Joel Aldrich
Music 1010
Spring 2014



1770, December 16 - Born
1774-1776 – Father started teaching him using
rigorous and brutal methods
1787 - Beethoven went to Vienna to audition to
study for Mozart.


Mozart said “Keep your eyes on him; some day he
will give the world something to talk about.”
Mother became ill shortly after arriving, so he
returned home.




1790 – Composed Cantana on the death of
Emperor Joseph II in honor of the Emperor’s
death. Considered his first masterpiece.
1791 – Mozart passed away and Beethoven
began to work with Joseph Haydn
1795 – “first” concerto in C Major
1800 – showcased Symphony No. 1 in C major
in Vienna at Royal Imperial Theater.

Wrote Symphony No. 3, the Eroica Symphony, in
honor of Napoleon Bonaparte.

1803-1812 – “heroic” or “middle” period of
Beethoven’s music.

Composed on opera, 6 symphonies, four solo
concerti, five string quartets, six string sonatas, five
sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios,
two sextets, and seventy-two songs.


As his career pressed forward, he became deaf
until the point of utter deafness – although
people could not tell because his writing was
more beautiful and brilliant than ever.
1824 – Missa Solemnis (considered to be one of
his greates works. Also finished his ninth and
final symphony.

1827, March 26 – Died at the age of 56.



Autopsy reported cirrhosis of the liver, deafness, and
obvious ill temper which led them to the conclusion
that he had arterial disease.
10,000 people attended his funeral
One of the most celebrated musicians of all time.




Beethoven liked to work on his pieces
simultaneously.
After he finished Symphony No. 3, he began to
work on his fifth symphony that was finished
in 1808 – around the same time as his sixth.
When first performed, it was not very popular.
It became popular when there was a highly
favorable review written in the “General Music
Journal”












0:00 - First movement
Strings and woodwinds,
played in fortissimo
0:06 - strings, played in
piano
0:14 - Crescendo
0:18 - full orchestra, played
in fortissimo
strings, played in piano
0:43 - Horn, played in
fortissimo
0:46 - Theme II - played in
piano
higher strings repeated by
lower strings
0:58 - Crescendo to
fortissimo
1:15 - Woodwinds and brass
descending
2:49 - horns echoed by
strings, played in fortissimo
2:51 - strings and
woodwinds, played in piano
crescendo
3:24 - violins, woodwinds,
brass
key change, played in
fortissimo
4:08 - Theme I, full orchestra
















4:41 - timpani followed by
brass
5:02 - Theme II, violins and
flutes
5:07 - Woodwinds and horns
descending
5:52 - Coda! played in
fortissimo
violins and bassoon
6:17 - pianissimo, the
fortissimo
7:26 - Second movement
Violas and cellos
7:56 - woodwinds and
strings
8:28 - clarinets rising
8:43 - violins played in
pianissimo
crescendo
9:44 - Theme A
10:33 - Theme B
11:44 - Theme A’
15:15 - Theme A
16:04 - Coda! Bassoon
playing piano
Crescendo
17:16 - theme A
18:01 - Third Movement










Cellos and bass, played in
pianissimo
18:10 - Repeat of melody
with woodwinds and strings
18:19 - Horns played in
Fortissimo
19:45 - Cellos and bass
20:00 – Theme A
20:14 – repeat A
20:30 – Theme B
20:54 - repeatB
21:13 - original melody in
pianissimo
22:17 - ppp, timpani
22:28 - violin in pianissimo,
crescendo





www.biography.com/people/ludwig-vanbeethoven-9204862?page=1
Www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/beethoven.
html
www.westerncultureglobal.org/beethoven.html
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_beethoven
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/57
8093/Symphony-No-5-in-C-Minor-Op-67