Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor was written in 1807-1808. It is Beethoven's Opus 67 and was dedicated to F. J. von Lobkowitz and Graf (Count) A. von Rasumovsky.

The work was performed for the first time in Vienna on 22 December 1808. Though it received little notice during its premiere, another performance a year and a half later was well-reviewed by E.T.A. Hoffman, and its reputation has grown since.

The work is in four movements:

I. Allegro con brio

II. Andante con moto

III. Allegro

IV. Allegro

The first movement follows the sonata form and opens with a four-note motif, probably one of the most famous in western music:

This opening statement has been described by others as "Fate knocking at the door", which serves to give imagery to the dark, tense, and energetic mood of the movement. The four-note motif is repeated in various forms throughout the symphony and serves to unite it thematically.

The second movement is a lyrical movement which follows a theme and variations form. This relatively relaxed movement is a respite from the darkness of the first movement.

The third movement is a scherzo, which returns to the dark mood of the first movement. A transitional passage takes the music from C minor to the C major of the finale, which proceeds without a pause (Beethoven had tried a similar key change from B flat minor to B flat major at the opening of his Symphony No. 4). The allegro finale is interrupted by a brief, haunting reprise of the scherzo theme before the symphony ends triumphantly in C major.