Symphony No. Op. in F Major by Beethoven

In this piece that was provided by Professor Hopkins, it is a wonderful piece by Beethoven. Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 is from the classical period, that was composed in 1812. It is said to have been first performed in 1814. I read that in 1812 was when Beethoven was starting to become deaf, and he wanted to commemorate his achievements of being famous by writing as much music as he could. The instruments being used include flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, timpani, and strings. The duration of this piece is about 26 minutes, but in the video that was provided by Professor Hopkins is a little under 30 minutes. The first movement of this piece is known as allegro vivace e con brio, and considered to be the tonality, a part of the harmony that focuses on a home key center. Beethoven wrote this in a sonata form, with a triple meter in a three-pulse grouping with one initial strong beat, and two following weak beats. It has a rubato feel to It, which is weird because it was not common in this period to use notes to create those subtle changes in the tempo. It also turned into crescendo, and even has parts of fortississimo (fff) which is extremely loud, both deal with the dynamics of the piece. Towards the end of the piece you can hear how the sound starts to gradually diminish and become quieter. The second movement of this piece is called allegretto scherzando and is considered to be having a rhythmic feel that is slower than the first movement. I can hear similarity of some of the pieces that I have heard from Joseph Haydn when paying close attention to the rhythm. Technically when looking at this piece it is considered to be adagio (slow), but when I listen to it, it seems to be a little faster than I guess he originally anticipated. In the beginning of this movement it almost sounds like the notes are not completely whole, rather they sound more like 16th notes. In this movement it becomes more of a slowing down of the song, that played by the entire orchestra rather than just a few instruments. The third movement is considered to be the most nostalgic one out of them all. It is called the tempo di menuetto. It is named that because it has a part that is similar to a minuet, which is a type of musical composition that is known for being the social dance. Instead of being exactly like the original type of minuet, it is slightly changed to create that individual style that Beethoven has. Like all other minuets, this symphony was also written in a ternary form, throughout this movement I can hear specifically horns and clarinets being played more often than compared to the rest of the song. The fourth movement is considered to be the one that has the most substance to it. It is known as the allegro vivace, and throughout this movement you can see that there is a faster tempo than what was previously played. There is also development, meaning that in the beginning of this movement is starts off in a different octave that is constantly changing over the course of this movement. This movement might also sound familiar because it is similar to the first movement, and even the second movement but slightly changed. Something that is needed to be mentioned is how this movement is known as the coda or tail of the piece. Meaning that the piece is coming to the end of it, and is part of a sonata form, which comes back to being the tonality of the piece by being presented as the home key center. One thing to mention is at the end of the piece the symphony ends with a long passage of a loud tonic harmony. I don't know if you wanted this part in the paper, but I want to add how this piece made me feel as I was listening to it, like the way you asked for our other writing assignment. When listening to this piece, it honestly gave me a feeling of being at peace. As the piece was progressing to the other movements it was getting difficult for me to be able to keep up with all the ups and downs that the instruments were creating. I felt like I was being told a dramatic story that had a lot of triumphs and downfalls. That is the best that I can explain it, like imagine watching the Titanic, it is how I would imagine them to be feeling as they are experiencing such a beautiful and traumatic event that has happened. That is how I felt as I was listening to this piece.

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