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.
