After exploring the first and second movements of Beethoven’s First Symphony, in this article we continue with the third movement. This is a short movement, a new joking (scherzo) approach from Beethoven, something he will hold dear in the future.
The third movement is intended to be a joke. In the classical style before Beethoven, the third movement was often a minuet and trio. The minuet is a slower tempo dance with a triple meter. In the middle came the trio, airier, lighter usually with a different instrumentation.
Although called Menuetto, the tempo marking is Allegro molto e vivace, meaning such a speed that it becomes essentially a scherzo. Scherzo means, I joke, and the intention is to play it cheerfully, playfully. The contrasting trio section resembles a pastoral scene, but the movement finally returns to the beating tempo and concludes the movement in a glorious finale.
The scherzo music was existing before Beethoven, but he was the one seizing the potential of it and making it part of his later symphonies, defining a new style.
Our first clip is from the beginning of the movement that starts with an ascend. The tune may sound familiar, this is something we already heard in movement 1.
The middle section is a pastoral scene, observe the two contrasting elements of winds, playing repeating chords and the violins playing quick, dashing lines.
Same idea, with clarinets and horns, accompanied by violins.
The finale is again a dialogue, tutti plays repeated chords, violins the dashing lines.
Continue here with the fourth and final movement!
