Page 142 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

140 BREAKING THE MOLD OF THE CLASSICAL SONATA

The Lobkowitz Palace, in Vienna,
in a colored etching by Vincenz Reim
(1796–1858), was the site of the first
performance of Beethoven's Symphony
No. 3 in August 1804.

The third movement is lighter—a
lively scherzo (Italian for “joke”).
Like most scherzo symphony
movements, it includes a trio
middle section based on three
instruments. Beethoven innovated
here by using French horns more
prominently in a symphony than
ever before. These instruments had
no valves in the early 1800s, so they
could play arpeggios only in a single
key, which made them sound
especially martial, like a battle call.
The main theme of the scherzo
round off the movement, Beethoven Beyond the thematic manipulation, starts in an unexpected key. The
composed a hugely extended the music of the first movement is music has already changed key,
development, falling between a full of syncopations that distort from E-flat to B-flat, before the oboe
long exposition and recapitulation, the listener’s sense of the rhythm. finally begins the theme. Once
and ending with a coda of more Also, strong dissonances—ugly again, Beethoven was deliberately
than 100 measures. to listeners in the early 1800s— catching his audience by surprise.
Not only was the extreme leap out, where major and minor
duration and balance of the first seconds (notes two semitones and The end and beyond
movement unusual, but Beethoven one semitone apart, respectively) The finale of “Eroica” is a set of
also introduced an entirely new grate against each other. variations on a theme. Although
theme after the exposition (where this was not the first symphony to
all themes were traditionally first Constant surprises
stated) had ended. This new theme Beethoven followed the huge
was in E major, a key very far from structure of the first movement,
the home key of the piece. with its surprising tonal twists and
The shape of the opening theme turns, with a slow movement, cast
of the “Eroica” is also atypical. as a Marcia funebre, or funeral This strange and
It includes a C-sharp, a rogue note march. It is an intensely dramatic thundering work, the
that does not belong in the key of piece, with the minor-key opening most extensive and
E-flat major, and so pulls the music theme eventually giving way to richly artistic piece of
away from its home key and a blazing, more hopeful C major, all those created by
unsettles it. As a result, Beethoven before the opening theme returns
had to rewrite this subject in the and is presented as a fugato—a Beethoven’s original
recapitulation to get rid of the short fuguelike piece, where the and wondrous spirit.
C-sharp and create a satisfactory theme is imitated simultaneously Opening of a review
resolution. This defied the rules by different instruments as if they Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung
of sonata form, in which the are chasing each other. To have (February 18, 1807)
recapitulation is meant to contain such rich and intricate musical
the work’s musical ideas in the textures woven so extensively
same form as they appeared in into more than one movement
the exposition. was groundbreaking.

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