Ludwig van Beethoven's composing career began in the last decade of the 18th century and ended with his death in 1827, and thus spanned from the Classical to the Romantic period. In his youth, he studied under F. Joseph Haydn, one of the greatest Classical composers; in his maturity, he anticipated the Romantic style which was later fully realized in the works of Schubert, Schumann, and Berlioz, among others. Beethoven's wrote only nine symphonies; on its face this seems paltry compared to Haydn and Mozart, who established the Classical symphonic style--between them, they wrote over 150. However, despite the beauty (and often humor) found in Haydn's symphonies and the sheer brilliance of Mozart's, Beethoven single-handedly redefined the form and used it as a means of emotional, as well as musical, expression. This research will examine two of Beethoven's symphonies, his First, Op. 21, and his Fifth, Op. 67. The two works will be critically analyzed and compared and contrasted with one another and with the earlier, Classical symphonies of Haydn and Mozart as well.
A casual glance at the overall structure of the symphonies under discussion reveals no extraordinary structural differences between them and the standard Classical symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. Both symphonies are comprised of four movements in the standard order. The only discrepancy is that the third movement of Beethoven's Fifth is a scherzo and trio (structurally--it is labelled simply Allegro) rather than the Classical minuet and trio, as found in the First. Both scherzos and minuets are in triple meter, however, and so although they are not identical forms, the overall difference is relatively superficial. It is therefore not in the organization of the works as a whole but in the realization of the movements that Beethoven's symphonies break with the traditions established by his predecessors; thus a detailed examination of the works is essential.
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