This week I wanted to write on the climactic final movement of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9, movement IV. For me, this piece has been somewhat difficult to follow without clear vocal parts throughout. In this movement Beethoven decided to set Schiller's Ode to Joy to music, as a finale to the preceding three movements. However, it is the first part of this finale movement that I am going to focus on.
Initially there is what seems to be a struggle between the different themes, which are separated by the lower strings playing in a "recitative" like manner, with Beethoven hesitating before settling on his final choice of theme for the movement. The movement opens with a dissonant chord, followed by all of the winds suddenly playing together, which is described as a "wake-up call" in the walkthrough. Then, it is the lower strings that interject and play in this aforementioned "recitative" like manner. Once again, we hear the wake up call, followed by a short lower string"recitative" interjection and then interestingly we have a quote from the very beginning of the movement - with the repetition of the nebulous beginning (the part where it sounds as though the orchestra is tuning). In fact, at this point it almost seems as though Beethoven is going to start the whole symphony again.
However, at this point the memory of the first movement is interrupted by the lower strings, as it seems that Beethoven does not want to develop or continue this initial theme. Then, we have another reminiscence, this time the galloping theme from Movement II. Beethoven allows this theme to start, however, it is quickly cut off by the lower strings. Then comes the memory of the theme from the beginning of theme III, which is unsurprisingly interrupted by the lower strings. Only then is it that we have the woodwind instruments introduce a new idea for the theme, and for the first time we hear this "Joy" theme. When the lower strings interrupt this time it is only to reinforce and reaffirm this "Joy" theme.
Therefore, what makes this opening of the final movement so interesting is the searching for a theme. Beethoven throws us back to the opening themes of the first three movements, only to cut them off short with the interjection of the lower string parts until we are finally introduced to the final theme, which is found acceptable and developed into the priciple theme of this final movement.
I'm interested as to what you think the bass voice adds to the new theme. The bass strings' acceptance of it over those from the first three movements fits perfectly with the fourth movement thus far, and with the rest of the symphony; the single voice actually jarred me when it cut in, because its so unexpected. Especially because there were so many singers on stage, the last thing any listener would have expected was for only one to stand and sing. I, personally, would have found it less strange if the whole chorus backed up the strings' acceptance, rather than just one voice.
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