Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)

I. Allegro vivace e con brio

I. Allegro vivace e con brio

All movements performed by the Bucharest College Orchestra

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This movement is in the home key of F major and is in fast ³
₄ time. As with most of Beethoven's first movements of this period, it is written in sonata form, including a fairly substantial coda. The opening theme is in three sections of four bars each, with the pattern forte–piano–forte.

At the onset of the recapitulation, the theme is made more emphatic by omitting the middle four bars.^[14] Hopkins observed that the movement is slightly unusual among Beethoven's works in that it reaches its dramatic climax not during the development section, but at the onset of the recapitulation.^[14] The concluding bars of the development form a huge crescendo and the return of the opening bars is marked fff (fortississimo, i.e. extremely loud), which rarely appears in Beethoven's works,^[15] but has precedents in the Seventh Symphony.^[16] This is balanced by the quiet closing measures of the movement.

According to Dutch musicologist Cees Nieuwenhuizen, Beethoven may have originally envisioned this movement as a piano concerto first movement.^[17]

II. Allegretto scherzando

II. Allegretto scherzando quasi andante

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There is a widespread belief that this movement is an affectionate parody of the metronome,^[18] which had only recently been invented (or more accurately, merely improved) by Beethoven's friend, Johann Maelzel. Specifically the belief was that the movement was based on a canon called "Ta ta ta... Lieber Maelzel," WoO 162, said to have been improvised at a dinner party in Maelzel's honor in 1812. However, there is no evidence corroborating this story and it is likely that WoO 162 was not written by Beethoven but was constructed after-the-fact by Anton Schindler.^[19] A more likely inspiration was the similar rhythmic parody of Joseph Haydn's "Clock" Symphony.^[19]

The movement marks the first time Beethoven used the tempo scherzando in his slow movements, though he has used allegretto in his Seventh Symphony.^[15] It begins with even staccato chords in 16th-notes (semiquavers) played by the wind instruments, and a basic 16th-note rhythm continues steadily through the piece. The second subject includes a motif of very rapid sixty-fourth notes. This motif is played by the whole orchestra at the end of the coda.

The key is B♭ major, the subdominant of F, and the organization is what Charles Rosen has called "slow movement sonata form"; that is, at the end of the exposition there is no development section, but only a simple modulation back to B♭ for the recapitulation; this also may be described as sonatina form.^[15]

III. Tempo di menuetto

III. Tempo di menuetto

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The style of Beethoven's minuet is not particularly close to its 18th-century predecessors, as it retains a rather coarse, thumping rhythm; such as how after the initial upbeat Beethoven places the dynamic indication sforzando (sf) on each of the next five beats. This makes the minuet stylistically close to the other movements of the symphony, which likewise rely often on good-humored, thumping accents.^{[citation needed]}

The minuet is written in ternary form, with a contrasting trio section containing prized solos for horns and clarinet. Igor Stravinsky praised the "incomparable instrumental thought" shown in Beethoven's orchestration of the trio section.^[20]

IV. Allegro vivace

IV. Allegro vivace

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The most substantial movement in the symphony, the finale is in sonata rondo form with a fast tempo.^[21] The metronome marking supplied by Beethoven himself is whole note = 84. This is the first symphonic movement in which the timpani are tuned in octaves, foreshadowing the similar octave-F tuning in the scherzo of the Ninth Symphony.^[22] Hopkins quoted the entire opening theme of the finale "in order to emphasize the outrageous impropriety of the last roaring C-sharp":

"All that precedes it is so delicate in texture, so nimble and light-footed."^[23] Donald Tovey cites the abrupt intrusion of the C-sharp as an example of Beethoven's "long-distance harmonic effects".^[24] This "rogue" note is eventually revealed as having an architectural function in the structure of the movement as a whole. The opening material reappears three times: at the start of the development section, the start of the recapitulation, and about halfway through the coda. As in the first movement, the move to the second subject first adopts the "wrong" key, then moves to the normal key (exposition: dominant, recapitulation: tonic) after a few measures.^[22]

The coda is one of the most elaborate in all of Beethoven's works.^[25] Hopkins called it "magnificent" and suggests it is too substantial to be referred to by the term "coda".^[26] It contains two particularly striking events. The loud and startling C♯ from the opening finally gets an "explanation": "and now it appears that Beethoven has held that note in reserve, wherewith to batter at the door of some immensely distant key. Out bursts the theme then, in F sharp minor."^[27]

A few measures later, there is a stunning modulation in which this key is "hammered down" by a semitone, arriving instantaneously at the home key of F major.^[28]

The symphony ends with a very long passage of loud tonic harmony. Tchaikovsky called this movement "One of the greatest symphonic masterpieces of Beethoven."^[29]