Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 - I. Allegro vivace e con brio

The colossal Fifth and reposed Sixth Symphonies of 1808 showed two approaches to the heroic of the genre, and with the near-simultaneous work on the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, Beethoven seems to continue to be inspired by characteristics that generate two sides of a coin in reshaping the dramatic possibilities of the symphonic genre, this time by “wield[ing] the rapier [Eighth] as well as the hammer [Seventh].” (Lockwood, Beethoven’s Symphonies, 172). It is the rapier of wit, drawing on the idea of scherzo, that best characterizes Beethoven’s reconsideration of the genre in the last symphony of his so-called Heroic period. One of the most significant developments Beethoven brought to the symphony he had inherited from Haydn and Mozart was to transform the Minuet and Trio movements that typified late eighteenth-century symphonies into Scherzos, which became central to the symphonies of Beethoven and many of his successors. Haydn himself prefigured this evolution in his string quartets, and he would say near the end of his life, “I wish someone would write a really new minuet.” As Elaine Sisman points out, “Although Haydn did not mention them, Beethoven’s scherzos are usually considered to be the consummation of Haydn’s wish.” (Sisman, “The Spirit of Mozart from Haydn’s Hands,” 49.) Scherzos are, by definition, humorous. They thwart conventions—traditionally those of tempo, meter, and phrase length—and in so doing aim to delight, but also bring special attention to the conventions by denying them. This is particularly exemplified in the third movements of Beethoven’s First, Second, and Fourth Symphonies, which tend towards a beautiful aesthetic, while the Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Symphonies expand and intensify the scherzo even further, with moments suggesting the sublime, essentially consigning the gallantry of the minuet to a faded memory. While the scherzos of these latter symphonies suggest some sublime moments, as a rule they are not designed to overpower through an incomprehensible experience, but rather use the very fact that listeners can understand them by understanding what is unconventional about them, and through such novelty the audience experiences delight. In the Eighth Symphony, Beethoven expanded the scherzo character to encompass the entire symphony. Through unexpected structural twists, surprising rhythms and key relationships, and transparent orchestral textures, this symphony indeed recaptures some of the animating spirit of Beethoven’s First Symphony, “a salute to the symphonic ideal of a previous age” (“Beethoven,” Grove Music Online), while at the same time innovates using witty and subtle twists that thwart some of the basic expectations of the symphonic genre, and thereby call them into question for reconsideration, much as had earlier occurred with the scherzo begging reconsideration of the context of the minuet. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Works of classical repertoire often exhibit complexity in their use of orchestration, counterpoint, harmony, musical development, rhythm, phrasing, texture, and form. Whereas most popular styles are usually written in song form, classical music is noted for its development of highly sophisticated instrumental musical forms, like the concerto, symphony and sonata. Classical music is also noted for its use of sophisticated vocal/instrumental forms, such as opera. In opera, vocal soloists and choirs perform staged dramatic works with an orchestra providing accompaniment.Longer instrumental works are often divided into self-contained pieces, called movements, often with contrasting characters or moods. For instance, symphonies written during the Classical period are usually divided into four movements:( 1) An opening Allegro in sonata form, a slow movement,a minuet or scherzo (in a triple metre, such as 34), and a final Allegro.These movements can then be further broken down into a hierarchy of smaller units: first sections, then periods, and finally phrases.Performers who have studied classical music extensively are said to be "classically trained". This training may come from private lessons from instrument or voice teachers or from completion of a formal program offered by a Conservatory, college or university, such as a Bachelor of Music or Master of Music degree (which includes individual lessons from professors). In classical music, "...extensive formal music education and training, often to postgraduate [Master's degree] level" is required.Performance of classical music repertoire requires a proficiency in sight-reading and ensemble playing, harmonic principles, strong ear training (to correct and adjust pitches by ear), knowledge of performance practice (e.g., Baroque ornamentation), and a familiarity with the style/musical idiom expected for a given composer or musical work (e.g., a Brahms symphony or a Mozart concerto).The key characteristic of European classical music that distinguishes it from popular music and folk music is that the repertoire tends to be written down in musical notation, creating a musical part or score. This score typically determines details of rhythm, pitch, and, where two or more musicians (whether singers or instrumentalists) are involved, how the various parts are coordinated. The written quality of the music has enabled a high level of complexity within them: fugues, for instance, achieve a remarkable marriage of boldly distinctive melodic lines weaving in counterpoint yet creating a coherent harmonic logic.The use of written notation also preserves a record of the works and enables Classical musicians to perform music from many centuries ago.Although Classical music in the 2000s has lost most of its tradition for musical improvisation, from the Baroque era to the Romantic era, there are examples of performers who could improvise in the style of their era. In the Baroque era, organ performers would improvise preludes, keyboard performers playing harpsichord would improvise chords from the figured bass symbols beneath the bass notes of the basso continuo part and both vocal and instrumental performers would improvise musical ornaments.Johann Sebastian Bach was particularly noted for his complex improvisations. During the Classical era, the composer-performer Mozart was noted for his ability to improvise melodies in different styles. During the Classical era, some virtuoso soloists would improvise the cadenza sections of a concerto. During the Romantic era, Beethoven would improvise at the piano.classical music ,classical music news ,classicalmusicworldusic youtube ,classical music composers ,classical music radio ,music history ,classicalmusic lover ,classicalmusicblog ,classical music downloads ,classical music concerts ,classical music for babies ,classical music for studying ,classical music for kids ,classical music online ,classical music of... Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.