Course Talk on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Overview

"In its freedom and recklessness of expression and means, the Ninth Symphony forms an antithesis and a compliment to the [Missa solemnis].  It throws a bridge over abysses of despair, distraction, and fond yearnings of the goal of mankind reconciled in brotherly love and certainty of God's fatherly goodness."

  Alfred Einstein                               

Friedrich Schiller's (1759 - 1805) poem "Ode to Joy" is a great expression of Enlightenment hopes for a world of peace.  Schiller himself denounced the poem in disillusionment over the Napoleonic Wars.  It is often said that Beethoven's Ninth combines the quest for world peace for mankind with the quest for inner peace of the individual.

The Ninth Symphony has the traditional four movements, but the scherzo comes before the slow movement.  Beethoven had done this in other works, but this is the first time he did it in a symphony.

Beethoven's metronome markings for the symphony are generally considered to be in error by modern conductors.  If followed precisely, the Ninth can be played in about 3/4 of the time it usually is.  There are many guesses at why Beethoven's paces are so fast, but none are conclusive. (Roger Norrington's version adhere's to Beethoven's markings and takes 62 minutes - play).

Instrumentation - Besides adding the chorus and the four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) Beethoven increases the orchestra size.  Especially prominent are the four horns and three trombones in the second and fourth movements.


First Movement

The first movement is in the traditional sonata form.  It uses both a slow introduction and a coda, as well as the required exposition, development, and recapitulation sections.

The movement opens up with a chaotic opening that sounds like an orchestra tuning up.  The most distinctive notes are a falling pattern of E-A-E-A.  Because there are only two notes, this creates tonal ambiguity, the lack of a definite key (three notes - a chord - are need to establish a key).  Because of this, the listener feels a sense of confusion and apprehension.  30 seconds in, Beethoven provides the first full theme.  It establishes the key of the movement is D minor, and the listener is then relieved (temporally) of the anxiety.

The movement alternates a sense of despair with occasional respites of sweetness, but over the course of the movement Beethoven drives the desperation to new high heights.  The use of tuned tympani had a sense of impending doom.  Later in the movement Beethoven drills the listener, even in quiet moments, with frantic 16th note runs.  Then there is another calmer moment before the final 30 seconds explode in fury. 

Sachs accurately describes how quickly the moods of the movements change, seldom lasting more than thirty seconds. 

Sachs' quotes:  p. 135, 137



Second Movement

The scherzo opens with a theme similar to, but different from, the opening theme of the first movement.  Then the quick rhythm in three begins with a happy, bouncy melody.  This is repeated, but somewhat quieter and more serious, with brief woodwind sections to break the tension.  This movement has some of Beethoven's best woodwind composing.  It seems to pre-figure some of the jauntiness and playfulness of early 20th century composers like Stravinsky a Prokofiev.   

Sachs' quotes:  p. 142


Third Movement

The third movement is one of Beethoven's most tranquil and serene orchestra movements.  Notice the low, sustained brass chords behind the beautiful violin melodies.

Also notice the similarity of one of the themes to the melody of the second movement of the Pathetique piano sonata.

Sachs' quotes:  p. 144

Toscanini: "It lifts me off the earth, removes me from the field of gravity, makes me weightless...  One becomes all soul.  One ought to conduct it on one's knees."


Fourth Movement

Beethoven breaks the serenity of the previous movement with a brief, menacing new theme that suggests more turbulence to come, then interrupts that theme with a solemn, if ominent, theme by the basses.  This is followed, by a fragment of a theme from each of the first three movements (each of them separated by the basses continuing their theme). 

Next, the woodwinds hint at the main theme of the finale.  Finally, the full main theme of the fourth movement is presented, starting in the basses and working its way higher up the orchestra, to the violas, then the violins, and finally to the trumpets over the full orchestra.  

After a silence, the orchestra restates the urgent opening theme, and then the vocals begin about 7 minutes into the movement.  The bass singer sings: 

 "O friends, not these sounds!  Let us rather sing more agreeably, and more joyfully." 
  
Discussion of the lyrics of the Ode to Joy