Beethoven 5th Symphony Analysis

During my examination of Beethoven's 5th Symphony I discovered that he starts with a four-note motive (short-short-short-long) which becomes the driving force for the entire symphony. He continues to modulate the motive in new and exciting ways with each new movement. Sometimes it is forcefully stated in its "original" (or first) form like the 1st movement or very subtly within a running melody as in the 2nd movement. Now that I have actually listened to and analyzed the musical components of the entire symphony I can sympathize with people who feel the first movement is over played and dull; however, I personally feel it is the most important movement because it is where the motive is established and the climax just can't be beat.
Beethoven gives it to the listener up front: the four-note motive upon which the entire symphony is based (short-short-short-long). You can't help but get chills when a brief pause before the recapitulation
gives way to the full weight of the orchestra playing the introductory four notes at fortissississimo! I do like the "bum-bum-bum-bah", but the most empowering part of the entire 1st movement is the climax during the coda between 06:29-07:14. The strings have several uplifting phrases over the woodwinds and brass playing chord accompaniment and a strong driving rhythm from the percussion. This is immediately followed by echoing phrases in the woodwinds and brass/percussion echoing four note phrases back and forth. I get goosebumps during this section because in my mind I see a powerful beast breaking free from its captor's chains, swelling with anger and a thirst for blood. The preparation for the climax is genius: Beethoven closes the recapitulation similar to the exposition then continues to build tension (again using the four-note motive) using ascending phrases and contrasts that with a long waterfall decent only to start growing again (again with another variation of the four-note motive).
Beethoven's 2nd movement follows a binary or "A-B" form (i.e. two contrasting themes) with variation in which the rhythm is modulated on each succeeding iteration. The main four-note motive is hidden in a softer legato melody until we hear the boastful trumpet fanfare at the end of the first theme pair. I find it remarkable how Beethoven was able to continue this motif in so many different and subtle ways. The second time the pair are played, the rhythm feels faster and more legato. My favorite iteration is the third where the mid-range voices play a 32nd note rhythm that is very connected, fast, and graceful. You can also hear a minor solo from an oboe playing sustained notes over the orchestra. During this section I imagine a gentleman in formal attire and white wig gliding across the dance floor with an elegant lady. For the most part both themes are played together, but during the fourth iteration theme B is played first followed by a transitional section and theme A. I consider this a kind of recapitulation right before the coda.
“The 3rd movement is in ternary form (A-B-A')” which is also confirmed in the online listening guide (Forney 185).
The same melodies are almost the same in both scherzo sections, however, the variation comes from the dynamics and tone color. Section A starts very bold, B seems hasty to me, then A' comes in very dark. I found the transition returning to the scherzo very sneaky: sections of the orchestra fall away until only the flute is left descending from a high-pitched solo, which is handed off to the clarinet, then to the low strings. It is an excellent lead-in which continues through the remainder of the 3rd movement. Initially I felt as if this movement was just one large transition from the 2nd movement to the 4th because although the original four-note motive was stated by the horns around 0:19, it didn't seem to be developed any further here (Forney 185). However, upon further review I now believe that the lifting phrases of the “rocket theme” (Fillerup) in the scherzo section are actually a variation of the four-note
motive.
In addition to introducing its own musical ideas in sonata-allegro form, I consider the 4th movement to be the recapitulation and coda for the entire symphony. You could say the 4th movement is doing double duty which is probably why its coda is so long. This one incorporates the four-note motive in yet another new way in theme B with rising and falling triplets. Beethoven broke convention by delaying the recapitulation to reintroduce the first scherzo from the 3rd movement, except this time a little faster and with an oboe solo.
Beethoven's 5th Symphony is much more elaborate than four bars of “bum-bum-bum-bah.” This famous four-note motive is manipulated and interwoven across four separate movements, over 31 minutes of music! A fact I was completely ignorant to until I listened to and dissected the entire symphony. For some, the first movement may be all they know, just the tip, of this giant iceberg that is Beethoven's 5th Symphony and they're bored of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to discover something new from something so old.