12 Tremendous Composers 12 Composers    

Lesson 14: Symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

by Ludwig van Beethoven

Performer: Davis High School Symphony Orchestra Mv. 1, 2, 4 and Skidmore College Orchestra Mv. 3

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Listen to the music daily.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Ludwig van Beethoven composed Symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 between 1804 and 1808. It ranks along with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 as one of the most frequently performed works in modern times. The symphony consists of four movements: 1) Allegro con brio, 2) Andante con moto, 3) Allegro attacca, and 4) Allegro. The first performance of this symphony was in Vienna, Austria. As you listen to the four movements, do you feel they were appropriately named?

Vocabulary

Allegro con brio: Fast with spirit.
Andante con moto: Slow with motion.
Allegro attacca: Begin rapidly without pause.
Menial: Of or relating to unskilled work normally performed by a servant.

Composer

1. When Neefe said that Ludwig van Beethoven would probably be a second Mozart the words filled Ludwig with a great desire. On his sixteenth birthday what do you think happened? Why, Ludwig set out from Bonn to Vienna, where Mozart lived. Here is a picture of Vienna in modern times.

2. But scarcely had Beethoven begun to feel at home in Vienna when news came to him that his mother was ill. She had always been a good mother, kind of heart, great of hope for her little boy, and probably she sympathized with the hard lot that made him have to work so early in life. When he learned of her sickness he hastened to Bonn. Who was happier, he said to one of his friends, than I, so long as I was able to speak the sweet name of Mother and know that she heard me?
3. Vienna had given Beethoven a wonderful happiness. He met Mozart and had some lessons from him in composition. When he played for the great master, Mozart tiptoed from the room and said softly to those present: 'Pay heed to this boy. He will surely make a noise in the world someday.'

4. After his Mother's death, Beethoven determined that he would remain in Bonn. And it was not until he talked with Joseph Haydn, who stopped at Bonn on his way to London, that he decided once more to journey to Vienna. Beethoven was twenty-two years old at the time he met Haydn. Beethoven showed the master some of his compositions. Haydn urged him to go at once to Vienna, promising to give him lessons in composition on his return from London. See a picture of Haydn.

5. Everywhere in Vienna Beethoven was a welcome guest. He was proud (but in the right way), very honest, always straightforward and independent. But, like his mother, he was warm-hearted and as true as could be. There was nothing in his nature that was mean, or cruel, or wrong in any way. He took pride in his talent and worked hard to perfect himself in it. Here is what Beethoven's handwriting looked like.

6. Bit by bit, the great power of Beethoven as a pianist became known. He played much among his friends, but he did not like to perform in public. A story is told that once he was to play his C major Concerto at a concert. When he arrived at the hall, he found the piano was tuned so low that he had to play the Concerto in C# major. If you are a musician, you likely know how hard it is to transpose a simple piece, but think of transposing a Concerto and playing it with orchestra without time for practice!
7. Beethoven lived outside of Vienna and often took long walks in the country. Once a little boy ten years of age, a future famous composer named Carl Czerny was taken by his father to visit Beethoven. The boy must have been a very observant boy for he wrote out a description of how Beethoven looked. This is little Carl Czerny's picture as a man.

8. And this is the description little Czerny gave of Beethoven. 'Beethoven was dressed in a dark gray jacket and trousers of some long-haired material, which reminded me of the description of Robinson Crusoe I had just been reading. The jet-black hair stood upright on his head. A beard, unshaven for several days, made still darker his naturally swarthy face. I noticed also, with a child's quick perception, that he had cotton wool which seemed to have been dipped in some yellow fluid in both ears. His hands were covered with hair, and the fingers were very broad, especially at the tips.' See a painting of Beethoven.

9. You know, of course, that when we think of music, we think of hearing it. We think how it sounds to us. A lover of music loves to hear its tones and to feel its rhythm. Like every other human being, Beethoven loved music in just this way. He loved its sounds as they fell on the ear. As colors delight our eyes, so tones fell with delight upon the ears of this man. See the colorful sound waveform below.

10. Beethoven was once invited to play at the home of a nobleman, but upon being informed that he would be expected to go as a menial, he indignantly rejected the proposal.

11. Beethoven had many friends and was fond of them. They knew that he was a genius and were glad to forget some of the very strange things that he did when he got angry. Here is a picture of the great master seated among a group of his friends. Although Beethoven was odd, his friends loved him.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Composition Information

• Recite the name of the composer and the composition.

Activity 2: Study the Music Timeline

Examine the music timeline to answer the following questions.

• What is the year of birth of the lesson composer?
• What is the year of death of the featured composer?
• How old was the composer upon death?
• Which composer (if any) directly precedes the studied composer by date of birth?
• Which composer (if any) directly succeeds the lesson composer by date of birth?
• Which other timeline composers were alive at the same time as the studied composer?

Activity 3: Map the Music

• Ludwig van Beethoven left Bonn, Germany for Vienna, Austria.
• Find Germany and Austria on the map of the world.

• Find Vienna on the map of Austria.

Activity 4: Write a One-Page Paper About Ludwig van Beethoven

Read these facts about Ludwig van Beethoven and write a one-page story out of them, using your own words.

• The composer's full name was Ludwig van Beethoven.
• He was born at Bonn on the River Rhine.
• His birthday is December 16, and his birth year was 1770.
• The Beethoven House is now a Museum.
• Beethoven's father was a singer.
• Ludwig began to study music at the age of four.
• He was shy and quiet in school, always thinking even then of music.
• Even as a little boy he composed music.
• When he was ten years old his first published composition appeared.
• A teacher who helped him very much was Christian Gottlob Neefe.
• Beethoven learned to play several instruments.
• He went to Vienna when he was sixteen, met Mozart and had lessons from him.
• Later, Beethoven met Haydn at Bonn.
• On Haydn's advice he returned to Vienna, making it his home for the rest of his life.
• Composer Carl Czerny once called on Beethoven and wrote a fine description of him.
• At about thirty Beethoven became deaf.
• Most of the great symphonies were composed after he lost his hearing.
• Beethoven died March 26, 1827, at the age of 57.

Review

Question 1

Where did Ludwig van Beethoven go when he was sixteen years old?

1 / 4

Answer 1

Beethoven set out from Bonn, Germany for Vienna, Austria, where Mozart lived.

1 / 4

Question 2

With what two great masters did Ludwig van Beethoven study?

2 / 4

Answer 2

Beethoven had lessons with Wolfgang Mozart and Joseph Haydn.

2 / 4

Question 3

Which composer, as a little boy, went to see Ludwig van Beethoven?

3 / 4

Answer 3

Composer Carl Czerny, as a little boy, went to see Beethoven.

3 / 4

Question 4

How did Carl Czerny describe Ludwig van Beethoven?

4 / 4

Answer 4

Czerny compared Beethoven to the shipwrecked and castaway literary character Robinson Crusoe.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. Where did Ludwig van Beethoven go when he was sixteen years old? Beethoven set out from Bonn, Germany for Vienna, Austria, where Mozart lived.
2. With what two great masters did Ludwig van Beethoven study? Beethoven had lessons with Wolfgang Mozart and Joseph Haydn.
3. Which composer, as a little boy, went to see Ludwig van Beethoven? Composer Carl Czerny, as a little boy, went to see Beethoven.
4. How did Carl Czerny describe Ludwig van Beethoven? Czerny compared Beethoven to the shipwrecked and castaway literary character Robinson Crusoe.

References

Tapper, Thomas. Beethoven - The Story of a Little Boy Who Was Forced to Practice. Philadelphia, PA. Theodore Presser Co., 1917.

'Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven).' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.