Beethoven - 6th Symphony - Pastoral



This beautiful piece written by Beethoven in 1808. The composer said him self that the Sixth Symphony is "more the expression of feeling than painting." The Romanic Era was said to be the Age of Emotion and this piece displays this quite well. Unlike most pieces from the Classical era, the symphony has 5 movements, with a regular of 4. 
These are the 5 movements:


1. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande (Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country): Allegro ma non tropp
2. Szene am Bach (Scene at the brook): Andante molto mosso
3. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Happy gathering of country folk): Allegro
4. Gewitter, Sturm (Thunderstorm; Storm): Allegro
5. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm (Shepherds' song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm): Allegretto
  
In the second movement, Scene at the brook, it has been described as "one of Beethoven's most beautiful compositions." This movement reflects Nature, one of the themes predominant in the Romantic Era.
During the fourth movement, the Storm, Beethoven makes a dramatic shift from a very light, joyous tone to a sinister tone. This illustrates the emotion of the individual and is a clear reflection of the emotions felt during the Romantic Era.
Finally, in the fifth movement Beethoven shows the resolution after the storm and brings the piece back to it's original sound.