of s t y l i s t i c anachronism. Think of the summit --- Beethoven has reached i n h i s composing career ; t he astounding

Seventh Symphony, with i t s compelling log i c and organic growth,

immediately preceded t h i s work; c e r t a i n l y a sudden resumption of

C l a s s i c a l traits was an e n t i r e l y self-conscious a c t , t he work of

a man who i s d i s t i n c t l y aware of h i s own enormous power and h i s

a b i l i t y t o make t h i s power take any form he chooses.

Beethoven uses enough of t h e t y p i c a l C la s s i ca l ges tures i n

t h i s work t o l u l l h i s audience and i n v i t e t h e i r e of c r i t i c s who

c ry "Regression! 'I, but these conservative elements a r e e f f e c t i v e l y

neu t r a l i zed by t h e moments of pure t e r r o r and fury i n t h e ou te r

movements. Humor i s present , of course, but o f t en it is humor at

the expense o f t h e audience, i n which Beethoven himself laughs a t

our complacency and i n f l e x i b i l i t y .

Beethoven's Eighth Symphony i s not a C l a s s i c a l work except .

i n t h e most s u p e r f i c i a l respec t , and t h e only proper i n t e r p r e t i v e

approach f o r t h e conductor i s one which maintains t h e C l a s s i c a l

poise on the sur face with a constant undercurrent o f power,

elementalism and fury. An i n t e rp re t ive examination o f t h e s co re

proves t h i s .

F i r s t Movement

The first movement opens with a C las s i ca l gesture--a

r a t h e r ordinary theme s t a t ed i n antecedent-consequent fashion:

Example 1 : F i r s t movement, ba r s 1-12

The only th ing even s l i g h t l y unusual here i s the extreme c o n t r a s t

of - f o r t e and piano i n t h e first two phrases , and the subsequent

r e p e t i t i o n of t h e consequent phrase - f o r t e with an e l i s ion . A l l

of t h i s seems remarkably conservative; t h e use of t h e winds con-

ce r t ino-s ty le i n ba r s 5-8 is. especially.Eaydnesque, as is t h e

e l i s i o n i n bar 12. And y e t Haydn r a r e l y begins a work i n t h e

way Beethoven does here , merely s t a t i n g a theme baldly wi th .no

int roduct ion; t h i s sudden plunge i n t o thematic waters without

t h e s l i g h t e s t in t roductory ges ture is pure Beethoven, and t h e

conductor must a d j u s t h i s mood accordingly--one should not at tempt

t o compensate f o r t h e lack of a symphonic in t roduct ion by engaging

i n a lengthy " s i l e n t introduction" on t h e podium.

The ma te r i a l which follows is much more typ i ca l of Beethoven;

4

it i s an extended passage of susta ined f o r t e notes znd agi ta ted

accompaniment f igures , with dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms in-

jected f o r increased forward impetus. The Class ica l conservatism

of the opening phrase is forgo t ten with astonishing swiftness as

we plunge onward. The e n t i r e passage i s wri t ten a t a sustained

f o r t e , and t h e conductor who foo l i sh ly introduces i n f l e c t i o n s of - crescendo and diminuendo i n t o t h e susta ined notes r i s k s t o t a l

emasculation of t h i s monolithic music. I n bar 2 8 Beethoven

introduces h i s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c hammered sforzando, placed on the

t h i r d beat he re , thus es tab l i sh ing an emphasis on t h e t h i r d beat

which i s t o continue throughout t he movement. The v i o l e n t e f f ec t

of t h i s t h i r d bea t accentuation cannot be overdone. Harmonically,

t h e passage h a s arr ived at the domin&t of E-flat--rather d i s t a n t

from the C major t h a t t he normal sonata form b luepr in t c a l l s fo r .

After t h i s apocalyptic a r r i v a l , Beethoven g ives us a sus-

penseful ba r of r e s t i n which, cr inging, we await an addi t iona l

onslaught of musical fury. ~ u t t h i s i s no t t o be; as if t o say,

"Ch, I was only joking,n t h e composer g ives us hopping s tacca to

.chords piano, in t roducing t h e unpretent ious , l i l t i n g second theme

i n D major--impossibly f a r away from t h e E-f la t implied by the

sforzando chords we have jus t heard. Thus, i n t h e space of l i t t l e

more than f o r t y bars , we a r e presented with a most unusual pa t t e rn

of events--a seemingly C la s s i ca l opening ges ture which metamorphoses

i n t o something dark, v io l en t and d i s t i n c t l y non-Classical, which

i s i t s e l f magically swept away and replaced with g e n t l y lyr ic ism

which i n v i t e s u s t o fo rge t t h e t e r r o r s we have witnessed. This .

pa t t e rn of events , i n which t h e pure power of ~ e e t h o v e n b r i e f l y

peeks from behind t h i s self-conscious C l a s s i c a l mask, i s one which

recurs throughout $he work, and the conductor must constantly hold

h i s f u l l emotional Fury i n reserve f o r $ust these moments.

Beethoven then modulates i n to C major and has t he woodwinds

play t h e second theme i n t h e l lcorrectw key of t h e dominant t o

please t h e pur i s t s . This i s followed by a vague and mysterious

t r a n s i t i o n a l passage b u i l t on sequences of diminished seventh

chords; however, %he conductor should &ard against allowing h i s

beat t o become sfnailarly vague, o r sloppiness i n the execution of

t h e broken diminished seventh chords w i l l i nev i t ab ly r e su l t . This

passage makes an angry crescendo, goaded on by t h e appl icat ion of

sforzandi of ever-increasing in t ens i ty , and we a r r i v e at the

c los ing section. The f irst c los ing idea i s a b r igh t mhch-l ike

theme wr i t t en i n hemiola; i t s heavy scoring c a l l s f o r a small

and l i g h t beat from the conductor, l e s t t h e passage become pon-

derous and draggy. The second closing idea i s a long, seamless,

sinuous melody wr i t t en under one long phrase mark; here t he con-

ductor should s t r i v e f o r an u t t e r l y continuous flow with no gaps.

Xo crescendo should be in te rpo la ted i n t o t h e end of t h i s melody;

t he extreme cont ras t between it and the recurrence of t he hemiola

march i d e a must be maintained. Idhen the v i o l a s and c e l l o s take

t h e melody i n bar 82, staggered bowings a r e necessary t o 'maintain

cont inui ty:

Example 2: F i r s t movement, bars 82-89

Beethoven ends t h e exposit ion with two thoroughly un-Classical

elements. The first is a so l id , non-melodic Nblock" of C major

made up of sustained for t iss imo notes i n t h e -winds against

measured tremolo and arpeggio f igura t ion i n t he s t r i ngs . Again,

t h e conductor should be warned against destroying the monolithic

e f f e c t o f t h i s "blockfi with dynamic in f l ec t ions ; t he winds must

be urged t o play a s teady , laser- l ike for t i s s imo, without worry

of covering the f i g u r a l mater ia l of the s t r i n g s . The "blockw i s

followed by a passage of hammered octave Cs: VLhS.

Example 3: F i r s t movement, b a r s 100-104

The appearance of t h e octave, %he s t a r k e s t and most elemental of

a l l , i n t e rva l s , s i g n a l s a re turn t o the Beethovenian fury gLimpsed

ea r ly i n t h e exposition--a fu ry which i s t o dominate t h e develop-

ment.

The development begins i n a somewhat h e s i t a n t manner.

Beethoven s t a r t s wi th t h e o s c i l l a t i n g octaves t h a t ended t h e

exposit ion, toge ther with a motive extracted from the opening

b a r of the first theme, which is passed among t h e woodwinds i n a

somewhat noncommittal manner:

Example 4: F i r s t movement, ba r s 108-111

This is followed by the sudden, shocking r e t u r n of the ' above-

mentioned vblockw. A l l o f t h i s is repeated with z movement i n to

B-flat major and y e t again ,in"A major. This whole s ec t ion of the

development has a s t a t i c , meditat ive qua l i ty , as i f Beethoven i s

searching f o r a way t o proceed ( a s i n the opening of t h e f i n a l e

of the Ninth Symphony); a mood of patience and de l ibe ra t ion is

required of the conductor here.

It i s when Beethoven f i n a l l y moves i n t o t h e region of A

t h a t t he development takes o f f . On the t h i r d r e p e t i t i o n of the

woodwind dialogue, t h e r e i s a crescendo indicated i n t h e s t r i ngs ,

s ignal ing, perhaps, t h a t " t h i s i s it" ( t h e crescendo should not

be in te rpre ted as a crescendo from piano t o for t i s s imo, however;

3eethoven d i r e c t s t h e winds t o continue piano, and they should

not. be covered by t h e s t r i n g s ; i n any case, t h e suddenness of the

for t iss imo "blockw should be maintained). Beethoven eager ly se izes

upon the A , and a f t e r hammering joyously away at it i n octaves

f o r a few bars, a f r e n e t i c development of t h e f i r s t - b a r motive

begins. It .should be noted t h a t from bar 143 t o 160, whenever the

motive i s taken up by a new choi r of instruments, i t always enters

one beat prematurely :

1 Y 2

Example 5: F i r s t movement, ba r s 142-145

Thi s continues t h e emphasis on t h e t h i r d bea t noted e a r l i e r ,

except t h a t here' i t has a qua l i t y of impatience; i t i s as if the

first beat is f i l l e d wi th such energy t h a t it becomes uns tab le and

8

disp laces i t s e l f i n time, becoming the t h i r d beat o f t h e previous

bar.

Beethoven continues t o pound away f a n a t i c a l l y at t h i s motive

f o r t h e remainder of t h e development, moving i n t o darker and

darker t ona l regions--D minor, G minor, C minor, F minor, D-flat

major, and f i n a l l y B - f l a t minor. This development bu i ld s slowly

and gradual ly over t h e space of f i f t y - s ix bars, bu i ld ing with

t h e ~ d d i t i o n of ins t rumental fo rces and t h e cont inual increase

of harmonic tension. The conductor must pace t h e gradual accum-

u l a t i o n of energy and f o r c e with grea t care; he must conserve h i s

own inne r energy l e v e l as well as exhort t h e o rches t r a t o "save,"

so t h a t something i s l e f t f o r t he f i n a l triumphant fff of t h e

recap i tu la t ion .

The r ecap i tu l a t i on i t s e l f presents no pecu l i a r problems,

though the conductor should be aware of t h e depar tures from the

exposit ion; t e x t u r a l invers ion occurs i n b a r s 190-196 and l a t e r i n

206-216, as the c e l l o s and basses take mater ia l previously entrusted

t o t h e higher instruments. Beethoven also enjoys a joke at the

audience's expense i n bar 201; here he i n s e r t s a " f a l s e start ,"

making t h e l i s t e n e r th ink , erroneously, t h a t a new. - f f sec t ion

is being launched (example 6) . It should be noted t h a t Beethoven

w a i n presen ts the second theme i n the ttwrong key" i n i t i a l l y -

though here t he r e l a t i o n s h i p is changed; we hear it first i n

3-flat major, then i n t h e vcor rec tw key of F major .

O f course, aeethoven has not exhausted all of t h e poss ibi l -

i t i e s inherent i n h i$ seemingly-banal opening ma te r i a l ; he thus .

in t roduces a developmental coda, ce r t a in ly longer than any con-

ceived by Haydn o r Nuzart. I n t he r e s t f u l key of D - f l a t major,

Example 6 : F i r s t movement, b a r s 200-205

a pas tora l c l a r ine t plays the theme legato, s e t t i n g off a s t r e t t o

development of a motive derived from the t h i r d bar of %he theme:

Example 7: F i r s t movement, motive used i n coda

An extremely precise beat i s required of t h e conductor t o coordinate

t h e s taccato s t r ing playing i n t h i s section.

The conclusion is notable f o r the way i n which i t bui lds

i n t o what we think w i l l be a typical Beethoven ending (i.e., an

extended fortissimo r e i t e r a t i o n of cadence harmonies), only t o

recede i n t o pizzicato chords played piano, ending with a f i n a l ,

whimsical statement of t h e f i r s t -ba r motive. Surely it i s a mis-

take t o i n s e r t a r i tardando i n t o t h i s f i n a l bar, as some conductors

do; as bars 43, 51, 240 and 248 show, Beethoven was q u i t e capable

10

o f ca l l ing f o r such tempo fluctuations when he wanted them.

S ec ond Movement

The essence-of t h i s symphony i s energy; for the most par t

t h i s energy wears a cheery and jovial face, ' excepting a few places

where the pleasant veneer i s stripped away ' to reveal raw, violent

power (as i n the development section o f t he first movement). Such

an energy-soaked atmosphere w i l l not admit even the momentary lapse

o f an Adagio movement, s o Beethoven gives us a bright and sunny

Allegret to scherzando instead (including the scherzando element

perhaps as a compensation f o r the lack of a scherzo movement).

It i s well known tha t t h i s movement has its origins i n a tune

wr i t ten i n t r i b u t e t o 3eethoven1s friend Johann Maeleel, t h e

inventor o f the me'tronome and many other amusing mechanical gadgets. 1

Indeed, a mock-mechanical atmosphere pervades the e n t i r e movement;

we hear the ubiquitous t icking of MaelzeZfs invention i n the

repeated staccato B-f lat chord i n the winds heard a t the outset ,

and l a t e r i n the 'de l ight fu l f i r s t theme:

Bample 8: Second movement, bars 1-4

element of gent le , affect ionate parody i s present here; Maeleel

is caricatured here not as a technological wizard, but only as a

fiaker of amusing toys, nothing more. Eeethoven, by eliminating the

' ~ e o r ~ e Grove, Beethoven and H i s Nine Symphonies (Third ed. 1898; r p t , New York: Dover Publications, 19621, p, 293.

11

trumpets and timpani, e f f ec t ive ly prevents t h e music from taking

on any degree of pre tent ion o r .grandiosi ty ; sure ly t h i s implies

a s i m i l a r l y l i g h t and unpretentious approach from t h e conductor.

Frequent sforzando ou tburs t s underl ine the unpred ic t ab i l i t y

of t he se mechanical toys, and following t h e second theme we hear

a sudden, ag i ta ted explosion of s ixty-four th notes from t h e s t r i ngs ,

as i f t h e mainspring of a wind-up toy has broken, causing t h e

gadget t o run amuck momentarily:

Ob.

CI.

Example 9: Second movement, bars 20-23

These s u r p r i s e s should not be too v i o l e n t l y executed by t h e con-

ductor; a mere toy has no power t o th rea ten us.

The mechanical atmosphere o f ' t h i s movement w i l l not. permit

any l a p s e s i n t o sentimentalism; when a l ega to tune e n t e r s i n t he

winds i n ba r 29 and th rea tens t o expand i n t o something broad and

l y r i c a l , Beethoven quickly checks it with a r e t u r n t o s t acca to

playing ( example 1 0).

Eschewing any attempts a t development (which would sure ly add

&ample 10: Second movement, bars 28-33

too much weight t o t h i s l i g h t and a i r y movement), Beethoven moves

d i r e c t l y i n t o a recap i tu la t ion , preparing the B-flat major cadence

with a repeated five-note pa t t e rn i n t he c l a r i n e t s and horns (bars

37-39). The ra l lentando t h a t some conductors introduce i n ba r

39 is q u i t e unnecessary, as Beethoven has included everything

necessary, both harmonically and ins t rumental ly , t o i nd i ca t e the

l i n e of demarcation t o t h e l i s t e n e r .

Zeethoven t r e a t s t h e r ecap i tu l a t i on with h i s usual freedom;

t h e r e -are two major depar tures from the exposi t ion (o ther than

t h e normal- adjustment of tona l a r eas ) : an ornamental v a r i a t i o n

of t h e first theme i n bars 44-48, and- a canonic treatment of t h e

second theme i n bars 52-56. Fortunately, t h e canon is s o e f f ec t ive ly

scored (pungent c l a r i n e t s and bassoons i n octaves versus v i o l i n s , .

v io l a s , f l u t e s and oboes) t h a t l i t t l e he lp from t h e conductor is

needed t o i n su re c l a r i t y .

13

The b r i e f coda contains a coy and understated gesture t h a t

r e c a l l s the in t roduct ion t o the f i n a l e of t he F i r s t Symphony: b

t i ny smirk (derived from the first t h r e e notes of the first theme),

goaded a t f irst t en t a t i ve ly by the woodwinds, then be l l i ge ren t ly

by the f u l l orchestra:

' ?I.

ob.

CI.

&ample 11 : Second movement, bass 75-78

The movement then ends as innocently as it began,. with a r e tu rn

( v i a successive rhythmic diminukion) t o t h e repeated s ixty-four th

notes.

Third Movement

The t h i r d movement i s marked Tempo d i Menuetto, and f o r t he c

first and only time i n t h e Beethoven symphonies, the composer

g ives u s what appears t o be a t r u e minuet (excluding t h e t h i r d

movement of t h e F i r s t Symphony, which, though marked Menuetto, i s

a c t u a l l y a scherzo). Upon s u p e r f i c i a l examination, t h i s movement

seems t o be a r e a l r e tu rn t o the C l a s s i c a l minuet s t y l e ; t h e def-

i n i t e three-to-a-bar pulse and dancelike swing are cer ta in ly i n

evidence. But a closer examination reveals t h a t here, as i n the

other movements, we have only a t h i n veneer of Classicism; Beethoven

takes t h i s archaic form and works h i s w i l l upon it, transforming

it in to something d i s t i n c t l y h i s own. Though the general out-

l i n e of the minuet-trio-minuet form i s followed, the court ly and

a r i s toc ra t i c manner of the 'Classical minuet i s dropped i n favor

of a rough, massive, and pqstoral approach. This i s a minuet for

the common people, f u l l o f the sounds of stamping f e e t and the

homely, a r t l e s s grace o f folk melodies; it i s not unlike the

uPeasantsf Kerrymaking" of the Sixth Symphony i n t h i s respect.

It i s as though Beethoven, act ing as a s o r t of musical Robin Hood,

has taken the minuet away from the a r i s t o c r a t s and given it t o

the peasants.

The main tune of the minuet is a. long and relaxed theme

of continuous winding eighth notes, whose spontaneous qual i ty is

perhaps a t t r i b u t a b l e t o the f a c t t h a t , according t o Grove, Beethoven

flfound t h i s melody almost a t once.lt2

Example 12: Third movement, bars 3-6 <

Thick, maasive scoring i s the norm throughout t h i s minuet,

and boisterous fanfares (derived from t h e i n i t i a l two. notes of the

theme) constant ly intrude; the overa l l impression is o f a band of

15

v i l l a g e mua5cians who occasionally become l o s t ( i n the hemiola

dwindling-out o f the f i r s t sect ion of t h e second s t r a i n , bars 19-

24), and cannot r e s i s t joining i n a t every opportunity ( i n t h e

o rches t r a l creseendo i n bars 24-34, i n which the other voices

gradual ly i n t rude upon a l y r i c a l solo bassoon, ending the phrase

i n a joyous for t iss imo) . Beethoven even allows t h e audience a

laugh a t t he expense of t h e orchest ra i n b a r 38, where the wood-

winds a r e given t h e two-note fanfare motive one beat ahead of

t h e brass , so t h a t a superimposition of ton ic and dominant r e s u l t s :

PI.

' t r . 1PJ

Example 13: Third movement, ba r s 38-40

The condu'ctor's general approach f o r t h i s minuet should be e n t i r e l y

i n accord with t he naive, unsophist icated mood of t h e music, Cor-

r e c t balance of p a r t s should be maintained, of course, bu t t h e

d e l i b e r a t e massiveness of t h e scoring should no t be suppressed.

The pace should be j ov i a l and unhurried--but no t too slow; Weingart-

n e r t s suggested tempo o f ) = 108 i s perhaps best.3 The i n t e n t i o n a l

' ~ e l i x Weingartner, On t h e Performance of Beethoven's Sym- honies, t rans . J e s s i e Crosland (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Har te l , 1907) ;

<pt. i n Weingartner on Music and Conducting: Three Sssays by Felix Weingartner (New York: Dover Eublications, 19691, p, 1'12.

16

tonic-dominant c lash i n bar 38 must not be underplayed.

The t r i o (not marked so by the composer) represents a d i s t i n c t

mellowing o f t he mood i n t he minuet; t h e primary elements here a r e

a pastoral melody played by two solo horns, with a f l o r i d answer-

i ng phrase i n t he high r e g i s t e r of t h e c l a r i n e t . The scoring i s

d r a s t i c a l l y reduced, and'the only t r a c e o f t h e enthusiasm of t he

minuet is i n t h e somewhat s imp l i s t i c accompaniment of arpeggio

t r i p l e t s i n t he c e l l o s , which continues throughout t he t r i o . It

i s i n t he second sec t ion of the t r i o (b,ars 64-78) t h a t s t range

things begin t o happen; the simple melodic s t ruc tu re of t h e first

sec t ion disappears, and we hear a br ie f f a n t a s i a of thematic frag-

ments; i t is as i f our aforementioned v i l l a g e musicians, unwill ing

t o give up the serene mood they have es tab l i shed , a r e extending

the t r i o by improvisation.

Fourth Movement

The Allegro vivace movement i s t h e f i n a l piece of evidence

proving the t r u e non-Classical s t m c e of t h i s symphony. Though i t

i s constructed upon t h e most unpretentious and harmless thematic

mater ia l , it surpasses i n s t r u c t u r a l vas tnes s and elemental force

anything composed by Haydn o r Elozart. The movement i s a sonata --

form of wildly exaggerated proportions--the developmental coda i s

a s long as the combination of exposition-development-recapitulation

t h a t precedes it. The scoring, d e s p i t e t h e conservatively small

orchest ra , i s or ien ted toward pure fo rce and sheer noise. Hammered

repeated notes and sforzandi i n t he winds dominate; t h e timpani,

Cuned i n octaves f o r the first time i n h i s t o r y , continue t h e first

movementt s preoccupation with t h i s s t a r k i n t e r v a l ( a s well a s fore-

shadowing the crashing timpani solos of the second movement of

t he Ninth ~ymphony). The pace of t he movement i s continuous,

driven by motivic fragments with unrelenting forward impetus; even

t h e r e l a t i v e re laxa t ion of a l y r i c a l second theme is undercut by

ag i ta ted repeat ed-not e. accompaniments. Power and fury a r e at the

h e a r t of t h i s movement, and once the veneer of C la s s i ca l innocence

has lured the audience i n , t h e r e i s no escaping t h e onslaught.

The opening theme i s u t t e r l y s imp l i s t i c i n construct ion,

and it i s the t r u e measure of Beethoven's mastery t h a t such a

huge outpouring of music could .arise from such innocent beginnings:

Bample 14: Pourth movement, bars 7-10

A deceptive C la s s i ca l perkiness dominates t he theme, and 'it

dwindles harmlessly t o i n an extending phrase. Then, from

nowhere, we have t h e most t e r r i f y i n g and shocking no te i n the i

e n t i r e work: a sudden for t iss imo C-sharp, played i n unison and - octaves by t h e e n t i r e orchestra. This note i s no mere Haydnesque

su rp r i s e ; i t i s a sudden, unprovoked outburst of naked force . The

horror of t h i s no t e i s amplified by the f a c t t h a t it i s u t t e r l y

meaningless i n t h e context ,of t h i s passage; i t exerc i ses no in-

f luence on i t s musical environment u n t i l much, much l a t e r i n the

movement; here , t h e exposit ion proceeds without i nc iden t a f t e r

t h e C-sharp has appeared--the note simply stands as a musical enigma,

The C-sharp has a humorous aspect , c e r t a i n l y , b u t -the humor i s en-

18

t i r e l y at the l i s t e n e r s 1 expense; i f we laugh, it i s because we

have taken Beethoven1 s s ide , " laughing at the perplexi ty of the

C-sharp's victims. It i s humor of an aggressive, vulgar s o r t ;

Beethoven shoves t h e l u r i d note at h i s audience as a young boy

might wave a dead rat t o f r i gh t en a l i t t l e g i r l . The implications

f o r t h e conductor a r e self-evident here; he must do everything

he can t o inves t t h i s no t e with a l l of t he violence and raw energy

of t h e first movement of t h e P i f t h Symphony o r t h e s t a r k l ightning-

bo l t chords t h a t begin t h e Eroica.

The second theme follows a llwrong-keyn design similar t o

t h a t i n t he first movement; t he theme is presented i n i t i a l l y i n

t he f i r s t v i o l i n s i n A - f l a t major, then i n t h e f l u t e s and oboes

i n t h e "proper" key of C major. Lyr ical con t inu i ty and breadth

should be s t ressed h e r e by the conductor. A b r i e f countermelody

which always appezrs with t h i s theme (played by d i f f e r e n t inat ru-

ments on every appearance) contains one of t h e r a r e examples i n

Eeethovenls symphoniis of a dynamic i. e. a melodic cresc-

endo followed by an immediate diminuendo: -

I P-=== - Ikample 15: Fourth movement, ba r s 51-53

This, i n accordance with t h e unusual dynamic. gradat ions , should

have an organic qua l i t y , a r i s i n g smoothly 2nd seamlessly from the

second theme.

The development s ec t ion begins i n t he same h e s i t a n t manner

a s t h a t of t he f irst movement, dwelling on a few melodic fragments;

- PI.

Ob.

C1.

PC.

VI.

Example 16 : Fourth movement, b a r s 104-1 07

t h e r e i s even a " f a l s e start" camparable t o t h a t i n bar 201 of t he

first movement (example 16). When the development a c t u a l l y g e t s

under way i n bar 109, i t proves t o be a swi f t canonic treatment

of a motive derived from b a r s 5 and 6 of t he first theme:

/

Example 17: Fourth movement, motive of development

This canonic development seems t o be ca lcu la ted t o s a t i s f y t h e

p u r i s t s among us who i n s i s t on a "learned d e v e l ~ p m e n t ; ~ it is com-

plex and dea ls i n canons of both s imi l a r and cont ra ry motion,

but i t i s ne i the r as v a s t o r a8 powerful a s the development t h a t

occurs i n the coda. I n f a c t , t h e conductor has l i t t l e t o do h e r e -

o the r than maintain t h e energy l eve l and see t o t h e f requent

sforzando burs t s of whole and half no tes t h a t goad t h i s development

onward. It i e i n t he conclusion of t h i s sec t ion t h a t Beethovenian

obsessions creep i n ; t h e s t r i n g s s e i ze upon the two s lu r r ed quarter

no tes of the motive and eagerly converge on a D-sharp t o E f igure

t h a t i s repeated seven times; t he f i r s t v i o l i n s a re d i r ec t ed t o use

t h e i r open E s t r i n g s , and the t o t a l e f f e c t i s best described as

f ana t i ca l . This emphasis on E r e s u l t s i n a joyous r e t u r n of the

theme i n the dazzling %rong1f key of A major. Beethoven spans the

incred ib le d i s tance from A major t o F major by a b r u t a l l y simple

procedure: t he o s c i l l a t i n g octave Es a r e unceremoniously moved

up one half-step t o an o s c i l l a t i n g octave F i n the timpani:

160 PI.

Ub.

CI.

PC -

Example 18: Fourth movement, b a r s 154-160

Perhaps Eeethoven he re i s .parodying our need f o r modulatory passages

t o smooth over such seams.

After a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y f r e e r ecap i tu l a t i on ( i n which t h e

"wrong keym presen ta t ion of t he second theme i s preserved) and a

modulation i n t o %flat major, Beethoven again gives u s t h e hes i t an t

t r a n s i t i o n a l passage thak introduced the development sec t ion , but

t he r epe t i t i oue course of t h i s passage is abrupt ly cu t o f f i n a

sudden burs t of impatience:

Example 19: Fourth movement, baF's 279-281

Then a t o t a l l y new idea i s introduced: a dreary and impossibly

lonely tune .of descending ha l f notes:

@ample 202 Fourth movement, bars 282-286

, T h i s new tune s e t s a very gradual accumulation of fo rce i n t o

motion. Descending and ascending sca les , a l l derived from the new

theme, a r e t r ea t ed sequent ia l ly with cont inual i nc reases i n orch-

e s t r a l ' f o r c e s , culminating i n a monolithic marchl'ike procession

(ba r s 314-335). The challenges f o r t h e conductor he re a r e con-

s iderab le ; t he tempo must be maintained with rock l ike s teadiness ,

and t h e slow buildup of tension must be pe r f ec t ly paced so t h a t a

climax is not reached too soon.

Af te r a b r i e f quasi - recapi tula t ion ( i n which P major is

22

introduced by the same abrupt method as i n t h e t r a n s i t i o n from t h e

development t o the r ecap i tu l a t i on ) we a re taken i n t o t he second

sec t ion of the coda, and the method by which t h i s t r a n s i t i o n i s

made i s t r u l y astounding. The " t e r r i b l e C - ~ h a r p , ~ ~ as Grove c a l l s

i t ,4 appears again, repeated i n s i s t e n t l y f i v e times; now, t he

hor r i fy ing enigma i s solved as the note f i n a l l y has an e f f e c t on

t h e musical s t ruc tu re , becoming t h e dominant note of F-sharp minor.

The music t h a t follows i s the most forceful and fur ious of t h e

e n t i r e work, fill of b r u t a l octaves, hammered repeated notes and

in tense sforzandi. The theme i s s t a t ed i n t he anxiety-f i l led key

of P - s h a r ~ minor; then, i n a passage which should be ~ a r f o r n e d ,

according t o Weingartner, "with triumphant s t rength , v 5 repeated

Fs i n t h e horns, trumpets, and timpani force t h e music t o r e tu rn

t o P major (bar 391). But t h e a r r i v a l of t h e flhome key1* brings no

re laxa t ion of tension; i n an embodiment of pure fanaticism, v io l en t

sforzando quar ter no tes continue t o pummel the audience f o r six-

t een ba r s (on the first bea t of t h e bar f ~ o m 394 t o 397, then

on both the f irst m d second bea ts from 398 t o 407), ending i n

ul abrupt re turn t o t h e l y r i c a l second theme i n bar 408.

The s ing le t a s k of t h e conductor i n t h i s s ec t ion (bars 379-

407) i s t o maintain i n t e n s i t y . The sheer b r u t a l i t y of t h i s pass-

q e shoilld not be unders ta ted i n the s l i g h t e s t ; t h e conductor

should not f e a r t o execute t h e frequent sforzandi with t e r r i b l e

force . Pure, undiluted power should be susta ined at a l l times.

- The fermata h a l f r e s t i n bar 438 marks t h e beginning of t h e

4 ~ r o v e , Beethoven and H i s Nine Symphonies, p. 303.

'Veingartrier, On t h e Performance of Beethovent s Symphonies, p. 175.

23

t h i r d section of the coda, and t h i s i s t h e t r u e concluding sect ion

of t h e work, f o r it i s only i n t h i s p a r t o f the v a s t coda t h a t we

have a r e a l fee l ing of closing--provided through Eeethoven's

t y p i c a l emphasis, re-emphasis, and re-re-emphasis on cadence har-

monies. The conductor must take c a r e here t o maintain a steady

tempo t o the f i n a l bar; because t h e rhythmic a c t i v i t y of t h i s

s ec t ion i s considerably simpler than what precedes it, t h e r e may

be a tendency t o rush (on t h e p a r t of both orches t ra and conductor)--

and a f a s t e r tempo w i l l make t h e f i n a l bars sound very ordinary

indeed . Conclusions

Th i s symphony i s no regress ion; it i s a b r i l l i a n t t ou r de

fo rce executed by a mature composer i n f u l l command of h i s powers.

Beethoven possesses a d i s t i n c t awareness of h i s powers, and he

shapes h i s mater ia ls with de l ibe ra t ion and ca lcu la t ion . The

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c elemental power and fury of Beethoven t h e Romantic

i s here , but i t i s disguised as Classicism, and t h e c leverness

and sophis t ica t ion 6f t h i s ruse is such t h a t many have been led

t o ignore t h e outburs ts of t r u e ~ee th0ven i .m force t h a t t h e work

contains ,

Elemental force , such as t h a t which manifests i t s e l f i n

3eethovenfs music, o f ten d i sp lays t h e capab i l i t y of t ak ing any

form it chooses. This property i s cont inua l ly i n evidence here--

t h e r e is an undercurrent o f power throughout t h i s work, but it i s

power held very d e l i c a t e l y i n check, power t h a t o f t e n d i sp l ays a

decept ively harmless f a c e t o t h e world, We, t h e l i s t e n e r s , a r e

l u l l e d by t h i s deceptive gent leness and a r e consequently more

s e n s i t i v e when t h e explosions o f fu ry d o come.

There i s h u m ~ r i n t h i s symphony, t rue , but it i s humor which

i s usual ly at t h e audience1 s expense. Instead of t he s o r t of

"wrong noteu jokes a Class ica l composer would indulge i n , we

have .abrupt modulations,, f a l s e starts and unexpected dynamic out-

c r i e s t h a t parody t h e complacency and i n f l e x i b i l i t y of conservative

l i s t e n e r s . Beethoven does a l l t h e laughing, as a god might laugh

a t t h e confusion and consternation of h i s bumbling, bewildered

chi ldren.

Sereni ty and innocence are captured i n the second and t h i r d

movements, but even these movements contain elements di f feren-

t i a t i n g them f rom t h e i r Class ica l models. The cherished slow

movement o f t h e Class ica l symphonists i s replaced by a scherzo-

l i k e i n t e r lude o f constant mechanistic energy and a f f e c t i o n a t e

parody. The minuet, long the province of t he a r i s t o c r a t i c c l a s s ,

i s transformed i n t o a loud and bo is te rous peasant dance. For

both of these inner movements, an understated approach i s wholly

inappropr ia te ; unbuttoned, uninhibi ted enthusiasm should preva i l . <

!The conductor who chooses t o perform t h i s work must constant ly

remember t h a t Classicism manifests i t s e l f i n t h i s symphony only

on the most s u p e r f i c i a l l e v e l , ;h undercurrent of power and fury

must cons tan t ly be kept i n reserve, and the conductor should be

a k l e t o launch i n t o an over t expression of t h i s power at any time,

j u s t as Beethoven allows h i s power t o erupt from i t s serene poise

a t unexpected moments. The conductor should ' t ake Beethoven's s ide

i n t h i s music--participating i n t h e d e l i b e r a t e manipulation of the.

l i s t e n e r , overdoing th ings when Beethoven overdoes them, exploding

i n t o anger and frenzy along with t h e composer. Perhaps the con-

ductor, when preparing t o s t e p out on s tage t.0 perform the Eighth

Symphony, should th ink of t he f i na l e1 s ubiqubtous C-sharp--for

this note embodies a l l of t h e power, laughter, v iolence and

radiance of the work. This i s a p iece tha* cannot be overdone.

BEETHOVBNtS U S E OP T H E SFORZANDO MARKING

I N H I S EIGHTH SYMFHONY

One of t he most puezling performance problems occurring

i n the Eighth Symphony of Beethoven is the seemingly incons i s ten t

use of t h e sforzando ( s f ) marking,throughout t he work. The bes t

example of t h i s apparent inconsistency i s i n the second theme of

t h e second movement (example 21 ) . I n b a r 50 Beethoven ind ica t e s f on

the first beat of t he bar and sforzando on the t h i r d bea t (count-

ing the eighth note as the beat) . Yet i n a p a r a l l e l passage,

bar 52 (bassoons and c l a r i n e t s ) , sforzando i s indicated f o r both

t he f irst and t h i r d beats. In bar 53, t h e v io l in s , v i o l a s , -

f l u t e s and oboes take ' the sane pa t t e rn ; here t he s t r i n g s play

sforzando on bea ts one and th ree , but t h e winds have sforzando

only on t h e t h i r d beat , with - f o r t e indicated on the first beat .

These apparent contradic t ions can be r e s o l ~ e d i f we'asswne

t h a t ( 1 ) Beethoven has no other method .of ind ica t ing accentuation

besides t he - sf symbol, ( 2 ) he w i l l not w r i t e - sf un less t h e dy-

namic l e v e l f o r t e o r for t iss imo has a l ready been es tab l i shed

c l e a r l y , and ( 3 ) he is unwilling t o wr i t e t he symbols sf and

over t h e same beat . In bar 50 of t h e second movement, t h e - f o r t e

marking i s necessary t o show the concluding l e v e l of t h e crescendo;

once t h i s dynamic l e v e l i s es tabl ished, Beethoven i s f r e e t o

w r i t e - s f on t h e t h i r d beat. The c l a r i n e t s and bassoons a r e

TI.

Ob.

CL

rr.

I

VI..

vc. * Cb.

Example 21 : Second .movement, bars 48-54

28

already playing fo r t e i n bar 52 (having reached t h a t leve l i n

bar 50) and thus Beethoven i s able t o write af on both the

first and th i rd beats. The same can be said of bar 53; the

sf can be indicated o'n both the f i r s t &nd th i rd beats since - the s t r ings already have been given a c lea r f o r t e marking i n

bar 50. 3eethoven does not indicate sforzando f o r the f i r s t

beat of bar 50 i n the s t r ings or the first beat o f bar 53 i n

the f l u t e s because he must wri te the f o r t e marking t o es tabl ish - the dynamic level, and he i s re luc tant t o wri te - sf and over

the same beat. The one exception t o t h i s obvious pat tern i s

i n the oboes, bar 53; the oboes a re given a f o r t e marking i n

b a r 50 and thus there i s no reason f o r Beethoven t o o m i t the

sforzando on the f i r s t " b e a t as he does. However, t h i s first

beat does contain a f o r t e marking; Beethoven thus evidently

wants t o r e i t e r a t e the dynamic l eve l a f t e r the oboes' bar of

r e s t i n bar 51. In any case, the inclusion of the - f marking

makes an additional - s f marking impossible.

3ased on these assumptions ( t h a t Beethoven cannot wri te

the sforzando marking under ce r t a in circumstances) and the

occurrence of the sf marking i n p a r a l l e l passages where f o r t e

has been established previously, I would add the sforzando mark-

ing t o the following places i n the score: first movement, bar

323 ( f i r s t beat, all pa r t s ) ; second movement, bars 13 and 15

(second half o f fourth beat, a l l pa r t s ) , 20 and 50 ( f i r s t beat,

v io l ins and violas) , 53 ( f i r s t beat, f l u t e s and oboes); t h i r d

movement, beat preceding first complete bar ( a l l par t s ) ; fourth

movement, bar 124 (horns and trumpets).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony no. 8 i n F major, op. 93. Leipzig: Verlag von Breitkopf & HZrtel, nod.

---------- . Symphony no. 8 i n F major, op. 93. London: Ernst Eulenberg, Ltd., nod.

---------- . Symphony no.' 8 i n F major, op. 93. New York: Edwin F. Kalmus, n.d.

Secondary Sources

Grove, George. Beethoven and H i s Nine Symphonies. Third ed. 1898; r p t . New Yoqk: Cover Publ icat ions , 1962.

'deingartner, Fel ix . On t h e Eerformance of Beethoven1 s Symphonies. Trans. J e s s i e Crosland. Leipzig: Breitkopf & K ~ r t e l , 1907. Rpt . i n Weingartner on Xusic and Conducting: Three Essqys by Fel ix 'Ideingartner. Yew York: Dover Eublications, 1969, pp- 57-234. '