Beethoven- Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, op. 60 Part III
We continue our discussion of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major with the third movement.
- Adagio- Allegro vivace
- Adagio
- Allegro vivace
- Allegro ma non troppo
III. Allegro vivace
The movement begins with a quick, upward reaching melody that is very disjointed and uneven. This is followed by a series of rising and falling notes that, in direct contrast to the opening theme, seem out of place because they are exactly in time. Another uneven melody ends Part A, which is repeated immediately. At 0:27 a similar uneven melody begins (part B), but in an entirely different key. This time the uneven melody is not contrasted by an even pattern immediately after, but continues happily on its way. The low strings attempt to bring some order to the situation by playing longer, sustained notes (0:37) in time but their efforts are fruitless. The theme from part A is repeated with slight variation, making this section A’. Parts B and A’ are then repeated, ending the Minuet.
The trio begins (1:57) with a calm, quiet melody in the winds answered by three staccato string notes. They are joined briefly by the horns and bassoons, after which the strings trill slowly and quietly as if unsure about what pitch they’re supposed to play. The crude nature of the trill is almost exactly the same as that in the 2nd Symphony’s trio. Over this crude trill the main theme of the trio is replayed with the full orchestra. The end of the trio (3:14) begins with a rather weak string version of the upward reaching, uneven melody and signals the return of the Minuet, played without repeat.
The trio is played through after the minuet (beginning at 4:10) for a second time, which then transitions to the coda (5:25). Once again the uneven, upward reaching melody returns in the full orchestra followed by two sets of even notes played between the winds and strings. The horns crescendo into a last exclamation point by the orchestra to end the movement.
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If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Leonard Bernstein’s 2004 release with the Vienna Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophone. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage.
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