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Ludwig
van Beethoven (17701827)
Sinfonie Nr. 8 1811–1812
Courtesy of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin—Preussischer
Kulturbesitz, Musikabteilung
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Beethoven's
Sinfonie Nr. 8
18111812
In
the history of Western music, Ludwig van Beethoven
is pre-eminent, and was ultimately recognised
by his contemporaries as the greatest living composer
of his time. In all nine of his symphonies, Beethoven
essentially retained the traditional eighteenth-century
form of four movements, while steadily expanding
the scale and dramatic scope of the genre. As
a result, he is credited with elevating the status
of symphonic writing, such that the orchestral
symphony eventually became a ‘test’ of a composer’s
originality, poetic vision and control of form.
The
Sinfonie Nr. 8 (Eighth Symphony) is the
notable exception to these tendencies towards
greater length and solemnity. In a letter written
in 1815, Beethoven famously mentions the opus
93 as ‘a little one’, and the work as a
whole is usually characterised as ‘humorous’ and
vibrant. In that vein, the Eighth has been
called the ‘metronome’ Symphony, due to repeated
chords ‘ticking’ lightly through its second movement.
This motif was perhaps Beethoven’s witty tribute
to his friend Johann Mälzel, who had recently
invented the metronome. Without a slow movement,
the Eighth Symphony’s four movements are
designated respectively Allegro con brio,
Allegretto, Tempo di menuetto and
Allegro. The bound manuscript displayed
is that of the first movement, and ‘Allegro
vivace e con brio’ can be seen written quite
legibly in the lower left corner, indicating that
it should be played ‘at a lively speed and with
spirit’. The first performance of the Eighth
Symphony took place in Vienna in February
1814.
This
manuscript of the Eighth Symphony served
as the basis for a first printing of the Symphony
in 1817. Although representing a very late stage
in the compositional process, it is a variously
layered record of the composer’s musical thinking,
best described as a ‘working manuscript’.
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