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Watch and Listen: An Introduction to Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major

 
Beethoven Sketch  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beethoven_sketch_op_101a.jpg
Interactive Listening Assignment: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major

Here's the Idea

Get into Beethoven's head for a while and glimpse some of the important musical ideas and social issues that inspired Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in Eb Major. Symphonies are very complex musical forms containing a lot of information. This exercise should give you an overview of what makes a symphony and how composers use instruments or musical ideas to convey information or communicate messages to the listeners. Afterwards, you can take the quiz, "Listening Analysis."

NOTE: The website is rather innovative and has a high learning curve. Below, I added some handy tips for navigating the site. Let me know if you have suggestions to add in order to make this easier for others.
 
Objectives:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of how historical events of the day inspired Beethoven's Symphony No. 3
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the symphonic form and how it is organized
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of some of the compositional thought processes Beethoven used in writing this symphony.
Assignment Background
Symphonies are long works written by composers and performed by symphony orchestras. They are usually numbered and make mention of the key that the composer used. This is primarily a listening assignment that explores Beethoven’s use of the symphonic form and some of the thinking that went on behind the music.
You will probably need about two hours to complete this assignment. You will need to devote some time to maneuvering around the site. Because it combines music and video streaming, you will need a fairly powerful computer with adequate RAM to navigate easily through the site. You can try it on your home computer, and if you have problems you may need to use one of the computers on campus. Let me know if there are problems with the site.
As you know, one of the key objectives of the course is to develop listening skills. In other words, what is there to listen for in a particular piece or style of musical performance? Here is an excellent website that takes one of Beethoven's symphonies--"Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major"--and gives you a measure by measure explanation of what happens in the music. It even goes one step further and connects the music you hear with things such as Beethoven's struggle with his hearing loss or broader social movements of the time.


How to Link to the Site and Navigate through It:
  1. Click on the link called Listening Analysis: Interactive Music Example for Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major at the bottom of the page.
  2. Then find and click on the link entitiled, Ludwig van Beethoven: ' Eroica '. You should be at the main or front page of the site. Listen first to Michael Tilson Thomas' (conductor for the San Francisco Symphony) introduction.
  3. Click on "Beethoven's Life: Revolutionary Ties." There you will see a timeline. Click on the various links inside the timeline to focus on
  • Beethoven's deafness
  • those individuals who were influential in Beethoven's life and why they were influential.
  • the patronage system. You should recall from your text readings some mention of the patronage system. In other words, composers back then did not earn money from the sales of their works. They were supported by wealthy aristocrats who cared for the arts. Without a patron, a composer had little chance of having his works performed or putting bread on the table. Mozart and Beethoven were two of the earliest figures to break from the patronage system and become independent contractors. In other words, they hired themselves out to anyone who paid them to write music.
   4.  Go back to the front page of the site. Click on Explore the Score: Go Inside the Masterpiece. Then
  • Listen first to all the movements of the entire symphony without clicking on any of the markers. Movements are specific units within the entire symphony, which have their own rhythmic structure, key and themes. How many movements are in this symphony?
  • go back and listen just to the First Movement, which you will study in some depth. (Note when you click on Movements at the bottom while the song plays, all the movements come up). Note it is divided into several Exerpts that you can listen to one by one. Before you press play, go to the top of the page and click on SHOW MARKUPS.
  • go through the First Movement and note the following:
  • The MARKUPS are the most important thing to look at as you listen. Here, various individuals explain what is happening in the music, while making connections with Beethoven's personal life as well as broader social movements going on in the world. These observations are very insightful and clearly demonstrate the potential meanings this piece carries.
  • Be sure to note the following:
  •  How does the piece begin?
  •  What are the different functions of the instruments throughout the First Movement?
  • What are the emotions that Beethoven projects through the music, according to those interviewed?
 

Link Links to an external site.   Listening Analysis: Interactive Music Example for Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major