# Beethoven's 5th Symphony



## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

Was this piece IMMEDIATELY a smash hit - did it "top the charts" (using a modern term) for a long time? If you have sources from the time to share, that would be good.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

This is from _The Nine Beethoven Symphonies in Full Score:
_
"Criticism of this symphony was somewhat divided. Jean Lesueur found it such exciting music that he felt it shouldn't even exist. Lous Spohr finds the first movement's theme wanting in dignity, the trio too grotesque, and the last movement replete with unmeaning babel. The London Philharmonic Orchestra members thought the opening was intended to be humorous on account of the shortness of the theme." George Grove added that "it soon grew into favor here."

George Grove in _Beethoven, His Nine Symphonies _says, "When Malibran, the great singer, heard the work for the first time . . . she was thrown into convulsions and had to be removed from the room."


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

The important poet-composer ETA Hoffmann´s review of the symphony (1808), written in 1810, was widely read.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Beethoven)#Reception_and_influence 
excerpts http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_bonds_hisofmusic_2/31/7996/2047100.cw/content/index.html , complete in German http://85.214.96.74:8080/zbk/zbk-html/A1094.html)


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

Manxfeeder said:


> The London Philharmonic Orchestra members thought the opening was intended to be humorous on account of the shortness of the theme."


I'm sorry, just... LOL

:lol::lol::lol:


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Manxfeeder said:


> George Grove in _Beethoven, His Nine Symphonies _says, "When Malibran, the great singer, heard the work for the first time . . . she was thrown into convulsions and had to be removed from the room."


Wow, somebody else has this great book!

For Aurelian: In short, it was a hit but a controversial one. From a famous contemporary review by ETA Hoffman: "Deep in himself, Beethoven expresses his romanticism with great genius and with a high degree of reflection in his music. The reviewer has never felt this more strongly than with the symphony before him which, in a climax that gradually ascends up to its very end, reveals Beethoven's romanticism more than any of his previous works and irresistibly transports its listener into the miraculous and infinite realm of spirits."

Full review here -- scroll down to 1810.

https://sites.google.com/site/kenocstuff/


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

joen_cph said:


> The important poet-composer ETA Hoffmann´s review of the symphony (1808), written in 1810, was widely read.
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Beethoven)#Reception_and_influence
> excerpts http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_bonds_hisofmusic_2/31/7996/2047100.cw/content/index.html , complete in German http://85.214.96.74:8080/zbk/zbk-html/A1094.html)


"Beethoven's music sets in motion the machinery of awe, of fear, of terror, of pain, and awakens that infinite yearning which is the essence of romanticism. He is therefore a purely romantic composer. Might this not explain why his vocal music is less successful, since it does not permit a mood of vague yearning but can only depict from the realm of the infinite those feelings capable of being described in words?"

I like that. :tiphat:


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

It was not well received in France for years. The conservative members of the Conservatoire thought most of Beethoven's music grotesque; characterized by wild modulations and unwieldy harmonies. 

Hector Berlioz noted that Beethoven's music began to become accepted in France in the 1830's by interposing relatively tame and lyrical symphonic movements in between complete concert works, thus with the Allegretto of the A Major Symphony. As the century progressed, Beethoven's works became widely appreciated by most. It would be an exaggeration to say that his music was always esteemed the grand revolution that we reckon it today, for he was faced with an entrenched style against which his tempestuous genius chafed.

Happily, Beethoven's works are appreciated for their virtues today. Despite a tendency that I have noticed, although not so much here on TC, for people to eschew the more famous works of great composers in an effort to affect a more sophisticated taste, the Fifth of Beethoven is among my favorite works. The first movement's development section is among the most compelling of any of Beethoven's works. The fourth movement is an astounding fanfare. The whole illustrates the typically Beethoven idiom of despond and ire, and redemption and triumph. It is a grand work, although I find the Third Symphony even greater.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I can't recall the source but, to his eternal frustration, the three most popular works of Beethoven during his lifetime were:

Symphony 1
Septet Op 20
Piano Sonata Op 27 #2 (later nicknamed Moonlight)


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

And that Septet drives me crazy, Olias.

The Scherzo, especially, I cannot listen to, because it's so lamentably overdone. Liszt transcribed it for solo piano, [Septett, Op. 20, S 465], Beethoven transcribed it for Piano Trio [Piano Trio in E Flat, Op. 38]. I've listened to it far too many times in my life. It's not bad music by any means, though.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Olias said:


> I can't recall the source but, to his eternal frustration, the three most popular works of Beethoven during his lifetime were:
> 
> Symphony 1
> Septet Op 20
> Piano Sonata Op 27 #2 (later nicknamed Moonlight)


And the Pathetique, which was no doubt played by every young lady in Vienna -- at least the intro!


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