The Structure of the Classical Symphonic Form

During the classical era of Haydn and Mozart, symphonies and string quartets had four movements. 

     The basic format was:

          1.   an up-tempo (e.g. allegro) opening sonata form (with an optional slow introduction)

          2.   a slow movement, such as adagio

          3.   a minuet or scherzo with trio

          4.   an up-tempo allegro, rondo, sonata, or theme and variations

              Sometimes the order of the order of the two middle movements were switched.


The Typical First Movement:  The "Sonata Form"

    What is the sonata form?


The Typical Second Movement:

   Typically, this is the slow movement where the composer displays his most beautiful melodies and harmonies.


The Typical Third Movement:

   Minuet  -  Developed from the Baroque minuet dance in a medium paced 3/4 time.  It was the typical third movement for Haydn and Mozart.

   Scherzo -  Beethoven used this form more than the minuet.  It has a brisker pace and is livelier,  "Scherzo" means "joke"  (Haydn invented the scherzo, but only used it on rare occasions).

Both the minuet and scherzo can be composed to have various moods and be played at various speeds.  If you see the minuet as stately and dignified, and the scherzo as witty and playful, you understand the basic difference between the two. 


The Typical Fourth Movement:

      Generally, in the classical era of Haydn and Mozart, the "serious composing" in a symphony or quartet was done in the first two movements.  Both the 3rd movement minuet and the fourth movement were comparatively light and breezy and had little or no surprises for the listener compared to the first two movements.  

     Beethoven changed all that often making the final movement the climatic movement of the piece, often rousing, boisterous finales.  We will see examples of Beethoven doing this in his final movements.


Video:  The Nature of Genius:  Beethoven and the Sonata Form

Video:  Gerald Schwartz explains Beethoven's 5th Symphony


Beethoven and the Piano Sonata

     Haydn, Mozart and their contemporaries restricted their use of the four-movement form to orchestral or multi-instrument chamber music such as quartets.  Their piano sonatas, however, were in three movements:


     1.  a medium to fast movement  (moderato, allegro)

     2.  a slow movement  (andante, adagio)

     3.  a fast to very fast movement (allegro, presto)


      Beethoven, taking the piano sonata format more seriously than did his predecessors, used the four movement symphony structure in about half of his piano sonatas.  (He also added more movements to other formats, e.g. a fifth movement to his 6th symphony, and one of his late string quartets, No. 14, Opus 131, had seven movements all played without interruption).