Symphony No. 3: Is Beethoven The First Romantic?

Beethoven, according to Richard Taruskin, “became the protagonist and the beneficiary of an attitude that had been growing for almost half a century.” (Taruskin, 2005: 251) Beethoven’s infiltration into and position within the classical music sphere of Romanticist composition and development is described as essential and exemplary (Taruskin, 2005: 251). The connotations between the Romanticist ideologies of the “great artist” being humanities redeemer and Beethoven’s ability to superimpose his suffering and victory through composition, whilst descending into deafness is why he is often considered “the first Romantic,” composer (Taruskin, 2005: 654 ).
Ideologies of escapism and nature were omnipresent in this period of political and social strife where composers such as Beethoven took it upon themselves to be the expression, as well as the emblem of “the increasingly unpleasant realities of life ” (Sadie, 198 : 283 ). The virtuosic musicians of the Mozartean era no longer held the position of privilege in the music industry and therefore the composer became a “truly Olympian being” (Taruskin, 2005: 655) who …show more content…
5 in C Minor was not created to be pretty or to entertain. This is made clear from the very beginning of the symphony with the tag “fate knocking at the door” where the full attention of the listener is demanded (Kerman, 1980: 293). However, through thorough analysis of the symphony it is clear to see how the listener may experience a complete demolition, as opposed to the conquest of fate (Kerman, 1980: 293). The restless momentum of the first movement is expressed by the lack of a first theme which is replaced by an unwavering repetition of motives occurring at different pitches, these types symbols of heroism are what distinguish this symphony from a classicistic symphony (Taruskin, 2005: 655