# Best Beethoven Symphony Finale Excluding the 9th



## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

While far from a landslide, I imagine the 9th would win out as his greatest finale with either a majority or plurality. That in mind, I want to take that out of circulation to see which would win a majority (unlikely) or a plurality with our esteemed commentariat here at TC.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Gotta go with the 7th


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## BachIsBest (Feb 17, 2018)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> Gotta go with the 7th


You're wrong; it's the fifth .


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

BachIsBest said:


> You're wrong; it's the fifth .


I would agree, only if you merge the scherzo


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)




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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

Franckly, I dont like the finale of the 9th, though its idea of "Gesamtkunstwerk" is quite influencial. I pick 6th.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

BachIsBest said:


> You're wrong; it's the fifth .


Hahahah Wilhelm Furtwangler looks like an alien on this CD cover!:lol:


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## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

The 5th would have been my guess for the winner, but it's the variations in the Erioca leading. My personal favorite is the 8th, for its energy and liveliness.


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## FrankinUsa (Aug 3, 2021)

The Fifth. 
No need for the Furtwangler fanaticism


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

My current order of preference of the finales of the Beethoven symphonies is 9-6-3-5-7-4-8-2-1 (most favorite to the left). I of course picked the _Pastoral_ in this poll then.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Xisten267 said:


> My current order of preference of the finales of the Beethoven symphonies is 9-6-3-5-7-4-8-2-1 (most favorite to the left). I of course picked the _Pastoral_ in this poll then.


Mmm my favorite Beethoven movements are 6-2, 6-4, and 3-Finale 

Edit: I'll include 9-3 in there too. I'm more of a slow-movement listener right now.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Ethereality said:


> Mmm my favorite Beethoven movements are 6-2, 6-4, and 3-Finale


My favorite 5 Beethoven symphonies' single movements today would be 9-4, 9-1, 5-1, 6-5 and 3-4.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

I would go with the Third.

I am not considering the finales of 1, 2, and 4.

The finale of the fifth is probably my least favorite movement of that symphony, not that it's weak in any way.

The Sixth is not my favorite finale, though I love it.

The Seventh Symphony is front-loaded: I love the first two movements the best.

The finale of the Eighth is my favorite movement from that symphony, but it's not my favorite finale.

The Ninth cannot be considered-- so that leaves the strong varations movement from the Third.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

The 5th, even better than the 9th


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I voted 3rd because I love this free variation movement although it can seem a bit haphazard. Next would be the one from the 7th that is about perfect and the 8th, where the finale is the biggest movement of the piece. I don't share the scorn often heaped upon the finale of the 5th but I think this one works only together with the rest as resolution and maximal contrast. Similarly with the 6th which I find a bit lame without the storm.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2021)

Bruckner Anton said:


> Franckly, I dont like the finale of the 9th, though its idea of "Gesamtkunstwerk" is quite influencial. I pick 6th.


I feel exactly the same way. The symphony really works for me with only 3 movements; after that I find it impossible. But then I don't like large choirs with big orchestras.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> Gotta go with the 7th


Same here!! I love the wild, gleeful romp!! the unrestrained exuberance!! really exciting when done well....

5/IV is really good, too....


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

I'm pretty sure the coda of the Eighth is a joke, and that's why I love it. 

It also has that really funny bit in the recapitulation where Beethoven knocks the orchestra back into the home key with all the grace of someone smacking a television to get the picture to stay put.


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## Beethoven123 (Nov 25, 2021)

I'm going with the 5th here by quite a distance (though the 6th's finale is superb as well). I personally prefer these finales to the 9th even, as I prefer "Ode to Joy" as a standalone piece, and as others have said, I feel very satisfied with the 9th without the last movement. Somehow that last movement encourages and motivates me more without the rest of the symphony.

I also greatly enjoy the finale of the 2nd (probably my fourth favourite Beethoven finale) but the main reason I didn't vote for that is because the symphony as a whole feels a bit disjointed, as the 1st and 4th movements form a unit for me, and the 2nd and 3rd form a different unit.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent,
the fifth all the way for me


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

7th with the 5th narrowly behind.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

For me it's no 5. Find the final movement so beautiful that it makes me emotional.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

8, for being one of the most joyous celebrations of compositional genius ever.


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## Michael122 (Sep 16, 2021)

The 6th.
After the roller coaster ride this piece goes through, the calm and gentleness expressed in the finale, relaxes and expresses an overall benevolent feeling. 
This ending lends itself for this work to be considered as his best even numbered symphony.
The fifth movement begins with an excellent bi-tonal C and F and doesn’t really seem to climax.
Rather, gentle repetitions invoke idyllic scenes of a landscape so tranquil, and peaceful you could fall asleep.
At the end, comes a final strong cadence built by swirling strings to be overshadowed by the, at first, gentle horns that rise to a softened crescendo.
Anyone could go on about the harmonic progressions, contrasting transitions, lively trills, etc., but it is enough to state that this finale is a wonderful and inspired conclusion to this tour-de-force.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

The 6th or the 8th. The 8th may be my favorite Beethoven symphony. It's full of sunshine.


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

The 6th, hands down! There is not a single work of Beethoven that moves me as much as that symphony, and the finale wraps it all up wonderfully.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

For me the finales would rank like this: 6 > 5 > 4,7,8 > 3 > 1,2 >> 9


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Maybe you should rather switch to Spohr?


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## Aries (Nov 29, 2012)

Art Rock said:


> For me the finales would rank like this: 6 > 5 > 4,7,8 > 3 > 1,2 >> 9


What makes the finale of the 9th so bad for you?

I can't decide on a exact ranking, but the value distribution for me is roughly like this:


Finale of Symphony No.123456789value4%3%16%8%11%8%11%8%31%


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I can't stand the way Beethoven writes for voices (same for Fidelio, Missa Solemnis, An die ferne Geliebte, etc). A personal thing.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

It's gotta be the 7th! But I was tempted to vote for #4 as it has no votes.


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## KevinJS (Sep 24, 2021)

My personal rule for Beethoven:

If not 9 then 7


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## Phredd (Jul 7, 2020)

The finale to the 5th finishes so many times that it is almost a musical joke. If you've never heard it before, for a split second you're absolutely sure the piece is over 2, 3, even 4 different times. Personally, I love it, but I can certainly understand it getting some hate for that, too.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> It's gotta be the 7th! But I was tempted to vote for #4 as it has no votes.


I love the 4th too. It's like an overture to an opera buffa. It would be my second choice after the 7th.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Voted 7th. 

Ahead of 4 .......... and 5


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