Beethoven
Music AS
Introduction (b.1 - 12)
- begins with 3 cadences; V7 (I in F major), V (VI in C major), V7 (I in G major)
- they are all primary chords; 1, 4 + 5 - travels round the 'Circle of Fifths' (clockwise builds tension + anticlockwise decreases tension)
- last chord uses rhythmic augmentation - grand/more important (b.3 - 4) - greatest tessitura (flutes --> double bass)
- soft dynamics, dense texture, conjunct (+ twisting) melody in violins, countermelody - falls in flute/bassoon/horns (+ viola), use of inversions
- homophony + antiphony used + interrupted cadence (b.8 - 11)
- broken chords (b.12) - rhythm similar to (b.3) - rising/falling scale + cancellation of F# - evidence of C major - classical sense of balance
Exposition - 1st Subject (b.13 - 41)
- using only 3 notes; G, B, C --> motivic - V-I, V-I
- dotted rhythm - exciting, all quavers, up octave/augmented
- sparse accompaniment - low tessitura - harmonically static
- 2 bar homophonic chordal passage (from woodwind) - chromatic shift up a tone to D minor (chord 2) via dominant (A major) (b.18)
- motif developed (b.25) - dominant - G major - 7th arpeggios in strings (b.30)
- passage ends with chord progression: I IV Ic V7 I --> classical sounding
- melodic lines - triadic (b.33-34) - outline tonic + dominant 7th (b.35-36)
- periodic phrasing - phrase groups of 2+2 - repeated + developed
- happens over repeated C in Bsn/Cb - tonic pedal
- four 2 bar phrases
- rhythmic alteration - quavers - more excitement
- I - V, I - V progression
exposition - transition (b.41 - 53)
three note motif - ascending sequence
exposition - 2nd subject (b.53 - 88)
- uses periodic phrasing:
use of sequence
use of repetition
Diatonic Functional Harmony
(V of V is a secondary dominant chord - dominant of the dominant e.g. circle of 5ths)
- in G major (dominant) (b.69 - 70) = Ib V7c I iib
- this is played twice over a dominant pedals (lots of Ds in brass)
- lots of contrary motion scales (b.75)
- section ends in G with a perfect cadence
- this section changes temperature (b.77 - 88) - suddenly quiet from G major to G minor i.e. to the minor chord V (unusual shift of tonality)
- Circle of 5ths used:
- all of these chords are found in G minor (not G major) - exploring dark, twisty, minor side?
- bass - 2nd subject melody: elongated + sounds more 'romantic' than 'classical' - change in texture (melody in bass NOT violins)
- solo oboe (b.79) = countermelody + bassoon (b.82) octave lower
- woodwind homophony (chords) (b.85-87) --> link to 1st subject?
codetta (b.88 - 109)
- 3 note motif (from 1st subject) returns - octaves in flute/oboe/bassoon/violin
- canonic effect between bass + melody (b.88 - 89)
- building intensity by chromatic harmony:
--> (b.95) diminished 7th chord on G# resolves to a minor (b.96)
- section ends with octave writing (b.98 - 100) D E C D G outlining G major
- codetta continues from b.100 with violin melody based on 2nd subject and liberal use of sf chords outlining V-I cadences in G major
- use of dominant 7th chord in woodwind from b.106 outlining G B D F to provide V7 - I cadence in C major for a repeat of the entire exposition
recapitulation - 1st subject (b.180 - 190)
COMPARED TO 1ST SUBJECT IN EXPOSITION:
recapitulation - transition (b.190 - 207)
- original transition C -> G
- this transition C -> C
- new material with an increased sense of harmonic venture
- V7-I cadences in various keys with tertiary relationships
- I: C - D - E - F - G - A
- V: F - G - Am - Bb - C - Dm
- crescendo: p -> ff
- rising harmonic pattern
- quickening harmonic rhythm (semibreves -> minims)
- almost chromatic scale in flutes
- 5 note falling semiquaver motif from 1st subject -> repeated more at end -> intensity
- timpani announce arrival on G at b.200
- more developmental that transitional (Beethoven initiative)
- 8 bars at end (b.200 - 207) in dominant (stable harmony) to prepare for 2nd subject -> contrasts
recapitulation - 2nd subject (b.208 - 255)
COMPARED TO 2ND SUBJECT IN EXPOSITION:
codetta + coda (b.255 - 300)
- essentially same as codetta in exposition BUT in C MAJOR (not G)
- extra bar at end (making 300) - allows sound to disperse OR making an even number?