# Ludwig van Beethoven: Your Favorite Symphony



## JohannesBrahms (Apr 22, 2013)

What is your favorite Beethoven Symphony?

Also, please explain why it is your favorite.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

You know the 9th is going to slam dunk this poll. I voted for it because it is probably the first piece of classical I ever had analyzed / annotated for me. Though I liked it before, having some of its astonishing musical acrobatics explained to me while it was playing (via some old Windows 3.1 software whose name I have forgotten) was a real ear opener and I'll always have fond memories of the experience.


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## Arsakes (Feb 20, 2012)

It's Hard to choose between 3,5,6 and 7. I vote the 3rd for its deep emotions.


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

I'm pretty sure we already have a billion of these threads, but one more can't hurt.

I voted for the 8th. It's the most successfully executed, everything hangs together from beginning to end, and it best shows Beethoven in command of the form. As a bonus: the finale is really funny.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

The 6th and 9th. I like the first three movements of 9 on the whole a touch more than the whole of 6, but I really am not a fan of that 4th choral movement. I LIKE choral symphonies (as most people know, Mahler is my favorite symphonist), but while that movement is warming with repeat listens, it's never going to be a favorite Beethoven moment for me.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

My favorite is the 9th. I've analyzed it musically, but personally, I hear things in the 9th that aren't supposed to be there; it's more archetypal. 

When I hear it, I'm reminded of the Creation story in Genesis - God the Father in the first movement, bringing order from chaos; the Son in the second, filling the earth; the Holy Spirit in the third, "moving over the face of the waters"; and the appearance of Man in the fourth, singing the two great commandments - Love God and love your brother. 

According to Wiki, Beethoven's score of the 9th is on the United Nations World Heritage List, the first musical score to be so honored.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Manxfeeder said:


> According to Wiki, Beethoven's score of the 9th is on the United Nations World Heritage List, the first musical score to be so honored.


That's really cool


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

The 6th is the only Beethoven composition that I would rate hors concours in my terminology (less than 100 compositions in all classicla music get that honour). Only the 5th comes close to that.


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## Kthoven (Apr 26, 2013)

My short answer is that I'd take the Ninth as my favourite.

But my longer answer is that I find it difficult to pin down one symphony for the poll because I seem to like one or two movements of a symphony more than the others. So if I could make a four-movement "Franken-symphony" by piecing together the movements of different symphonies, it would look like this:

1st mvt - Eroica
Scherzo - 9th Sym
Slow mvt - 7th Sym
Finale - 9th Sym

I'd switch up the scherzo and slow movement to get a nice contrast between slow mvt and finale. Sure, the key scheme would be a bit weird, but to me these are the best of each movement type from Beethoven's symphonies.

And a close second-place "Franken-symphony" would be:

1st mvt - 5th Sym
Slow mvt - Eroica
Scherzo - 7th Sym
Finale - 6th Sym


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## Feathers (Feb 18, 2013)

My favourite is the 7th and I'm glad it's doing so well in the poll. I walked into a little shop today and heard the 7th being played as background music, so I stayed in the shop until the piece finished. Good thing stores don't play this kind of music too often, or else it would take me forever to get from one end of the shopping street to the other. :lol:


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

As favourite, the sixth followed by the Eroica. But they are all wonderful!


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

I'm surprised the fifth isn't doing better.


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

Ramako said:


> I'm surprised the fifth isn't doing better.


Overexposure?


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I voted for the Fifth. So 'simple' but so magnificent... 
I'm not sure if it has been overexposed of late. There's a sort of snob feeling against it. But I always treasure music I liked the first time I heard it & in childhood.


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

ahammel said:


> Overexposure?


I think it might be in large part. The Eroica also seems to be suffering in this poll. Perhaps they are also too 'grand'.


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## StevenOBrien (Jun 27, 2011)

Urgh, it's impossible for me to choose between 5/6/7. They're equal favorites of mine. I voted for the fifth, because to me it feels like it has a lot of superiority to the other two in terms of construction, but I really don't know...

Here's how I rank the symphonies overall:

5/6/7 (Equally great.)
9 (It drags on a bit, especially the finale)
4 (Not too fond of the finale)
2 (Extremely powerful first movement. Meh second movement. Nice third and fourth movements.)
3 (This drags on quite a bit too. I respect it greatly, but it's never fully grown on me, especially the second movement and finale.)
1 
8 (I love the second movement in this, but the work just doesn't stand up as a whole, in my eyes. Personally, I can't really even consider it to be worthy of the title "symphony". It's a sinfonietta.)


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