The research will analyze the two iconic musical composers of Beethoven Symphony No. 5 and the Mozart symphony. The analysis will compare and contrast the two musical compositions concerning the themes used, the tempos, the orchestration, and the dynamics of the composition. The two music have different quality of music based on the dynamics, tempo, and the pitch used.
The Beethoven Symphony No. 5
The Beethoven’s 5 th was written between the year 1804 and 1808 as classical music. The symphony was first performed in An Der Wien Theater in Vienna in 1808. The four-note composition starts with an ominous chord that leaves the listener unsure of what the next note to expect. The 5 th symphony uses spiccato to make the music lighter as the tune builds up. The transition of the music from one them to another is short (Kamien, 2014).
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The Mozart Symphonies
The Mozart music was given a lot of hype in the 20 th Century when it started to be played in concerts, theatres, media, and shows to inform the public about the music. The music composition flows naturally from the first theme to the next one requiring no bridge (Mozart, 2006).
Comparison and Contrast between the Two Symphonies. The Mozart symphonies have been played in public and show to encourage public appreciation for the music. However, the impact was negative. The audience felt that the music was overplayed to the point where it started to defeat the purpose of the piece of music. On the other hand, the Beethoven symphony was rarely played, and the people started appreciating the music and its quality. According to Kamien (2014), the public felt that the Mozart symphony was rather primitive and lacked bigness and cohesiveness. The Beethoven symphony was identified to have cohesion and taste.
The theme in the Mozart music was evident. A listener of a Mozart symphony identified with the music with where he or she is in a movement. The Mozart music uses approximately seven to eight diverse themes that makes it possible of a listener to relate or identify with when listening to the music (Burgess and Sweezey, 2002). The use of numerous themes makes the music less coherent with short-time one theme mentioned after another. The short mentioning of the themes makes the music sound under-developed.
Whereas, in Beethoven symphony, there is no sense of knowing where one is. Identifying the position as a listener is difficult. The Beethoven music uses at most two or three themes in a movement, thus making it difficult for the listener to identify their positions (Burgess and Sweezey, 2002). The fewer topics used makes it simpler and elaborates will the developments.
Orchestration. The orchestration entails the kind of instruments used in the composition of the symphonies. In the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 uses themes that have a frequency recurrence that has made the m elodic music pattern unique over the years. The symphony melody portrays a unifying principle in the composition. The unity in the melody makes it easy for the piece to be accompanied by any instrument. The song tends to stand on its own.
Furthermore, the composition can be played using a full orchestra , drums, and piano with a crescendo and ascension to give the music a lighter tone (Kamien, 2014). Mozart melody composition is composed to be performed in accompaniment of a piano. For instance, the Sonata work shows an exceptional example of work that portrays the use of instruments to create a subtle dynamic to the music (Mozart, 2006).
Tempo. The tempo of the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 begins with a very distinctive four-note of short, short, short, long motifs. The four motifs have made it possible for conductors to play the bars in either a much slower tempo or a statelier tempo. In other times, the rhythm of the symphony gets to be performed in a " malto ritardando” motif, a slow pace through each of the four-note phrases (Mitchell, 2015). The repetition of the motif throughout the symphony creates a rhythmic pattern that is unifying the symphony. The opening motif used can be heard in every bar of every first movement making it possible to modify other changes in the symphony.
In the Mozart symphony, the transition of the themes of the music from the first to the next one is natural. The tempo flows as the ideas follow each other giving the music a flavor of the themes and the right tone (Mozart, 2006).
Dynamics in the two iconic music have been portrayed in the melody composition. For instance, the melody composition of Beethoven is diverse. The music is composed of phrases that can easily be repeated in different pitches, different melodies, and even accompanied with different orchestrations (Mitchell, 2015). The basic rhythm always remains the same. The framework the melody was based on a simple pattern that recurs in varying melodic forms creating a unifying rhythm and dynamic to the music.
The Mozart symphony is written in one standard abstract form. The composition of the music is not as dynamic as that of Beethoven symphony (Mozart, 2006). The dynamics are precise with directions for articulation and the embellishments of the written work. The notions can easily be performed by a performer in different versions while maintaining the authenticity of the music (Mozart, 2006).
Conclusion
The analysis of the two icon music provided the comparisons and the contrasts that exist in the tow compositions. The two musical compositions have unique qualities that make them stand out on their own based on the tempo, orchestration, the themes used, and the dynamics.
References
Burgess, S., & Sweezey, E., (2002). Beethoven: symphony Mo. 5, young people concert spring 2002. University of Chattanooga, TN: Chattanooga.
Kamien, R., (2014). Music: An Appreciation, 11 th Edition. McGraw-Hill Education, NY: New York.
Mitchell, B., (2015). Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Op. 67, Tabular analysis, Movement II-IV, A Theory of Music. UK: London.
Mozart, (2006). Stations of his life as reflected in his piano music. Wiener Urtext Edition. Wiener Publication, UT.
