I tried making a piano score of the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 “Fate”
The time has come to make a piano score of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. However, it is not so unusual. It was first performed on December 22, 1808, so more than 200 years have passed, and in that time it has been arranged by many musicians and performers.
The opening rhythm and melody are known to almost everyone in the world!
One of the world’s most famous classical pieces
Mozart was also amazing, and I would like to write about that some other time, but Beethoven’s impact on people not only of his own time but also in later generations was enormous.
The upbeat and the first bar alone create a tremendous presence, immediately followed by a fermata, and then repeated again.
And then, the music restarts in tempo, with a strong sense of tension that loosens up a bit, and a slightly irregular rhythm.
I actually get nervous when I play it.
Since I was part of a stringed instrument, if I got ahead of myself at the beginning, it was already over, but if I was a little late, it was also over.
Differences between orchestra and piano
I think there are two reasons for arranging for piano.
The first is to reaffirm that it has a piano-like feel with a straightforward phrasing, like Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor.
The second is that it is a very orchestral piece, and there are parts that the piano can never reach.
In the original orchestra score, there are many voices involved in the melody and phrases, and the range of string and wind instruments is wide. Also, the string and wind instruments of an orchestra can play the same sound in a crescendo, which is never possible on the piano.
Problems with old arrangements
I don’t know if old arrangements were influenced by F. Liszt, but I think that many of them have many octaves and were basically made for people with large hands.
At that time, piano keys were narrower than today, so this piece may not have necessarily been written for people with larger hands.
In this arrangement, rather than simply transferring the notes as they were, the notes were added with priority given to the sounds that will be heard when the piece is performed.
When reading an orchestral score, I can see the composer’s intentions first, and understand that the composer wanted to express this part with this instrument. However, in an actual performance, no matter which orchestra you listen to, you may not hear that sound at all.
Key points of this arrangement
The main point this time was to make it easier to play.
The most important thing was to reduce the number of octaves and to eliminate skips that are difficult to play.
And this time, I decided to reduce the number of notes even more.
This piece has a clear musical structure, so the roles of the high and low notes are clear, and it can be played like J.S.Bach “two part invention” without thickening the chords.
I tried to reduce the number of notes more than all my previous arrangements, but I feel like there are still too many. I’m sure I can reduce it even more. No matter how much I reduce it, it will never lose the identity of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which is admirable.
Beethoven Symphony 5 – 1st Mov. – piano score
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I hope you have a great time with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 !