Allegretto: The much slower and more sober second movement again uses rhythm, this time with a measured, driving pulse beneath most of the movement.

The brilliant energy of the central theme is still audible while it gets passed around and transformed by the orchestra.

Poco sostenuto: After a loooooong introduction, the main ideas of the first movement explode into our ears.

Your browser does not support the audio element. The composer crafted almost the entire symphony from simple dance-like rhythms, evoking wild celebrations and festivals: What made the seventh symphony so popular? I think it's the bright energy and powerful rhythms.īeethoven was known for relying heavily on rhythm to create his music, but the seventh goes further. Now it's definitely time to look at the music itself.

At repeat performances in Vienna, listeners would cheer and clap their hands raw for the music which lifted their hopes and reminded them what was worth living for. They even demanded an encore of the beautiful second movement (still the most popular movement from the Beethoven Symphony 7).Īnd the piece never stopped stirring audiences into frenzies. The weary, miserable Viennese audience absolutely loved the symphony's fresh and positive energy.

Beethoven himself, already Vienna's most famous composer, conducted (what a concert that must have been!), and the orchestra was packed with the very best musicians and composers of the era. The premiere had to wait until 1813 though, at a charity concert for soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau (fought against Napoleon's army). This one would be full of the joy of life and dance. Inspired by the tranquility and beauty of his holiday, he set about sketching a new symphony.

What is beethoven 7th symphony about