Crossing Out Napoleon in Beethoven's Symphony No 3 "Eroica"
IV. Finale. Allegro molto
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55
I'm Ludwig van Beethoven, and I'm about to explain the IV. Finale. Allegro molto movement of my Symphony No 3 "Eroica". You'll hear a set of variations on a theme I had already used in a ballet, and watch it grow into a fugue, a slow Poco andante and a fast closing coda. My fellow composers and I teach you on this site to recognize our pieces when they play, so once the finale ends, test yourself in the Trainer and see how well it works.
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Spot the Tune, Win Nothing
I'd like you to listen to this finale as a game of spot the tune, because one theme comes back again and again in different outfits. Keep an ear on the strings, which carry most of the music, and notice how the flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons take turns picking up the melody. The horns, trumpets and timpani mostly add weight and sparkle, so listen for them whenever the music swells. You don't need to know the names of any variations, because it's enough to ask yourself each time whether the tune now feels playful, gentle, stern or triumphant.What's in a Name?
Finale is simply the word for the last movement, the place where everything that came before has to land. Allegro molto is my instruction to the players, and it means very fast, so the movement announces its mood before a single note is heard. The speed doesn't stay the same all the way through, though, because later I ask for a Poco andante, which is a little slower and calmer, and then a Presto, which is faster still. I wanted this last movement to feel like an answer to the three that came before it, and I chose a tune I already loved to make that answer.One Tune, Many Disguises
Choosing the form for this finale was an adventure, because it's not a sonata and it's not a rondo, but a set of variations in E-flat major. The theme wasn't new even then, since I had already used it in a contredanse, in my ballet The Creatures of Prometheus and in my Op. 35 piano variations. The movement runs to more than 400 measures and takes roughly 9 to 13 minutes, and along the way it includes a fugue, a slow Poco andante section and a fast coda. I'll take these parts one at a time in the next paragraphs, so you'll always know where you are in the music.Section 1: A Running Start
The finale begins Allegro molto with a rush of quick notes in the strings, a bit like someone sprinting to catch a train. Then the noise drops away, and what's left is a bare, plucked bass line that sounds almost too plain to be the main tune. That's deliberate, because I wanted you to hear the skeleton of the theme before it gets any clothes, all of it firmly in E-flat major. The mood is light and a little mischievous, as if I'm promising you that something bigger will grow out of this small beginning.Section 2: Dressing Up the Tune
Now the real melody arrives, and for a while it passes between the woodwinds and the strings, changing its character each time it returns. Sometimes it sounds lively and dancing, sometimes it turns darker and more serious, and the music wanders away from E-flat major before finding its way home again. Each variation keeps the same tune underneath, so you can think of it as one person trying on different coats. The tempo stays brisk throughout, and the mood swings from playful to stormy to proud, which is where the story of the movement really begins.Section 3: Everybody Chases Everybody
Next comes the fugue, which is a way of writing music in which one instrument starts a tune and the others enter one after another, each copying it. If you've ever sung a round with friends, you already know the basic idea, except here the voices pile up into something much more tense and dramatic. The pace is still fast, but the texture is thicker and more serious, and it sounds as if the whole orchestra is arguing about the same subject. Listen for the way the lines tangle and then clear up again, because that release is what prepares you for the calm that follows.Section 4: A Moment to Breathe
Then the music slows right down into the Poco andante, and after all that rushing it feels like walking into a quiet room. The tune comes back in a warm, singing form that sounds almost like a hymn, and the woodwinds are especially tender here. This is the emotional heart of the movement for me, because the playfulness has gone and what remains is something sincere and heartfelt. The slowness doesn't last long, but it gives the ending its meaning, since you've just heard how quiet this music can be.Section 5: Full Speed to the Finish
The final stretch is the coda, marked Presto, and it's the fastest music in the whole movement. The orchestra races ahead with the trumpets, horns and timpani adding their full weight to the strings and woodwinds. The theme comes back in bursts, now bright and victorious, and the mood is pure celebration after everything that came before. We end firmly in E-flat major, where the symphony began, with a final blaze of sound that leaves no doubt that the journey is over.Press Play and Hold On
Now I invite you to listen to this finale for yourself, so find a comfortable spot, press play and let the music carry you. As you listen, keep in mind what we've talked about, and try to catch the theme each time it returns in a new disguise. Don't worry if you miss a few of them, because the music is built so that you can enjoy it fully on a first hearing. I hope this journey through my finale is as thrilling for you to hear as it was for me to write.---
I hope you enjoyed learning about the finale of my Symphony No 3 "Eroica", the Allegro molto, as much as I enjoyed telling you about it. Now that you've heard how a theme I had used before grows into variations, a fugue, a slow Poco andante and a fast coda, I hope the movement feels a little closer to you. There is still more to discover about my Symphony No 3 "Eroica", from the stories behind it to the other movements I haven't talked about here. If you'd like to keep exploring, please click on the links provided and carry on from there. Every time you listen again, I think you'll notice something you missed before.