Symphony No. 1 (Beethoven)

No. 1
by Ludwig van Beethoven
	1801 engraving by Johann Joseph Neidl.
Opus	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. The piece was made public in 1801 by Hoffmeister & Kühnel of Leipzig. It is not known when Beethoven finished writing this symphony, but some of the last part is from 1795.^[1]

Instrumentation

The symphony is written:

Woodwinds:

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

2 Clarinets in C

2 Bassoons

Brass:

2 Horns in C and F

2 Trumpets in C

Percussion:

2 Timpani in C and G

Strings:

1st Violins

2nd Violins

Violas

Cellos

Double basses

The clarinet parts are often played on B♭ clarinet, as C and D clarinets are not often used. Some people think the parts should be played on E♭ clarinets.^[2] The second flute is not used in the second part.

Form

I. Adagio molto, Allegro con brio

II. Andante cantabile con moto

III. Menuetto, Allegro molto e vivace

IV. Adagio, Allegro molto e vivace

United States Marine Band

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There are four parts, also calledmovements:

Adagio molto – Allegro con brio, Unable to parse music symbol time – Unable to parse music symbol time (C major)
Andante cantabile con moto, Unable to parse music symbol time in (F major)
Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace, Unable to parse music symbol time (C major)
Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace, Unable to parse music symbol time (C major)

It takes 22 to 29 minutes to play the work.

References

↑ Grove, George (1896). Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies. London: Novello. p. 2.
↑ Del Mar, Norman (1981). Anatomy of the orchestra. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 146–149. ISBN 978-0-520-04500-2.

Other websites

Full score of Beethoven's Symphony Number 1.
Interview with Christoph Eschenbach about the symphony.
[[scores:{{{id}}}|Symphony No. 1]]: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Symphony No. 1 played by Vienna Philharmonic, Felix Weingartner (rec. 1937)
Symphony No. 1 played by NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini (rec. 1939)
Symphony No. 1 played by Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler (rec. 1954)

[1] Grove, George (1896). Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies. London: Novello. p. 2.

[2] Del Mar, Norman (1981). Anatomy of the orchestra. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 146–149. ISBN 978-0-520-04500-2.

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