It is Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony (F major, op.68, called the Pastoral or Pastorale in German) that has five movements. The composition is a program music, its subject is nature and the love of nature. The music has five scenes, each scene is a movement. The last three movements are meant to be played together without pause.
Beethoven composed nine symphonies all of them are unique creations. Partly reflecting his own development as a person and as a composer, partly reflecting the social and political changes of his turbulent time.
A symphony, as a rule, has four movements. The first movement speaks to the mind, usually with lively tempo. The second movement, the slow movement, is aimed at the heart and also provides a little rest for the audience. The third movement is a wake up call, again fast tempo, often dance like music. The final movement that closes the composition often is a vivid, strong parade of all the musical themes introduced before (like in the Ninth Symphony), but common characteristics of these movements are the vivid themes and cheerful finale.
Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony is unique among his symphonies. It is a so called program music, where the composition has an explicit theme. In this case nature itself. Beethoven loved nature, he went for a walk or hike to the hills and mountains around Vienna every day, regardless the weather! About this Pastoral Symphony he wrote:
“Here, … lying by the brook with nut-trees, listening to the birds singing, I wrote the ‘Scene by the Brook,’ and the goldhammers there up above me, the quails and cuckoos round about me, helped compose.”
The Sixth Symphony of Beethoven has scenes, each movement representing a scene. It has five scenes meaning five movements. Movement 3-4-5 are to be played together without pause.
Scene 1.: Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside
Tempo: Allegro ma non troppo
Key: F major
Scene 2.: Scene by the brook
Tempo: Andante molto mosso
Key: B♭ major
Scene 3.: Merry gathering of country folk
Tempo: Allegro
Key: F major
Scene 4.: Thunder, Storm
Tempo: Allegro
Key: F minor
Scene 5.: Shepherd’s song. Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm
Tempo: Allegretto
Key: F major
