Exner Sections โ Fall 2006
[With thanks to Prof. Dr. Andrew Talle]
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony Nr. 9
Movement 3 (Ada g i o m o l t o e c antab i l e )
Here is a listening chart for the third m ovement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The first column of numbers
corresponds to the m easure numbers in your Souceboo k. The timings corr espond to the rec ording of the
piece on reserve, with John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romant ique.
The form here is unique and quite free; it does not *quite* fit any textbook models like Sonata Form or Theme
and Variations Form . There are two primary themes, which I have iden tified as Theme A and Theme B.
Theme A has 4 different phrases (= component parts or clauses), which ar e separated by echoes played
originally by the wind instruments. Theme B is really just one melody that is heard four times in a row on two
separate occasions. There are also two episodic sections that I have lab eled Episodes 1 and 2. These develop
and meditate on the material of Theme A and are functionally analogous to the Development section in Sonata
Form.
Theme A: Adagio molto e cantabile (= very slow and singing)
1 0:00 Introduction by bassoons, clarinets and lower strings. [SB p. 408]
3 0:12 Phrase 1 of Theme A played by strings (melody in violin 1, but the phrase ended by violin 2).
7 0:29 End of strings' phrase echoed by winds (clarinets, bassoons and horns).
8 0:33 Phrase 2 of Theme A played by strings
12 0:51 End of strings' phrase echoed by winds. [SB p. 409]
13 0:56 Phrase 3 of Theme A played by strings.
15 1:04 Echoed again by winds.
16 1:08 Phrase 4 of Theme A played by strings (led by violin 1). Building up to a climax.
19 1:23 Echoed again by winds and then the echo is developed through repetition
21 1:32 The winds now echo all of Phrase 4. They are accompanied by the strings that play pulsating
figures. [SB p. 410]
23 1:45 Transition to a new key (D major) and a new section
Theme B: Andante moderato (= moderately animated)
25 1:50 Theme B played esp ressivo (= expressively) by strings, accompanied by individual winds. [SB
p. 411]
29 2:03 Theme B' played by strings again (B' because this time the ending is a little different)
33 2:16 Theme B played by strings and winds again, this time together, gradually building up
intensity.
37 2:28 Theme B' played yet again by all instruments. [SB p. 412]
41 2:41 Gentle but somewhat abrupt transition away from Theme B, ending on a fermata (=
indefinitely held note or rest)
Theme A, Variation 1: Tempo 1 (= back to the speed of the opening = Adagio molto e cantabile)
(This section is essent ially a repeat of the first Adagio molto e cantabile, measures 3-24,
However, the surface detail is varied considerably. The harmonic progression, however,
is exactly the same and it is exactly the same length as before.)
43 2:51 Phrase 1 of Theme A played by strings. (The Violin 1 melody is a much more ornate
rendering of Theme A - not so plain like in measures 3-6. Fundamentally, however, it is the
same because the harmonic progression is identical.) [SB p. 413]
47 3:06 End of strings' phrase echoed by winds (clarinets, bassoons and horns) and then second
violins - the opposite order of the first time (measure 7). [SB end of p. 413 into p. 414]
48 3:13 Phrase 2 of Theme A played by strings. [SB p. 414]
52 3:28 End of strings' phrase echoed by winds.
53 3:31 Phrase 3 of Theme A played by strings. [SB p. 415]
55 3:40 Echoed again by winds. [SB p. 415]
