Dates: b. 1770 / d. 1827
Nationality: German
Period: Classical
Genre: Symphony
Key Musical Elements:
- Pitch
- Melodic Shape
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He wrote nine symphonies. A symphony is a long piece for orchestra usually split into four sections known as movements.
His Symphony No. 5 contains one of the most famous motifs in musical history and has even been reused in pop songs!
Incredibly, Beethoven wrote this symphony when he was beginning to lose his hearing.
Some people think that the opening motif represents fate knocking on the door, Beethoven's fate sadly being deafness.
Listen out for: The opening motif, it is repeated many times throughout the movement. Can you hear there are three notes on the same pitch and then one (the last one) at a lower pitch?
Barney Harwood introduces Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven was in appearance and manner a very unlikely genius. He was often dirty, dishevelled, rude, aggressive, unpredictable and eccentric - but his music told another story.
He radically transformed every type of music he wrote, changing the 'rules' of symphonies, operas, concertos and solo pieces.
Tragedy struck at age 28 when he began to go deaf and soon he could only hear his works by imagining the sounds in his head, this made him even more angry and difficult to know.
Beethoven tried out lots of inventions and devices to help him hear, such as using a big brass ear trumpet and a contraption fixed inside his piano which he bit down on to try to feel the vibrations in his head.
None of it worked and soon he was locked into a world of silence. The opening of his 5th symphony is possibly one of the most recognisable moments of all orchestral music, and the end of his 9th symphony is thought by many to be the greatest melody ever written.
Watch a full orchestral performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (1st movement) from BBC NOW.
Barney Harwood offers interesting facts and stories about Beethoven and his symphony.
MP3s: Listen to or the music
the Symphony No. 5 (1st movement) MP3
You can also the Symphony No. 5 (1st movement) orchestral backing track
Or the Symphony No. 5 (1st movement) piano accompaniment
To save to your computer: PC - right-click and save, Mac - ctrl-click and save.
Lesson Plans
lesson plans for six weeks of learning and activities for Symphony No. 10 (1st Movement), as Powerpoint presentations or PDFs.
To save to your computer: PC - right-click and save, Mac - ctrl-click and save.
To enable all images to work in the Powerpoint files please save the file to your computer. To save to your computer: PC - right-click and save, Mac - ctrl-click and save.
Primary lesson plans:
Primary lesson plan for Symphony No. 5 (1st Movement) (Powerpoint)
Primary lesson plan for Symphony No. 5 (1st Movement) (PDF)
Lesson plan by Rachel Leach
Suitable for:
*Key Stage 2 in England and Wales
*Second Level, P5-P7 in Scotland
*Key Stage 1/Key Stage 2 in Northern Ireland
and showcase your creative responses
your creative responses to the Ten Pieces repertoire for your chance to feature in the Ten Pieces creative showcase.
Arrangements: Play the piece with simplified parts
All parts have been designed to work together to enable mixed-ability groups to perform together
Beginner/pre-Grade 1
- Violin (open strings) | Cello/Double bass (open strings)
- Flute | Clarinet in B♭ | Oboe (or any mid-range C instrument) | Bassoon
- Trumpet in B♭ | Trombone (or other bass instrument in C) | Horn in F (F & B♭ fingering)
- Tenor horn/Alto sax in E♭ | Euphonium/Baritone
- Bass (or any large) drum
- Piano beginner
- Transposed score
Grade 4-5
- Violin | 2nd Violin (based on viola) | Viola | Cello/Bassoon | Double bass
- Flute | Clarinet in B♭ | Oboe
- Trumpet in B♭ | Trombone | Trombone (treble clef) | Horn in F | Tenor horn/Alto sax in E♭
- Euphonium/Baritone | Bass in B♭ (treble clef) | Bass in E♭ (treble clef)
- Timpani/low-pitched drum
- Full Grade 4-5 score | Piano accompaniment/reduction
Combined score
Figurenotes
Figurenotes are graphic scores specifically designed to help those with learning needs to read, play and perform music - find out more about Figurenotes
Ocarinas
This ocarina arrangement is designed for use with English 4-hole and 6-hole rainbow ocarinas - find out more about ocarinas
Inclusive arrangement for CMPSR
Ten Pieces has partnered with Digit Music to offer resources for MIDI device CMPSR with Arrownotes its inclusive, gamified music notation system.
CMPSR (kom-poh-zah) is a fun and inclusive music controller, like a piano but much easier to play. It is a joystick-based MIDI instrument which uses musical notation system, Arrownotes.
Arrownotes notation represents notes using a combination of coloured arrows and directions, rather than traditional sheet music symbols. It is a straightforward, gamified notation system designed to demystify the early steps in learning to read and perform music using colour, shape and direction to open up music performance and composition in minutes.
Arrownotes arrangement and activities
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (1st movement) - Ocarina arrangement
and showcase your creative responses
your creative responses to the Ten Pieces repertoire for your chance to feature in the Ten Pieces creative showcase.