Symphony No. 6 in F Major

Symphony No. 6 in F Major, symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. Premiering in Vienna December 22, 1808, on the same concert that offered the premiere of his Symphony No. 5, this work is distinct from that one in part due to its generally optimistic character, but also by the presence of a sequence of scenes that the music attempts to capture. Many modern listeners came to know Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony through its appearance in the Walt Disney’s Fantasia film of 1940, in which the scenes of mythological creatures are remote from Beethoven’s own vision, helpfully specified by the composer’s own heading to the individual movements.

Beethoven once remarked, “I love a tree more than a man.” The thought is perfectly in keeping with the dawning Romantic movement and its celebration of nature. Beethoven’s closest friends attest that he was always most at ease when vacationing in the countryside, where he could take long solitary walks through the fields and woods, another favorite pursuit of Romantic contemporaries such as William Wordsworth. That is exactly the man who is captured in his Symphony No. 6.

Early sketches for this symphony date from 1802, though its actual composition waited until the summers of 1807 and 1808, which Beethoven spent in the village of Heiligenstadt. In that rural retreat, a green escape from city heat, his mind was at rest, and he was able to compose not only this symphony but also the Symphony no. 5, the Cello Sonata in A major, op. 69, and the two op. 70 Piano Trios. During this period, Beethoven produced so many works that he was uncertain which symphony was finished first. He initially cataloged the Pastoral Symphony as number five and the c-minor Symphony as number six. The numbering was only altered at publication.

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The first movement, Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Country, sets an idyllic mood. A sort of skipping rhythm is heard throughout this movement, as if the composer were envisioning village children at play. The second movement is Scene By the Brook, in this case, a gentle brook frequented by quails, cuckoos, and nightingales, whose voices are evoked by the woodwinds: oboe, clarinet, and flute, respectively. The individual parts indicate specifically which instrument represents which bird. The flowing stream, meanwhile, is evoked by strings that are either muted or played pizzicato, suggesting splashing water.

The third movement has human inspiration, with the scherzo Merry Gathering of the Country Folk. The music progresses in an ebullient, though somewhat undirected fashion, as if portraying a band of barely talented, or barely sober, village musicians. Phrases are often interrupted, and sudden declarations break into the melodic flow.

Like all merry-making, this party too comes to an end, in this case, with a change in the weather, as the fourth movement, Thunderstorm, arrives. The storm rages away throughout the orchestra, though especially with the full brass and percussion, augmented by busy cellos and double basses. The storm subsides with the beginning of the fifth movement, Shepherd’s Song —Happy, Thankful Feelings after the Storm. Here, Beethoven gives first to the clarinet, and then the horn, his Shepherd’s Song. This theme gradually grows to become a serene and rapturous melody, the one that he wishes to leave in his listeners’ ears as the symphony ends.

The last three movements are played without pause, the entire symphony ending on a tranquil note, altogether different from the tightly wound, explosive force so dominant in the Fifth Symphony.

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