We are now going to talk about Beethoven’s 6th symphony, the Pastoral symphony. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest pieces of the orchestral repertoire, and certainly one of the most played.
This was written in 1808, during one of the most difficult periods in Beeythoven’s life. By this time he was completely deaf and had seriously considered suicide. He was saved, however, by his passion for music and for nature, and often enjoyed long walks across the forests in the outskirts of Vienna.
The Pastoral symphony is one of a handful of works by Beethoven containing explicit programatic content, i.e. a piece of music that is intrisically connected to a extra-musical content, and in the example of this particualr movement, it depicts a walk in a forest, which precedes a storm (3rd movement). This depicts a walk across the forest, similar to the walks Beethoven often enjoyed. The first thing that is noticeable about this piece is the smooth, peaceful melody, which ineviatbly transmits the sensation of being surrounded by nature.
In the example above, we can hear the imitation of bird sounds: a nightingale, depicted by a flute, a quail, depicted by an oboe, and lastly, a cuckoo, depicted by a clarinet:
In conclusion, Beethoven’s 6th symphony is a perfect example of how music can (and indeed often does) depict the most diverse situations and moods, and can really take us to other places, sometimes unknown.