symphony no. 4 in b-flat major, op. 60 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Beethoven is considered the composer who changed the face of music more than any one else. Haydn's symphonies, string quartets and piano sonatas (and to a lesser extent also Mozart's) were his model, which he perfected and developed in a manner that shook the musical world. In each of those three genres (string quartets, piano sonatas and symphonies) Beethoven is the greatest composer of all time, but it seems that his symphonies had the greatest influence on the major changes that took place in the music world in the nineteenth century. The innovation in Beethoven's symphonies can be characterized on several levels: Form - Beethoven's ability to develop a simple theme in endless possibilities and his tendency to broaden forms and endings made the symphonies significantly longer; Character and drama - while his great predecessors, such as Bach and Mozart, saved the great dramas for their vocal works, Beethoven transferred them to the concert halls, using, among other, dynamics and accentuation effects; Sound - the rich and lush sound of the symphonies in the Romantic Era stems from Beethoven's symphonies. The Fourth Symphony was written in 1806 and was dedicated to Count Franz von Oppersdorf, who paid Beethoven 350 Florins for it. Its historic place between two of the most famous symphonies in the history of music, Beethoven's Third ("Eroica") and Fifth symphonies, cast a shadow on the Fourth, which, indeed, does not "catch the ear" like its two famous siblings but its high musical qualities reveal an important facet of its composer's stylistic development. Like three other Beethoven symphonies (nos. 1, 2 and 7), the Fourth opens with a slow introduction. But unlike those symphonies, this introduction is mysterious, soft and tense. The introduction's restrained force bursts out suddenly at the beginning of the fast section. The waves of joy heard in the first theme are different from the waves of humor and rolling laughter of Mozart's works. Here, the bursting joy stops abruptly before the second theme, in waves of emphasized syncopations. All through the second, slow movement in E major, a contrast between two forces is felt: the main theme - courtly, calm and broad, and a monotonous motif of dotted rhythm and inner restlessness. The development section features a series of variations on ca. 34 mins. Adagio - Allegro vivace Adagio Allegro vivace Allegro ma non troppo
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