9th symphony by Beethoven and the 19th Century Orchestra

EDX

Categories: Humanities, Music Tags: Beginner, Course, EDX, Harvard Free Courses

Introduction

Learn about the monumental 9th symphony by Beethoven and forms of orchestral music.

About this course

Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony premiered in Vienna in 1824 and continues to be one of the most popular symphonies in the repertoire. The monumental symphony’s size and complexity stretch traditional instrumental forms to the breaking point, and its famous choral finale changed our view of orchestral music forever.

Harvard’s Thomas Forrest Kelly (Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music) guides learners through all four movements of the 9th symphony by Beethoven, highlighting aspects of symphonic form, describing Beethoven’s composition process, the rehearsals and premiere performance, and the work’s continued relevance today.

You will learn the basics of musical form and analysis, the genres and styles used, and the circumstances of this symphony’s first performance and subsequent history. Learners in this course need not have any prior musical experience.

Additional First Nights Modules:

• Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the Birth of Opera
• Handel’s Messiah and Baroque Oratorio
• 9th symphony by Beethoven
• Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Program Music in the 19th Century
• Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring: Modernism, Ballet, and Riots

What you will learn in this 9th symphony by Beethoven course?

• Identify and describe the forms of 18th- and 19th- century orchestral music.
• Understand the instruments and voices of the orchestra and choir.
• Appreciate the cultural context and performance circumstances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Syllabus.

Lesson 1: Introduction to 9th symphony by Beethoven

• Introduction – The Significance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
• Beethoven’s Orchestra
• Beethoven’s Vienna

Lesson 2: What is a Symphony?

• What is a Symphony?
• Overview of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Lesson 3: 9th symphony by Beethoven: The Music – Pt. 1

I. Allegro ma non troppo

II. Scherzo

III. Adagio molto e cantabile

Lesson 4: 9th symphony by Beethoven: The Music, Pt. 2

IV. The Finale

Unity and Direction in the Symphony (Beethoven 09)

Lesson 5: Preparations and Reception

• Finding a Theatre
• Putting on the Concert

What was it like to be there? (Beethoven 20)

• Introduction to the First Nights Series (Optional)
• Introduction to the First Nights Modules
• The Second Point – The Culture
• The Third Point, the Listener – How Do We Describe Music?

Music Theory (Optional)

• Introduction to Music Theory
• Pitch Basics
• Musical Time
• Pitch Structure

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