Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Beethoven is the most romantic of the classics, but the least romantic among the romantics... so he lives in the limbo of the pre-romantics. Obviously particularly in his late works. The fifth is a great peak but it is in the middle of a journey....

Hi Marzapane. The Fifth is always interesting. I am sorry to be writing only now after four days. Your question is 'tough'.

In my opinion, this symphony cannot be considered «romantic in every respect» since it is also a masterpiece of formal perfection. The formal aspect is brought to the highest degree of perfection 'on the path of simplicity'. I mean (I am thinking particularly of the 1st movement) that while in many other symphonic works by the same Beethoven, and even by other authors, there is a more 'refined', more 'complex' (more 'masterful' if you will) use of Sonata Form, in the first movement of the Fifth, 'fate' can knock as loudly as it wants but the Form is not prevaricated or weakened by it. Quite the opposite.

Even good Karajan, who from the Eroica onwards did not perform the ritornellos of the first movements in the name of a 'processual form' that has replaced an 'architectural form' in so much Beethovenian work, faced with the first movement of the Fifth (faced with its disarming formal simplicity) rightly performed the ritornello (and how could he not!).

In the Fifth, the formal aspect is very solid... despite the harsh test of "fate". Or perhaps thanks to this harsh test. Whereas one of the "romantic ideals" was instead the intolerance toward formal aspects for the benefit of expressiveness, which was not to be caged.

So, if I think about this aspect of romantic poetics, Beethoven's Fifth is as Classical as anything ever created (not only in music).

If, on the other hand, we forget the "ideals of romantic expressiveness" (which are punctually unmet: in much music of the mid-nineteenth century Form... is very solid!) and look only at the inner world typical of romanticism (conflict, struggle, adverse fate, strength of the individual, of the artist, etc...), then, from this perspective, to deny the Fifth a massive dose of romanticism one would really have to plug one's ears.

Marzapane wrote:

Then I would be interested in knowing the best analytical texts or those that deal with the subject.

Since it is tonal music, you can proceed in a traditional way, starting from the form and identifying the tonal paths. An interesting job can also be done with Schenkerian analysis; if I recall correctly, there should also be an exemplification of one of the movements so as to observe closely (practicing and trying it yourself before consulting the one already completed) how to arrive at the deep and underlying structures of this composition.

LucaCavaliere wrote:

So, if I think about this aspect of Romantic poetics, Beethoven's Fifth is as Classical as anything ever created (not just in music).

If instead we forget the "ideals of expressivity" of Romanticism (which were specifically unmet: in much music of the mid-nineteenth century, Form... is very solid!) and look only at the inner world typical of Romanticism (conflict, struggle, adverse fate, the strength of the individual, of the artist, etc...), then, from this perspective, to deny the Fifth a massive dose of Romanticism one would truly have to plug their ears.

..and indeed Beethoven's classification as a pre-Romantic composer can also depend on this, but technically speaking, on how much his syntax and management of form shifted from Classicism towards Romanticism