This essay will compare Beethoven's Symphony No.
Beethoven was born in Bonn on the 17th of December 1770, and died in Vienna, 1827. He was a very important figure in the musical development during the transition from the classical period to the romantic period. He wrote nine symphonies: the first one has still all the influence from the classical period, the last one is completely into the romantic genre of symphonies. Beethoven's third symphony, the Eroica, is considered by many a turning point, or a point of reference on the way from the classical period to the romantic period, and from around this time on, almost all his works have an intense romantic character. The 8th symphony, also referred to as "My Little Symphony in F" by the composer, sounds more light and classical. This is the reason for choosing it, to try to understand what it was that made him compose this symphony in between the seventh and the ninth, what it is that makes this symphony sound joyful and light hearted, what are the similarities and differences with a symphony composed twelve years before, and what are the innovations of this first symphony.
Beethoven's first symphony was premiered on the 2nd of April 1800 at the K.K. Hoftheater nãchst der Burg in Vienna (the Court Theatre), and was dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten. Beethoven worked on the symphony during 1799 and 1800, but some sketches of the finale were found dating from 1795. After the premiere the work was criticized for some of its innovative aspects; "it had too many modulations," "the third movement," Menuetto, was too fast', and the wind was "too heavily orchestrated"; but with time, the symphony was accepted by the Viennese audience.
The 1st movement starts with an introduction, Adagio molto, twelve bars long. Beethoven starts the symphony with a surprising dominant 7th chord, which moves to its relative tonic. His first symphony, in C major, opens with this perfect cadence, but it's an F Major perfect cadence, that immediately moves away to the expected C, but using an interrupted cadence, and moving to the dominant, with a perfect cadence on G (Example 1/ Track 1 00:00-00:27).
