BEETHOVEN'S SYMPHONY NO 5
'II. ANDANTE CON MOTO'
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
I'm Beethoven, and in this part I'm about to walk you through the second movement of my Symphony No 5, the Andante con moto. Are you curious to hear what lies behind this calm and quietly restless music? I'm here to guide you through its details, one step at a time, so that you can hear more each time it returns. Once we've looked at the Andante con moto together, I'll also suggest a few ways to explore the rest of Symphony No 5.
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Two Characters and No Homework
My advice for this movement is to listen for two characters and let everything else look after itself. The first is a warm, singing tune played by the violas and cellos, who are the deeper and darker cousins of the violins. The second is a march with trumpets and timpani, and it is hard to miss once it arrives. Each time one of them comes back, ask yourself what has changed, because that question is the whole secret of this movement.A Walk, but Not a Stroll to Nowhere
I called this movement Andante con moto because I wanted it to move at a walking pace, but not a lazy one. Andante is the walking part and con moto means with motion, so the music goes along calmly while always having somewhere to be. That suited the singing melody, which needs room to breathe, and it suited the march, which needs a little push from behind. I also wrote it in 3/8, so a gentle three-beat sway sits underneath everything, and it feels quite different from the first movement.Two Themes, Many Outfits
The form of this movement is variations. To be exact, they are double variations, which means I wrote two themes and let each one return in a new shape. It's a bit like two friends who keep turning up at the same gathering, each time dressed a little differently. I'll only name the sections here, because I want to take you through them one at a time in the next paragraphs.Section 1: The Tune Arrives on Tiptoe
The movement begins in A flat major with the violas and cellos singing the first theme, and the mood is tender and unhurried. Notice how the melody seems to stretch itself out, as if it has all the time in the world. I wanted you to settle into this sound before anything else happened, so the music stays gentle and the tempo stays steady. If you only remember one thing from this section, let it be that warm, dark color of the lower strings.Section 2: The March Doesn't Knock
Then the second theme steps in, and it is the swaggering march with trumpets and timpani that I mentioned a moment ago. The mood changes at once, from tender to bold, and you can almost hear the shoulders going back. The tempo marking stays the same, but the music feels firmer because of the brass and the drum. I wanted these two themes to feel like they come from different worlds, so that the story has something to argue about.Section 3: The Tune Gets Dressed Up
Now the lyrical theme comes back, and this time I have decorated it with quicker, more flowing notes around the melody. It's still the same tune underneath, so see if you can spot it, like a familiar face in a new hat. The calm of the first section returns, but it has a little more motion in it, which is what con moto promised. This is where the variation idea starts to pay off, because you recognize the theme and still hear something fresh.Section 4: The March Wants Another Turn
The march returns as well, and I let it change its character so that it doesn't simply repeat itself. Listen for the trumpets and timpani again, because they tell you right away which theme has come back. The mood swings once more from the singing side to the confident side, and by now you know the pattern well enough to anticipate it. I enjoy this back and forth, because it keeps you leaning forward, even though the pace never turns hurried.Section 5: Saying Goodbye Without Slamming the Door
In the last stretch the two themes have both had their say, and I let the music wind down with a feeling of settling in. The melody and the march no longer feel like strangers, and you may notice that they sit closer together than they did at the start. I wanted this movement to leave you a little calmer and a little more curious than when it began. That suits me well, because the scherzo comes next and brings the four-note rhythm back to the front.Press Play and Make Yourself Comfortable
Now it's your turn to hear this movement for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you along. While you listen, keep the two themes in mind and enjoy spotting them each time they return in a new form. You don't need to know anything about music for this, because your ears will tell you when the mood changes. I hope you enjoy this walk through my Andante con moto as much as I enjoyed writing it.---
I hope you enjoyed learning about the listen guide for the Andante con moto of my Symphony No 5, and that it gave you a few new things to listen for. Once the last notes of the movement fade, I like to sit for a moment and let the quiet settle, and I hope you can do the same. A walking pace, a singing melody and a swaggering march can seem simple, yet each time you hear them again you may notice something you missed before. There is still a lot more to discover in this symphony. The stormy movement that opens it, the scherzo that brings the four-note rhythm back, and the finale that arrives in bright C major all have their own stories to tell. If you'd like to keep exploring, please click on the links provided and carry on listening. I'd be glad to have you along for the rest of the journey.