Listening
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor (symphony)
Performance by Berliner Philharmoniker, Kirill Petrenko, conductor. [Listen on Digital Concert Hall] Note this link may require library access.
Performance by Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, conductor. [Listen on YouTube]
Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique (program symphony)
V. Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath
Program music: Instrumental music for which the composer supplies an associated story or other nonmusical concept.
Starting at 43:03: Performed by the Orchestra of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar with Nicolás Pasquet, conductor. [Listen on YouTube]
IN YOUR DISCUSSION POST: For ONE movement of the Beethoven, and the fifth movement of the Berlioz: Think about the musical element you hear as the most prominent, (pick only one!) and write a brief description (a sentence or two) that describes that element in the context of the piece. Next, consider how that element interacts with at least one other musical element and share your observations in a sentence or two. For example, you may hear the melody as the most prominent and could then discuss how the melody relates to the texture, the harmony, or the form. Be sure to identify which work you are describing.
Remember that musical elements include the following:
- Melody (pitch)
- Rhythm/beat/meter
- Timbre / tone color (Instrumentation, including the human voice)
- Texture (monophonic, polyphonic)
- Harmony (more than one sonority sounding simultaneously. Here you can think about whether the simultaneous sonorities sound consonant or dissonant to your ear.)
- Form
- Articulation (how the performers are playing a line, such as sound short and separated (staccato) or long and connected (legato))
Reading
E.T.A. Hoffmann, “Beethoven’s Instrumental Music” from Kreisleriana No. 4 (1814)
Locke, Arthur Ware, and E. T. A. Hoffmann. “Beethoven’s Instrumental Music: Translated from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s ‘Kreisleriana’ with an Introductory Note.” The Musical Quarterly 3, no. 1 (1917): 127–133.
Who is Beethoven?
Slonimsky, Nicolas, et al. “Beethoven, Ludwig van.” Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, edited by Nicolas Slonimsky and Laura Kuhn, vol. 1, Schirmer, 2001, pp. 260–271. Gale eBooks.
Who is Berlioz?
Slonimsky, Nicolas, et al. “Berlioz, (Louis-) Hector.” Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, edited by Nicolas Slonimsky and Laura Kuhn, vol. 1, Schirmer, 2001, pp. 314–317. Gale eBooks.
Wider Context
OPTIONAL: For a wider context, see Oxford Reference for timelines of world history by century.
