Beethoven - nine famous symphonies Quiz

Answer: He did not start the symphony in the key it was written in

Beethoven's first symphony was first performed on April 2, 1800 in Vienna. At this time, composition theory and practice was determined by a host of conventions and traditions that determined how each movement of a symphony had to be structured, what it was allowed or forbidden to contain and how to use melody and harmony. One of these rules was that a piece's first chord had to be that of its key, establishing the tonal structure. Beethoven caused a small outrage among traditionalists by breaking with this pattern - the entire 12-bar adagio introduction avoids the C major key entirely, teasing around it.

The key is finally reached on the 13th bar when the main allegro part of the movement begins.

Answer: "a hideously writhing, wounded dragon that refuses to die"

The quote which, in full, reads "a hideously writhing, wounded dragon that refuses to die, but writhing in its last agonies and, in the fourth movement, bleeding to death." appeared in the "Zeitung fuer die elegante Welt" (Newspaper for the Elegant World), a contemporary newspaper for Vienna's higher circles. Several critics also made comparisons to gastric noises, but the actual "hiccup" quote is a summary of those reviews from Robert Greenberg's 1996 monograph on Beethoven's symphonies.

The other two quotes are my own invention.

Answer: The ballet "The Creatures of Prometheus"

Written with Napoleon Bonaparte in mind, Beethoven's third symphony was to celebrate a heroic life. However, before the symphony premiered, Napoleon declared himself Emperor and Beethoven became disillusioned with him, famously tearing up the title page of his manuscript bearing the dedication.

The "Prometheus" theme originally composed for the ballet and reused as the basis for the finale was one of Beethoven's most recurring themes: It was used at least twice more, in one of the 12 Contradanses and as the basis of a set of variations for piano.

Answer: No. 4 was a paid work commissioned by a noble who loved No. 2

Dedicated to "the Silesian nobleman Count Franz von Oppersdorf", the fourth symphony was the only commissioned work among the nine Beethoven symphonies. The Count had originally heard Beethoven's second symphony played at a concert and liked it so much that he offered Beethoven a substantial sum of money to have a symphony written for him.

Answer: It is set in the form of a fugue.

In many ways, the third and fourth movement of the fifth symphony form a single greater unit. Set in different times and keys, they represent a strong contrast which is further pronounced via reprises of the "fate motif" from the first movement towards the end of the scherzo. The final movement almost completely abandons the minor key and ends on the triumphant major parallel.

Answer: 2nd - Scene at the Brook

Subtitled "more the expression of feeling than painting", the sixth symphony is a five-movement work recreating the feelings, sights and sounds of a day in the romantic early 19th century countryside. It begins with the rather abstract "Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country", followed by the brook scene.

The remaining three movements again form one contiguous unit - the happy country folk gathering is interrupted by the storm whose passing then leads into the finale whose full title is "Shepherds' song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm".

Answer: Wounded soldiers

Like most Beethoven symphonies, the seventh also premiered in Vienna, in this case on December 8, 1813. The event was a charity concert for soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau, part of the continued war effort against Napoleon. The other work played at the same concert was "Wellington's Victory", a relatively unknown Beethoven piece for full orchestra written half a year prior. Having turned from an admirer of Napoleon to an avid supporter of his enemies to this extent shows just how disappointed Beethoven was at the man whom he at first saw as a liberator but later as a cruel oppressor of the French and all Europeans.

Answer: A slow movement

The eighth symphony is characterized by a fast pace, joyous mood and a generally humorous treatment of melody, rhythm and harmony. It contains many small musical jokes and unusual transitions in a format that has two fast allegro movements surround two just slightly slower middle movements - an allegretto and a minuet. Also as further deviations from traditional form, the opening movement is in three quarter time and the longest, most elaborate movement is not the first but the finale, foreshadowing the form of the ninth symphony.

Answer: Beethoven himself

The stunning transition from the rather chaotic, prestissimo ending of the fourth movement's instrumental introduction to the choral finale rests on the sole shoulders of the baritone soloist whose initial "O Freunde!" ("Oh friends") literally interrupts the orchestral crescendo.

The three slow lines lead over from almost infernal sounds to the clear and simple melody of "Freude, schöner Götterfunken" ("Joy, beautiful spark of the gods"). Lacking any fitting lines of text to make this introduction, Beethoven wrote them himself.

He made some other small additions and alterations in the later text as well.

Answer: The ninth

After the success of the ninth symphony and its choral finale (which was initially developed as a work of its own and only later integrated into the symphony), Beethoven intended his tenth symphony to follow roughly the same format although there is no conclusive evidence on the literary work he wanted to use as a basis. Only the first movement was completed to a point from where a reasonably accurate performing version could be assembled and even that assembly, done by English musicologist Barry Cooper, is far less certain than other reconstructions such as that of Mahler's tenth symphony.

Some sketches of a scherzo exist as well, but it is not known whether they were intended for this symphony or a different work.