Beethoven · Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, "Fate"
Da-da-da DUM! A symphony built from four notes
- Key
- C minor
- Composed
- 1808
- Premiere
- 1808 Vienna
- Duration
- about 33 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 (+ piccolo and contrabassoon, 4th movement) · Brass 2·2·3·0 · Timpani · Strings
The story behind this piece
He began sketching it around 1804, but kept putting it off because of other works, and finished it in 1807–08 alongside the "Pastoral" Symphony. It premiered on December 22, 1808, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, together with the "Pastoral."
The premiere concert was an ordeal. It ran over four hours of new Beethoven alone, rehearsals were insufficient, and the hall was bitterly cold. The reaction at first was lukewarm, but its fame grew steadily, helped by a rave review from the writer E.T.A. Hoffmann.
A famous story has Beethoven saying of the first four notes, "This is how fate knocks at the door." But this remark comes from his secretary Schindler, who is known for embellishing stories, so it isn't certain whether it's true. In World War II, the "short-short-short-long" rhythm matched the Morse code letter "V," and was used as a symbol of Allied victory.
What to listen for
- Opening of the 1st movement: da-da-da DUM! This four-note rhythm keeps coming back throughout the movement, and indeed the whole piece
- Recapitulation of the 1st movement: while the orchestra holds its breath, the oboe alone offers a short, sad soliloquy
- 3rd to 4th movement: the timpani taps very softly, growing louder and bursting without a pause into the C major finale. Here the piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombones make their first appearance
Listen · Score
Credits