- PG
- 1992
- 1 hr 27 min
A high-spirited St. Bernard wreaks comic chaos around his neighborhood in this animated adaptation of the family movie s. Beethoven Season 1 View all. Good Old George; The Pound. Dog Dreams; The Good, the Bad and the Poodle. Join Peacock to watch this episode for free. WHAT'S ON PEACOCK. A powerful, moving and accurate docudrama based on the life of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Paul Rhys's masterful portrayal of Beethoven is particularly noteworthy, doing well to vividly convey the isolation and despair Beethoven experienced throughout his life, while insightful narration from the popular conductor, composer and presenter Charles Hazlewood does well.
When the Newton family gets a St. Bernard, the whole family is thrilled with their new pet except for Mr. Newton (Charles Grodin). They name their new dog Beethoven. Dad's not so sure about the wisdom of adopting a dog, and he becomes less sure when his family becomes so enamored of the smart and lovable canine that he himself feels neglected. Unknown to the rest of the family, before coming to them Beethoven was one of a number of dogs stolen from a pet store and slated to be sold to an unethical vet who wants to use the animals in tests. When they end up coincidentally taking Beethoven to this vet later, they are caught up in an adventure that becomes fraught with peril for their beloved dog. Bonnie Hunt stars as Alice Newton, and Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt have roles as the dog thieves in this comedy about a lovable dog, a loyal family and a reluctant dad whose heart needs to be won over.
| Symphony in C major | |
|---|---|
| No. 1 | |
| by Ludwig van Beethoven | |
Portrait of the composer in 1803, three years after the premiere | |
| Catalogue | Op. 21 |
| Style | Classical period |
| Composed | 1795–1800 |
| Dedication | Gottfried van Swieten |
| Performed | 2 April 1800: Vienna |
| Published | 1801 |
| Movements | Four |
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, was dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer. The piece was published in 1801 by Hoffmeister & Kühnel of Leipzig. It is not known exactly when Beethoven finished writing this work, but sketches of the finale were found to be from 1795.[1]
Historical background[edit]
The symphony is clearly indebted to Beethoven's predecessors, particularly his teacher Joseph Haydn as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but nonetheless has characteristics that mark it uniquely as Beethoven's work, notably the frequent use of sforzandi, as well as sudden shifts in tonal centers that were uncommon for traditional symphonic form (particularly in the 3rd movement), and the prominent, more independent use of wind instruments. Sketches for the finale are found among the exercises Beethoven wrote while studying counterpoint under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger in the spring of 1797.
The premiere took place on 2 April 1800 at the K.K. Hoftheater nächst der Burg in Vienna.[2] Most sources agree that the concert program also included Beethoven's Septet as well as a symphony by Mozart, but there is some disagreement as to whether the remainder of the program included excerpts from Haydn's oratorio The Creation or from The Seasons and whether Beethoven's own Piano Concerto No. 1 or No. 2 was performed.[3][4][5] This concert effectively served to announce Beethoven's talents to Vienna.[6]
Instrumentation[edit]
The symphony is scored for the following instrumentation
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The clarinet parts are commonly played on B♭ clarinet, as C and D clarinets are no longer widely used. However, there is some controversy over whether they should be played on E♭ instruments instead. The E♭ clarinet's timbre is much closer to that of the C and D clarinets than that of the warmer-sounding B♭ clarinet.[7] The second flute is not used in the second movement.
Form[edit]
Beethoven 1 Movie Free Online
There are four movements:
- Adagio molto – Allegro con brio, 4
4 – 2
2 (C major) - Andantecantabile con moto, 3
8 in (F major) - Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace, 3
4 (C major) - Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace, 2
4 (C major)
A typical performance lasts between 22 and 29 minutes.
Description and analysis[edit]
The beginning of the twelve-barintroduction of the first movement is sometimes considered a 'musical joke'. For example, the English musicologist Donald Tovey has called this work 'a comedy of manners'.[8] In fact, Symphony No. 1 can be regarded as a result of Beethoven's bold musical experimentation and advancement which he presents five years after Haydn's last symphony and twelve years after Mozart's final Jupiter Symphony: Unusually, Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 starts with a sequence of repeatedly accentuated dominant–tonicchord sequences, however, in the 'wrong' key and untouching and leading away from the tonic, so that the listener only gradually realizes the real key (or home key) of the symphony.
In correlation to the tradition, however, the first movement is composed exemplarily in sonata form. Here, as a new element, Beethoven uses the more lyrical second subject to display and intertwine the woodwind with the string instruments. The development is elaborate and mainly based on the first subject of the movement and explores a long harmonic progression (starting from A major, reaching B♭ major, passing F major at the end); it also refines the juxtaposition and combination of the orchestral instruments (woodwinds and strings); the recapitulation is almost coherent with the exposition; the coda reminisces the motivic work of the development before it closes the movement with strongly repeated chords played by the whole orchestra.
Due to Beethoven's metronome markings and the addition of the indication of con moto ('with motion'), the Andante (in F major, the subdominant of the symphony's home key) of the second movement is played considerably faster than the general concept of that tempo. In contrast to the tradition, Beethoven uses the entire instrumentation of the orchestra (2nd flute tacet) and, consequently, displays a vast spectrum of sound in this movement which, as well, is composed in sonata form.
The third movement is on the one hand remarkable because, although it is indicated as Menuetto, it is marked Allegro molto e vivace and, consequently, to be played so fast that it is essentially a Scherzo – a description mostly used after Beethoven's first symphony. Secondly, as an inherent element of the scherzo, it does not customarily display new melodies or motives, but instead uses the musical scales and triads from the first movement as motivic material which render this movement's momentum and wit. One notable element of this movement is the sudden change of tonal center very early in the movement. While many opening themes of symphonic writing of the Classical period typically stayed within diatonic harmony, Beethoven shifts chromatically from C major up to D flat major only about 36 bars into the movement. Given the tempo, a listener would hear that dramatic shift only about 15 seconds into the movement.
The finale opens with another introduction consisting only of scale fragments played slowly by the first violins alone (an unusual effect) beginning on G and gradually adding more notes. After finally reaching an F, outlining a dominant seventh chord in C major, the real start of the finale Allegro molto e vivace begins in C major with a theme similar (both in rhythm and character) to the 4th movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 88 in G major. Composed again in a solid sonata form, Beethoven uses the scale as the prevailing motivic element in this movement which, by character, pays most of all tribute to the customary finale established by Haydn in the preceding decades.
The musical form is in accordance with the established composing tradition. Musical content, instrumentation as well as tempi, is unusual, if not revolutionary, in its use for a symphonic work of Beethoven's time. Therefore, Beethoven introduced himself with this work uniquely and boldly as an advancing symphonic composer and stood true to this statement throughout his compositional life.
Notes[edit]
- ^Grove, George (1896). Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies. London: Novello and Company, Limited. p. 2.
- ^David Young, Beethoven Symphonies Revisited: Performance, Expression and Impact (Brighton, Chicago, Toronto, 2021)
- ^Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: Historical, Theoretical and Performance Interpretations Nicholas Alexander Brown, Brandeis University, May 2010
- ^Beethoven opus 21 Symphony No. 1 in C Major classiccat.net
- ^Beethoven: What did the 19th century think? Barry Cooper, classical-music.com, 27 October 2015
- ^Morris, Edmund. Beethoven The Universal Composer. New York: HarperCollins, 2005, pp. 77–78.
- ^Del Mar, Norman. 'Anatomy of the Orchestra'. University of California Press, 1987, pp. 146–9.
- ^Woodstra, Chris et al. (2005) All music guide to classical music: the definitive guide to classical music
External links[edit]
- Analysis of Beethoven Symphony No.1 at All About Ludwig van Beethoven
- (in French) Analysis of Beethoven Symphony No.1 by French composer Hector Berlioz on The Hector Berlioz Website
- Full score of Beethoven's Symphony Number 1.
- Interview with Christoph Eschenbach about the symphony.
- Symphony No. 1: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project