Symphony #5
Ludwig Van Beetoven
1804-1808
Made in Vienna
This symphony is one of the most popular and best known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies.
Beetoven was in his mid-thirties during this time. His personal life was troubled by increasing deafness. He eventually went completely deaf and miraculously still composed music.
The Fifth Symphony was premierred on December 22, 1808 at a mammoth concert at the Theater An Der Wien in Vienna consisting entirely of Beetoven premieres and directed by Beetoven himself. The concert lasted for more than four hours.
In the classical era during Beetoven’s time there was a rise in the middle class. There was a very big rise in public concerts, mainly because composers found that they can make a living on their own and didn’t need to work and compose songs for wealthy people or families anymore.
What I like about this piece is mainly the interesting story of the composer, Beetoven. It’s amaing that he was such a successful composer when he was almost deaf, he started losing his hearing 15 years before he composed the Fifth Symphony. I also like this peice because the familiarity, I heard it while growing up from time to time.
maurinesblog 
This is a very famous piece and rightly so; it is extremely complex and powerful. All of the factual information regarding this piece was given at the beginning, which made it easy to get involved right away. One of the things I noticed immediately though is a spelling correction. I know it can be confusing because we pronounce his name differently than it looks, but the correct spelling is Beethoven. (No worries, I’m sure I’ve made this mistake before!) I think the power of Beethoven is very apparent in this piece. It was played for the middle class, but it is very complex, and they liked it anyway! I liked that the video you posted displayed the four movements before they began, because I don’t think I would have been able to recognize them on my own. I admire Beethoven’s ability to produce music even after he went deaf. Maybe he went deaf because he seemed to like really loud compositions! When I was younger his music was upsetting to me because it always seemed so aggressive and loud, but now that I am older I appreciate his musical talent much more. Thanks for blogging about this piece!
I too blogged about a work of Beethoven. His talent is so inspiring, writing music even though he is deaf. I read that he also had three periods where he wrote music with different styles. The music he wrote when he was deaf was often wild and complex and dark as opposed to the earlier works which were happier. Im glad that his music was apprecieated before his death and the middle class was able to enjoy it. The only thing i have to critique is lack of sources.
You had the title of the piece, the artist, the place, and the year. The clip inserted at the beginning was nice, too. Good job. Though there were some grammatical errors, it was nicely put together. I liked that you went into some background information on Beethoven, and you successfully mentioned the rise in the middle class. You talked about what you liked about it; how you admired him and that you knew the piece from growing up. However, I didn’t see any sources, and that would have been nice. I myself also enjoy this symphony; I grew up listening to it, too. I love the passion in the piece, right from the beginning.
I chose one of Beethoven’s pieces as well. I love his music and have an even greater respect for it now that I know more about his problem with being deaf. You explained very well the factual information. Right from the start I knew who wrote the piece, where it was written, what year he finished it, and its title. Like you, I was familiar with Beethoven before studying this chapter which drew my attention toward his early life and career as a composer. I felt your connection to Beethoven and the rise of the middle class was a little general. I would have liked to know more about the relationship between them. Do you believe that there is a relation between Beethoven and the rise of the interest in music from the middle class? If there hadn’t been such a rise, do you think it would have influenced Beethoven as becoming a composer? I really like learning about people that I have heard of before this class, which is why Beethoven attracted my attention. Not to mention his music is amazing. Your blog was very well written and easy to read.
Hi!
Even though he is deaf, he still is magnificent! You made good connections and had all of your information. Would you ever want to go and watch him in person? If only! I have never been big on this type of music, but I did enjoy listening to him. You didn’t list your sources, and there was a few grammatical errors, but other than that great job! (: