Reading C Beethoven
's Fifth Symphony (Fate Symphony)
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, also known as Fate Symphony, did not immediately become the world's (or even the composer's) most famous symphony. During his lifetime, the Third, the Eroica, was performed more often and the second movement of the Seventh deemed “the crown of instrumental music”. But over the course of the 19th century, the Fifth gradually came to epitomize Beethoven's life and musical style. It often appeared at the inaugural concerts of new orchestras, such as when the Philadelphia Orchestra first sounded in November 1900.
The Fifth Symphony picked up further associations in the 20th century, be they of Allied victory during WWII or through its appearance in commercials and popular culture. It is easy to account for both the popularity and the representative status of the Fifth. With the rise of instrumental music in the 18th century, audiences sought ways to understand individual works, to figure out their meaning. One strategy was to make connections between a piece of music and the composer's life. In this, no life and work has proved more accommodating than Beethoven's, whose genius, independence, eccentricities and struggles with deafness were well-known already in his own time.
Around 1801, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He suffered a severe form of tinnitus, a “roar” in his ears that made it hard for him to appreciate music and he would avoid conversation. Over time, his hearing loss became acute: there is a well-attested story that, at the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around in order to see the tumultuous applause of the audience. In 1802, he became depressed, and considered committing suicide. He left Vienna for a time for a small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, where he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament, in which he resolved to continue living through his art. He continued composing even as his hearing deteriorated. After a failed attempt in 1811 to perform his own Emperor Concerto, he never performed in public again.
As a result of Beethoven's hearing loss, a unique historical record has been preserved: He kept conversation books discussing music and other issues, and giving an insight into his thought. Even today, the conversation books form the basis for investigation into how he felt his music should be performed, and his relationship to art, which he took very seriously.
There are a variety of theories as to why Beethoven suffered from hearing loss, from illness like typhus, to lead poisoning and even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake. The oldest explanation, from the autopsy of the time, is that he had a distended inner ear which developed lesions over time. Russell Martin argued, from analysis done on a sample of Beethoven's hair, that there were alarmingly high levels of lead in Beethoven's system. And that high concentration of lead can lead to bizarre and erratic behavior, including rages. Another symptom of lead poisoning is deafness. In Beethoven's era, lead was used widely without true understanding of the damage it could lead to: in sweetening wine, finishes on porcelain, and even medicine.
In the fall of 1801, at age 30, Beethoven revealed for the first time the secret of his increasing hearing loss and stated in a letter that he would “seize Fate by the throat; it shall not bend or crush me completely”. It has not been difficult to relate such statements directly to his music. The struggle with “Fate” when it “knocks at the door”, as he allegedly told his assistant Anton Schindler, happens at the beginning of the Fifth, which helped endorse the favored label for the entire middle period of his career: Heroic. The Fifth Symphony, perhaps more than any of his other symphonies, more than those with explicit extra-musical indications like the Eroica, Pastoral, or Ninth, seems to present a large-scale narrative. According to this view, a heroic life struggle is represented in the progression of emotions, from the famous opening in C-minor to the triumphant C-major coda of the last movement some 40 minutes later. For Hector Berlioz, the Fifth, more than the previous four symphonies, “emanates directly and solely from the genius of Beethoven.”
● Comprehension Check
1. Complete each of the following statements with words taken from the text.
2. Choose the most appropriate answer to each of the following questions.
(1) What was regarded as “the crown of instrumental music”?
A. The third Symphony.
B. The Second Symphony.
C. The second movement of the Seventh Symphony.
D. The Ninth Symphony.
(2) When did Beethoven reveal the secret of his increasing hearing loss?
A. In the fall of 1801.
B. In 1802.
C. In 1811.
D. At the beginning of 1801.
(3) The Fifth Symphony often appeared at___________.
A. Inaugural ceremony of new presidents of the USA
B. Inaugural meeting of new orchestras
C. Inaugural concerts of new orchestras
D. Inaugural concerts of new conductors of an orchestra
(4) What is the positive result brought by Beethoven's loss of hearing?
A. He composed greater works of music.
B. His relationship to art is more intimate.
C. A unique historical record has been kept.
D. He began exploring music in a new direction.
(5) Beethoven's hearing loss is possibly attributed to the following except _____.
A. Lead poison
B. Illness
C. His habit of immersing his head in cold water
D. Exposure to loud noise
3. Discussion: Discuss your personal experience with masterpiece. Ask and answer the following questions.
(1) What masterpiece has impressed you the most?
(2) When and how did you first get to know the masterpiece?
(3) Do you know any stories behind the masterpiece?
(4) Why are you so captivated by it?
(5) In what way has it inspired you?