Form
The symphony has five movements, rather than the four typical of symphonies of the Classical era. Beethoven annotated the beginning of each movement as follows:
- Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande (Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country): Allegro ma non troppo
- Szene am Bach (Scene at the brook): Andante molto mosso
- Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Happy gathering of country folk): Allegro
- Gewitter, Sturm (Thunderstorm; Storm): Allegro
- Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm (Shepherds' song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm): Allegretto
The third movement ends on an imperfect cadence that leads straight into the fourth; the fourth movement leads straight into the fifth without a pause. A performance of the work lasts about 40 minutes.
Read more about this topic: Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)
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