Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
AN INTERPRETIVE ESSAY .
BY
STEPHEN WRIGHT
. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. ..
T h i r d DIovement 13
F o u r t h I.;ovement 16
Conclusions a 23
AIEEKEIX: BEZTHOVEN'S USE OF THE SFORZANUO
,.
HARK1::G I N H I S E I G E T f i S Y F ~ i k I 0 D ; Y a a a .a 0 . a 26
LIST OF EXABZLES
. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
2 i r s t movement. b a r s 1-12 3
5
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
F i r s t movement. b a r s 82-89
F i r s t movement. b a r s 100-104 6
F i r s t novement. b a r s 108-111 6
F i r s t movement. bars 142-145
sirst movement. b a r s 200-205 . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7
9
. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
P i r s t movement. motive used i n coda
Second movement. b a r s 1-4
9
10
Second movement. bars..20-23
Second movement. b a r s 28-23
Second movement. b a r s 75-78
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11
12
13
Third movement. b a r s 3-6
Third movement. b a r s 38-40
. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 14
15
2 o u r t h movement. b a r s 1-10
Fourth movement. b a r s 51-53
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 17
F o u r t h movement. b a r s 104-107 . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
F o u r t h movement. motive of c?eveloprnent
18
19
19
F o u r t h movement. b a r s 154-160.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 20
. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
?ourth nlovenent. b a r s 279-2Pl 21
r'ourth movement. b a r s 282-286 21
Second movement. b a r s 48-54 27
iii
BEETIiOVEN1S EIGHTH SYMPHONY:
AN INTERFRETIVE ESSAY
Introduction
Imagine, i f you w i l l , t h e dilemma of a conductor approach-
i n g t h e Eighth Symphony of Beethoven f o r t h e f i r s t time. The
problem of i n t e r p r e t a t i o n f o r t h i s work i s considerable, f o r t h e
p i e c e i t s e l f i s an anachronism: an apparent .reversion t o C l a s s i c a l
s t y l e by a composer who i s himself t h e c e n t r a l t r a n s i t i o n a l f i g u r e
i n t h e p h i l o s o p h i c a l s h i f t t o Romanticism. Should t h e work be
approached as if i t i s a r e a l C l a s s i c a l symphony? Should t h e
conductor attempt t o b r i n g t h e p;bise, balance and c l a r i t y of
Mozart t o t h e music, o r should he ignore t h e work's C l a s s i c a l
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and f i l l t h e work with Beethovenian f i r e and fury?
The preconceptions t h a t t h e inexperienced conductor i s
l i k e l y t o have on f i r s t encounter with t h e Eighth a r e of no help.
Fusic h i s t o r y p r o f e s s o r s and survey textbooks o f t e n devote only
minimal a t t e n t i o n t o t h i s symphony, u s u a l l y c h a r a c t e r i z i n g i t as
r e g r e s s i v e and conservative. It i s r a r e l y played i n comparison
t o t h e symphonies t h a t surround i t i n t h e Beethoven canon ( t h e
Seventh and Ninth Symphonies), and audiences and c r i t i c s a l i k e ,
puzzled by Beethovents apparent anachronistic tendencies, have
shown l i t t l e sympathy f o r t h e piece. A l l of t h i s t e n d s t o g i v e
t h e young conductor a r a t h e r d i s t o r t e d impression of t h i s prob-
lematic work; b e f o r e h e opens t h e s c o r e f o r t h e first t i m e , h i s
2
g e n e r a l impression of t h e work is t h a t of a s t r a n g e l y conservative
but l a r g e l y harmless l i t t l e work, lightened with an occasional
Haydnesque musical joke.
Barnination of t h e work y i e l d s a d i f f e r e n t impression. To
be s u r e , i n t h i s work t h e r e i s C l a s s i c a l form and gesture--
reduced o r c h e s t r a t i o n , s h o r t e r movements, p e r i o d i c themes--but
they mask an i n t e r i o r which i s t r u e Beethoven. The elemental
power and pure force of Beethoven' i s indeed present here, b u t u s u a l l y
as an undercurrent only. C l a s s i c a l g e s t u r e and c h i l d l i k e innocence
hold t h e power d e l i c a t e l y i n check, but i n a few t e r r i f y i n g out-
b u r s t s , we glimpse t h e master s o r c e r e r t h a t i s behind t h i s b r i l l i a n t
---
tour de force. of s t y l i s t i c anachronism. Think of t h e summit
Beethoven has reached i n h i s composing c a r e e r ; t h e astounding
Seventh Symphony, with i t s compelling l o g i c and organic growth,
immediately preceded t h i s work; c e r t a i n l y a sudden resumption of
C l a s s i c a l traits was an e n t i r e l y self-conscious a c t , t h e work of
a man who i s d i s t i n c t l y aware of h i s own enormous power and h i s
a b i l i t y t o make t h i s power t a k e any form h e chooses.
Beethoven uses enough of t h e t y p i c a l C l a s s i c a l g e s t u r e s i n
t h i s work t o l u l l h i s audience and i n v i t e t h e i r e of c r i t i c s who
c r y "Regression! 'I, but t h e s e conservative elements a r e e f f e c t i v e l y
n e u t r a l i z e d by t h e moments of pure t e r r o r and f u r y i n t h e o u t e r
movements. Humor i s p r e s e n t , of course, b u t o f t e n it i s humor at
t h e expense o f t h e audience, i n which Beethoven himself l a u g h s a t
our complacency and i n f l e x i b i l i t y .
Beethoven's Eighth Symphony i s not a C l a s s i c a l work except .
i n t h e most s u p e r f i c i a l r e s p e c t , and t h e only proper i n t e r p r e t i v e
approach f o r t h e conductor i s one which maintains t h e C l a s s i c a l
poise on t h e s u r f a c e with a constant undercurrent o f power,
elementalism and fury. An i n t e r p r e t i v e examination o f t h e s c o r e
proves t h i s .
F i r s t Movement
The first movement opens with a C l a s s i c a l gesture--a
r a t h e r ordinary theme s t a t e d i n antecedent-consequent fashion:
1Y2
t h e s t a c c a t o s t r i n g playing i n t h i s section.
The conclusion i s notable f o r t h e way i n which i t b u i l d s
i n t o what we think w i l l be a t y p i c a l Beethoven ending (i.e., an
extended fortissimo r e i t e r a t i o n of cadence harmonies), only t o
recede i n t o p i z z i c a t o chords played piano, ending with a f i n a l ,
whimsical statement of t h e f i r s t - b a r motive. Surely i t i s a mis-
t a k e t o i n s e r t a r i t a r d a n d o i n t o t h i s f i n a l bar, as some conductors
do; as bars 43, 51, 240 and 248 show, Beethoven was q u i t e capable
10
o f c a l l i n g f o r such tempo fluctuations when he wanted them.
S ec ond Movement
' ~ e o r ~Grove,
e Beethoven and H i s Nine Symphonies (Third
ed. 1898; r p t , New York: Dover Publications, 19621, p, 293.
11
trumpets and timpani, e f f e c t i v e l y prevents t h e music from taking
on any degree of p r e t e n t i o n o r . g r a n d i o s i t y ; s u r e l y t h i s implies
a s i m i l a r l y l i g h t and unpretentious approach from t h e conductor.
Frequent sforzando o u t b u r s t s underline the u n p r e d i c t a b i l i t y
of t h e s e mechanical toys, and following t h e second theme we hear
a sudden, a g i t a t e d explosion of s i x t y - f o u r t h n o t e s from t h e s t r i n g s ,
as i f t h e mainspring of a wind-up t o y has broken, causing t h e
gadget t o run amuck momentarily:
Ob.
CI.
' ?I.
ob.
CI.
Third Movement
The t h i r d movement i s marked Tempo d i Menuetto, and f o r t h e
c
PI.
' tr.
1PJ
Fourth Movement
The Allegro vivace movement i s t h e f i n a l piece of evidence
proving t h e t r u e non-Classical s t m c e of t h i s symphony. Though i t
i s constructed upon t h e most unpretentious and harmless thematic
m a t e r i a l , i t s u r p a s s e s i n s t r u c t u r a l v a s t n e s s and elemental f o r c e
anything composed by Haydn o r Elozart. The movement i s a s o n a t a
--
form of wildly exaggerated proportions--the developmental coda i s
a s long as t h e combination of exposition-development-recapitulation
t h a t precedes i t . The scoring, d e s p i t e t h e conservatively small
o r c h e s t r a , i s o r i e n t e d toward pure f o r c e and sheer noise. Hammered
repeated n o t e s and s f o r z a n d i i n t h e winds dominate; t h e timpani,
Cuned i n octaves f o r t h e first time i n h i s t o r y , continue t h e first
movementt s preoccupation with t h i s s t a r k i n t e r v a l ( a s well a s fore-
shadowing t h e crashing timpani s o l o s of t h e second movement of
t h e Ninth ~ymphony). The pace of t h e movement i s continuous,
driven by motivic fragments with unrelenting forward impetus; even
t h e r e l a t i v e r e l a x a t i o n of a l y r i c a l second theme i s undercut by
a g i t a t e d repeat ed-not e. accompaniments. Power and f u r y a r e at t h e
h e a r t of t h i s movement, and once t h e veneer of C l a s s i c a l innocence
has l u r e d t h e audience i n , t h e r e i s no escaping t h e onslaught.
The opening theme i s u t t e r l y s i m p l i s t i c i n c o n s t r u c t i o n ,
and it i s t h e t r u e measure of Beethoven's mastery t h a t such a
huge outpouring of music could .arise from such innocent beginnings:
-
endo followed by an immediate diminuendo:
Ikample 15:
P-=== -
Fourth movement, b a r s 51-53
Ob.
C1.
PC.
VI.
160
PI.
Ub.
CI.
PC -
Ob.
CL
rr.
VI..
*vc.Cb.
-
t h e f l u t e s because he must w r i t e t h e f o r t e marking t o e s t a b l i s h
-
t h e dynamic level, and he i s r e l u c t a n t t o w r i t e sf and over
t h e same beat. The one exception t o t h i s obvious p a t t e r n i s
i n the oboes, bar 53; t h e oboes a r e given a f o r t e marking i n
b a r 50 and thus t h e r e i s no reason f o r Beethoven t o o m i t t h e
sforzando on t h e f i r s t " b e a t as he does. However, t h i s f i r s t
beat does contain a f o r t e marking; Beethoven thus evidently
wants t o r e i t e r a t e t h e dynamic l e v e l a f t e r t h e oboes' bar of
r e s t i n bar 51. I n any case, t h e inclusion of t h e -
f marking
-
makes an additional s f marking impossible.
3ased on these assumptions ( t h a t Beethoven cannot w r i t e
t h e sforzando marking under c e r t a i n circumstances) and t h e
occurrence of t h e sf marking i n p a r a l l e l passages where f o r t e
has been established previously, I would add t h e sforzando mark-
i n g t o t h e following places i n t h e score: f i r s t movement, bar
323 ( f i r s t beat, all p a r t s ) ; second movement, bars 13 and 15
(second h a l f o f f o u r t h beat, a l l p a r t s ) , 20 and 50 ( f i r s t beat,
v i o l i n s and v i o l a s ) , 53 ( f i r s t beat, f l u t e s and oboes); t h i r d
movement, beat preceding first complete b a r ( a l l p a r t s ) ; fourth
movement, bar 124 (horns and trumpets).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Sources
Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony no. 8 i n F major, op. 93.
Leipzig: Verlag von Breitkopf & HZrtel, n o d .
----------. Symphony no. 8 i n F major, op. 93. London:
Ernst Eulenberg, Ltd., nod.
----------. Symphony no.' 8 i n F major, op. 93. New York:
Edwin F. Kalmus, n.d.
Secondary Sources
Grove, George. Beethoven and H i s Nine Symphonies. Third ed.
1898; r p t . New Yoqk: Cover P u b l i c a t i o n s , 1962.
'deingartner, F e l i x . On t h e Eerformance of Beethoven1s Symphonies.
.
Trans. J e s s i e Crosland. Leipzig: Breitkopf & K ~ r t e l , 1907.
Rpt i n Weingartner on Xusic and Conducting: Three Essqys
by F e l i x 'Ideingartner. Yew York: Dover Eublications, 1969,
pp- 57-234. '