The Relationship between Human and Nature in Beethoven's Symphony No. 6

Beethoven completed his Symphony no. 6, Pastoral, in 1808 summer, in Weisenthal, a rural resort by the Danube back then, close to Heiligenstadt, an oasis of beauty and sound in the middle of nature. The declared purpose of the symphony, however, is not to portray the beauty of nature, as one would expect, but to make the listener experience it, live it actively.

As shown throughout the five parts of the symphony, man and nature cannot and should not be isolated from one another, but rather live in communion. While Nature is splendid and powerful, Man's perfection lies in his vulnerability and force of endurance.   

For the premiere concert, the composer entitled the symphony Recollections of Country Life. Everyone expected it to be Beethoven's masterpiece, so the audience received this first performance with a slight disappointment. However, enthusiasm increased over time, to such an extent that the Pastoral received numerous interpretations and has been and continues to be played in numerous symphony halls around the world.

Its motto is simplicity, and it becomes obvious in structure, melody, harmony and modulation alike. This quality is vital for creating the "rustic" atmosphere dominating the composition. Beethoven himself warned that his purpose was to express the feelings nature inspires, not to paint landscapes or produce descriptive music. This was a huge and brave step for that time, when tone art and its spiritual mission were so little understood.

Due to the insertion of the "Storm", the Symphony no. 6 has five movements instead of four, as follows:

I. Allegro - Expression of the cheerful feelings inspired by the arrival in the country;

II. Andante - Brook scene;

III. Allegro - The rustic dance;

IV. Allegro – The thunderstorm;

V. Allegretto – The song of the shepherd and the happiness of seeing the storm subside.

No introduction is available or necessary. The symphony begins directly with the first movement and the main theme. Instead of a description of the countryside, the audience is invited to exhale the invigorating fresh air of the forests and meadows.

Each of the four distinct figures used brings its contribution to the scroll's movement: (1) the succession of the eighths and of the sixteenths in the second measure; (2) the uniformity of the eighths from the subordinate theme; (3) the Codetta's cadence; and (4) the reduction of the last group to uniform triplets.

These four figures, so similar and so different at the same time, appear to mimic Nature's rhythm, constantly changing, yet similar, and play an important part in defining the "rural" atmosphere created and sustained by the Movement. This movement has nothing descriptive in it.

The second one, however, reflects (without depicting), the murmur of the forest, of the brook referred to in the title. It is cast in the sonata-allegro form as well, and its length is quite unusual. Instead of being painted an image, the audience is encouraged to imagine, to actually live the brook's murmur, the forest's rustle, and the curiously fragmented but melodious birds' call. One has to imagine feeling the wood's odors and soothing magic. As mentioned, Beethoven's purpose is not to depict, but to express his emotions subjectively.

The most realistic part of this movement is the bird-trio (cuckoo, quail and nightingale) ending it, an innocent but acknowledged pleasantry of the composer: the slightly indefinite rhythm and pitch gives Beethoven the chance to militate for the perfection and playfulness of Nature even in its most imperfect sounds.

In an illustrative piece, the audience could be disappointed, but when actively engaged, as in Symphony no. 6, the audience can only live and enjoy this ending trio. It may have been initially meant as a joke, but this part seems to have actually caught the composer's attention, as he literally repeated it.

The third movement of the symphony is a Scherzo. It is quite "descriptive", but it is important to remember that it is dedicated to an inherent musical subject - the rustic dance. Beethoven occasionally spreads it with direct realism touches, represented by delicious, comical suggestions of the peasant-musicians' technical limitations. The movement has quite a large form that includes two distinct, successive trios, followed by a da capo shortened by the impending thunderstorm's rumbling.

In the fourth movement, Beethoven is forced to remain purely realistic in his music, to offer approximate, convenient means of imitation for thunder's roll, the wind's wailing and storm's tumult. These means enable him to accentuate nature's power and give the audience the chance to actually live and feel its sounds.

While listening to a purely descriptive piece would feel like hearing thunder and the wind from indoors, perhaps sitting in front of the fireplace, listening to Beethoven's fragment feels like being actually caught in the middle of the storm, feeling its fire and coldness at the same time.

If descriptive tendencies could still be identified before this movement, this is where they cease. This part, containing most of the measures, remains pure emotional suggestion, the ultimate expression and justification of the symphony's title - Pastoral.

It is important to note that Beethoven uses drums only in order to render the thunderstorm, in the fourth movement. He also adds two trombones and a piccolo, the trombones being kept through the Finale. With their help, the audience is invited to feel the thunder's crash, the rain's swishing, the wind's howling and even the lightening (through the piccolo).

The advancement and recession of nature's elements is unfolded in the carefully mastered succession and through carefully chosen proportions, without ever altering the tone-beauty perception.

As expected, this movement does not have a specific structure and design; it is formed of thirteen sections, many of them repetitions of previous ones. While some brief "motives" can be found in this movement, no actual "themes" can be attributed to it.

In the fifth movement, the storm subsides gradually. The pipe of a shepherd is heard, resembling the Swiss Alps Ranz des vaches, answered soon after by another and another call. The last call becomes the dominating theme of the good-natured, wholesome, hearty Finale. Beethoven uses the third rondo-form for this part, and, although the last movement is quite long and even drawn out, it shares a feeling of unalloyed, engaging beauty.

The Pastoral also emphasizes Beethoven's perception and use of repetition, evidently conditioned by his "pastoral" scheme's nature. In order to understand it, it is enough to: compare, for instance, the first movement measures from sixteen to twenty-five; notice the six consecutive presentations of the subordinate theme's first phrase; compare the second section with the fourth section of the development, starting from the first rhythmic figure from the series of four cited above. The bass-part melody seems to weigh the most, thematically speaking, in the subordinate theme.

While Beethoven's perception of Nature, his awe when faced with its beauty and power, is obvious, there is a little more to be said about the Human element. There are two instances to consider: Man, as the active listener, the person living and enjoying the symphony, and Man as a character in the symphony, part of the events Beethoven brings to life.

The composer expects his audience to give up preconceived ideas, leave expectations aside, close their eyes and live the symphony. They should be able to forget about everything else and dive in the excitement brought to life by the rhythm and sound.

They should be able to hear the singing of the birds, the untamed wailing of the wind and the unforgiving roll of the thunder. They are also expected to fraternize with the rustic dancers, rejoice in the song of the shepherds and embrace the healing heat of the sun as the thunderstorm passes.

As for the symphony's characters, they allow the composer to underline, on one hand, Man's vulnerability and imperfection in front of nature, and, on the other hand, his resistance to challenge. The dancers and the singers are quite clumsy, although funny in their performance, and, while the scene is a joyful one, ends up by confirming nature's power over everything else, including human life - the gathering is interrupted by the thunderstorm.

However,  as the storm subsides, the shepherds remind the audience that, no matter how tough the challenges Life and Nature throw his way, man always finds a way to overcome them - the shepherd's song announces the end of the storm and the rising of the sun.

While the performance can greatly influence the way the audience understands Beethoven's intentions and feelings, his undying love for Nature and the active role he grants to the Human element are undeniable.