Beethoven – Symphony n.1

Last updated Jan 7, 2025 | Published on Sep 30, 2021

Winner of a fellowship at the Bayreuther Festspiele, Mr. Griglio’s conducting has been praised for his “energy” and “fine details”. Mr. Griglio took part in the first world recording of music by composer Irwin Bazelon and conducted several world premieres like "The song of Eddie", by Harold Farberman, a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize. Principal Conductor of International Opera Theater Philadelphia for four years, Mr.Griglio is also active as a composer. His first opera, Camille Claudel, debuted in 2013 to a great success of audience and critics. Mr. Griglio is presently working on an opera on Caravaggio and Music Director of Opera Odyssey.
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Table of contents

Introduction

A dominant seventh chord that made history: this is how Beethoven’s first symphony begins. Not with a bombastic gesture, not with a quiet start. Sure, we are still in the realm of the classical style with a slow overture followed by an Allegro in pure sonata form.

If we look at some of Mozart‘s symphonies, or Haydn‘s the typical opening consisted of a classical trumpet call: one or more full orchestra chords to catch the attention of the audience, to tell them that the show was about to begin. Beethoven starts disrupting the tradition right away.

What catches the audience’s attention is not so much a full chord but its harmonic gesture and the choice of its orchestration: woodwinds with strings in pizzicato underneath.

Beethoven ventured relatively late into the symphonic world: by the time he finished his first symphony, Mozart had already composed 36 of them, and Joseph Haydn nearly 20. He was far from the stylistic maturity of his predecessors.

Times were different though: Mozart had opened the way for freelance musicians and the need to write new works week by week to delight your employer was starting to fade.
Beethoven was interested in research: his main concern was to elaborate, rather than a writing technique, a compositional strategy that would be able to contain all the richness of his ideas within classical architecture.

As we know, in time he would push the boundaries of that very same architecture to the point of dismantling it.

Joseph Karl Stieler, portrait of L.v.Beethoven, 1820

L.v.Beethoven – Symphony n.1 analysis

Should you need a score you can find one here.

Mov.1

 

Adagio molto

The first movement of this symphony is in classical sonata form: exposition, development, and recapitulation, all framed by a slow introduction and a coda.

The Introduction presents a certain novelty: the tonality is declared only at the end of a long introduction started by some indecisive modulations. What had to necessarily throw off the first listeners was not so much the length of this introduction (which is shorter than the one in Haydn’s latest symphonies) but the harmonic uncertainty: a dominant seventh chord in the unpredictable realm of F major; then G major seventh to A minor; and then D major 7 to G major. Mind you, the symphony is in C major. We haven’t touched the home key yet.

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The following melodic section aims to connect the initial chords to the first theme and to prepare the home key of C major, heard for the first time on bar 6.
Beethoven goes through a few modulations, all close to C major: G major, dominant; A minor, the relative minor; F major, subdominant; D minor, the dominant of the dominant.

The last 5 bars of the Introduction see a dialogue in chords between strings and winds with modulations reaching up to F major and D minor.

A C major downward arpeggio of the horns ties to a G major upward scale of the strings, and a cascade of 4 notes take us back to C major and to the first theme of the Allegro.

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Allegro con brio

Notice the tempo marking: Allegro con brio, meaning with vivacity.
The first theme is built on a rhythmic melody. It has been defined as “quick and martial“, or full of “heroic impetus of repeated notes and sforzando” or “a new spirit, an indomitable will to action“.

In this theme we can identify three particular elements:

  • an ascending cell formed by a dotted eighth note followed by a sixteenth note
  • 2 sets of 4 eight notes, partly repeated, in staccato
  • 4 ascending quarter notes, again in staccato

These 3 cells will play a very important role in the development.

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The theme is presented twice, first on the tonic, then on the second degree, always by the strings; the chords at the end of the phrase increase in weight every time: the woodwinds at first, then woodwinds and horns.

The same material is used to build a crescendo and eventually trumpets and timpani are added to this bridge. A brief dialogue between strings and woodwinds follows and that middle cell of the theme is used to bridge to the second theme

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In a typical Haydn fashion, the second theme is derived from the first. It’s a regular phrase of 8 bars built on 2 parts of 4 bars each.

The first cell consists of a dialogue between oboe and flute; underneath, the strings accompany with dotted quarter notes in an arpeggio derived from the last cell of the first theme.

The second cell is a delicate and syncopated melodic line, reinforced by the clarinet and bassoon. Notice all the little sforzandos that Beethoven sprinkles everywhere and that we’ve seen times and again in his works.

The theme is repeated, as per tradition, with some variations in the orchestration, reaching a forte, and then a fortissimo and here comes another surprise: what follows could be an idea of a third theme, or a variation on the second, or the codetta of the section.

We move suddenly from fortissimo to pianissimo and from major to minor. We can clearly recognize some elements from both the second and the first theme in the bass line while the oboe and the bassoon counterpoint with a melancholic line. This parenthesis lasts only a few bars, the clouds dissipate and we’re back to G major heading for the coda of the exposition

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Development

The Development begins the first 2 cells of the first theme played in A major; and they land on the second part of the second theme, the syncopations. This 4 bars model is repeated at a distance of a fourth, first to D and then G. This way, Beethoven takes us back to C, only minor.

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In this section, the third cell of the first theme takes on the main role, passed from one section to another: basses, violins, woodwinds. The game starts in C minor and is repeated in F minor. 

The cell is presented in an inverted motion and a short crescendo introduces an element of the Second Theme. The harmony remains on B flat major preparing for the next section: an imitation game built on the first cell of the first theme, presented here in E flat major

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The imitation game is repeated in F minor and in G minor and ends with the Codetta of the development which is fundamentally based on 3 harmonies: E major, A minor, and a final suspended cadenza on the dominant seventh

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Recapitulation

The recapitulation deviates immediately from the exposition: first of all, it’s presented with the full orchestra; second, the dynamic is fortissimo, with added sforzandos.

The bridge to the second theme is also changed, using the same descending 4 notes that introduced the first theme the very first time we heard it. 

Everything is more compact. As in the Exposition, the coda of the First Theme ends on the dominant and in a pure sonata form style, the Second Theme appears in the home key.

The final Coda takes up the theme first in the C major, then in A major, and then in G major. In the final bars of the movement, the first theme appears three more times in the tonic.

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Technical tip

The trick to keep the orchestra together in the very first bar of this movement, lies in the wrist: a clear pulse will give a clear indication to the strings for their pizzicato while showing the breathing for the woodwinds.

For a technical analysis take a look at this video

Andante cantabile

Exposition

The second movement of Beethoven’s 1st symphony starts with a lovely, delicate theme in the key of the subdominant, F major. It’s built on the classic sonata-form: exposition, development, and recapitulation.

The exposition has two themes. The First Theme is presented immediately, without an introduction, by the strings. The exposition of the theme is built in a “scalar” way in an imitative style: second violins only at first, violas and cellos in bar 6 (on the dominant, C major), double basses, bassoon, and horns in bar 10 (again on the dominant, C major), first violins, flute, oboe and clarinet in bar 12 (tonic, F major).
Everyone plays in pianissimo.

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Several commentators have found a certain similarity with the theme of the second movement of Mozart’s Symphony in K.550. But while in Mozart the rhythm is blurred, in Beethoven everything is extremely precise and worked into the counterpoint.

A short “modulating bridge” shows the first crescendo and the sforzati so typical of Beethoven’s writing. Nothing violent though, just a nudge, ending on the dominant and introducing the Second Theme presented by all the strings with the addition of the bassoon and horns at the end of the phrase. The theme ends on G major the dominant of the dominant.

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This second theme is derived from the first (Beethoven follows Haydn on this one), so much so that for some it is a continuation of the initial musical statement rather than a second theme per se. 

The idea is immediately taken up by the woodwinds and concluded by a rhythmical codetta, with, again, the duality of strings-woodwinds.

The exposition is concluded with a coda: the timpani retake the rhythm of the codetta of the second theme while a series of triplets is played by the first violins and the flute concluding with the first cell of the first theme.
Notice the insistence of the rhythmical figure in the timpani: something quite daring for Beethoven’s time.

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Development

The Development is relatively short: the 35-bars-long section begins in the minor mode of the dominant (C minor). Notice the affinity with both the first and the second theme.
The woodwinds hold the harmony while the strings retake the imitative model we saw at the beginning

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Beethoven modulates to the distant key of D flat major, retaking different elements of the exposition: we can see the rhythm that the timpani played in the coda, now passed to the strings; and the first cell of the first theme, passed around in the woodwinds

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This rhythm is picked up, again, by the timpani, with a question-answer moment between the woodwinds and the rest of the orchestra, alternating forte, and piano dynamics.
This is, in fact, the expected pedal on the dominant preparing the recapitulation.

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Recapitulation

This Recapitulation presents an important change right away: Beethoven adds a counter theme to the main one. While the second violins present the theme as they did at the beginning, the cellos counterpoint with another theme, passed on to the first and second violins when the main theme is played by the violas and the bassoon

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The recap proceeds mirroring the exposition, and lands on the coda of the movement. Notice how the timpani rhythm returns in the second violins and violas. And notice the oboe line, playing one last time, the head of the first theme slightly variated

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Menuetto

The structure is a typical A-B-A form. Despite the title of Menuetto, the fast pace already indicates Beethoven’s will to detach himself from tradition and move to the Scherzo. The form is maintained but the character is far away from an elegant courtly dance of Haydn and Mozart.
Notice how the theme is built on nothing but a scale. 8 bars of strings, in crescendo, with the rest of the orchestra joining in the last 2 bars of the phrase

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The first eight bars of the movement are the first part of the minuet. The second part, according to the classical scheme, should be made up of 8 other bars in which the harmony at the end falls back on the tonic. With Beethoven being Beethoven this, of course, does not happen. This second part can be split into 2 different sections: development and recapitulation.

Starting with the head of the theme, the development builds a phrase to the far key of Db major. Once again, notice the dynamic contrasts: p-f-p-f-ff-sf

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The bridge to the main theme is built on a question-answer model between the low strings and the couple oboe-bassoon. Back to C major, the reprise of the theme is enhanced by the dynamic – now f to ff – and the presence of the full orchestra. A short coda closes the first part.

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Trio

The trio follows the same schema of the Menuet: a first part where the theme of the trio is exposed; a second part where it is shortly developed; a third part where it presented again in a variated form.

We start with the woodwinds, minus the flutes, and the horns. The absence of the flutes gives the sound a darker color. The last chord is left there, held by the winds, while the violins take over the musical discourse.

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The model is repeated, and then bits of it are used to close the phrase.

The second part begins with a dialogue between clarinets and horns and first violins on the other: all the elements are taken from the first part of the trio.

Notice how everything is in piano and pianissimo dynamics here. Everything is very thin. Not to add any unwanted weight to the sound, Beethoven cuts out all the strings, except for the first violins, who, eventually, take over in the dialogue and lead back to the reprise of the theme.

Finally, the theme of the trio is reintroduced but melts almost immediately in the coda. After a repeat, we go back, traditionally, to the beginning of the Menuet.

 

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Adagio

The fourth movement of Beethoven’s 1st symphony is built in a formal sonata-form structure: an exposition with 2 contrasting themes, a development where the musical ideas are reworked, and a recapitulation to tie it all up.

What is unusual, for the time, is the fact that this last movement starts with an introductory Adagio. This introduction is nothing but the scale of the first theme, broken down piece by piece. After a slamming G in octaves in fortissimo with the whole orchestra, the first violins alone timidly offer three notes. And then 4. And 5. This episode is repeated always with a different rhythm, a total of four times, adding a note up each time until Beethoven gets to the F. At this point, having asserted the basic key (C major), the theme is presented completely.

This introduction, almost sobbing, “which slowly distills, almost parody, the notes of the ascending scale that will form the beginning of the main theme” was not understood by everyone at the beginning. Some conductors, for fear of making the public laugh, had the ingenuity to suppress it.

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Allegro molto e vivace

At bar 6 the first theme appears, “a joyful, carefree phrase, with an eighteenth-century imprint, but with a singular driving force”. The theme consists of an 8-bars phrase split into two 4-bars phrases; it’s also an anacrusic theme meaning it begins on the weak tempo of the bar (the first sixteenth note is also missing).

From a harmonic point of view, the first semi-phrase is in the tonic (C major), while the second modulates to the dominant. The orchestration is limited to the strings

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What follows, from bar 14 to bar 56, can be considered a transition (or modulating bridge or codetta of the first theme) towards the Second theme. In reality, Beethoven presents us with other themes derived more or less from the First Theme such as the one at measure 14 and immediately taken up by the woodwinds, or the one, after a dominant-tonic cadence, started with the woodwinds at bar 30 and continued by the strings.

From the last variation comes a “codetta” that directly connects the entry of the Second Theme into the harmony of the dominant. This Second Theme has a flowing, joyful, slightly springy cantability. It is presented by the first and second violins with the accompaniment of the rest of the orchestra (excluding the brass)

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The Second Theme is briefly developed and a crescendo leads to a dramatic and “contrasted phase, formed by blocks of chords” and a question/answer episode between strings and woodwinds.

Notice the brass and timpani insisting on a powerful dominant pedal while the woodwinds play an expanded version of the first theme’s scale and the second violins play the original version in 16th notes. All of this is in preparation for the development

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The Development can be divided into three parts:

  • from bar 96-105
  • bar 116-139
  • bar 140-162.

In the first part, the elements of the end of the coda (which are, in fact, the initial ascending part of the main theme) are used for a progression that starting on the dominant and ends on the key of the sensible flat (B flat major)

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In the second part of the Development, in the new harmonic setting of B flat, the first part of the theme is used for a rich contrapuntal game between the first and second violins

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The third part is the coda of the Development very similar to the corresponding coda of the Exposition: an orchestral “tutti” where the brass insist on a powerful dominant pedal (G) in preparation for the Recapitulation

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The first theme reappears with the same structure as the Exposition except for the shortened codetta. The Second Theme reappears at the subdominant (F major), and then immediately returns to the tonic (C major). The coda follows using the scale used to build the first theme

Notes

Cover image by Lucas Craig from Pexels

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