Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C Major (Op. 21).

Beethoven began work on the symphony in 1799 and completed it a year later. The first performance, under the composer's direction, took place on April 2, 1800 in the National-Hof-Theater in Vienna and was a great success.

The symphony is dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer.

There are four movements:

1. Adagio molto -- Allegro con brio
2. Andante cantabile con moto
3. Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace)
4. Adagio -- Allegro molto e vivace

The scoring is for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 timpani, and the usual string section of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.

The symphony is clearly indebted to Beethoven's Classical predecessors, particularly his teacher Haydn, but nonetheless has characteristics that clearly mark it as Beethoven's work, notably the frequent use of the dynamic sforzando.

The opening is a musical joke: it consists of a sequence of dominant-tonic chord sequences in the wrong key, so that the listener only gradually realizes the real key of the symphony.

External links

• Analysis of Beethoven Symphony No.1 on the All About Ludwig van Beethoven Page