Comparing Beethoven´s Symphony No. 5 And Mozart's Symphony

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Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 and Mozart’s Symphony in G minor considerably differ in concept when it focusing on the symphony. The famous opening motive of Beethoven’s symphony is a single rhythmic motive which is consistently heard in various forms. Both symphonies are characterized by “single motives developed with consistency and a sense of growth.”(Kerman, 209) The obvious difference between the opening motives is that Beethoven’s utilizes the technique in another way, which the symphony reveals an urgent sense of excitement. In Mozart’s symphony, it opens with the first subject played by violas, cellos, and double bass, where the tempo marking is molto allegro (very fast) and there seems to be a question and answer phrase, which includes a four bar phrase answered by another four bar phrase.…show more content…
The second theme in Mozart’s symphony is defined with two four bar phrases, where the first ends with an imperfect cadence, and the second one ends with a perfect cadence, where the exposition comes to a complete stop. Mozart’s second theme differs because it is in a gentle mood, and brings back the main motive to a perfect cadence. The development section of Beethoven’s symphony identifies with a climax when the rhythm multiplies, and a “bridge theme modulating through one key after another.”(Kerman, 210) Both symphonies use the process of fragmentation where the themes are broken up, in Mozart’s symphony they are broken up by having orchestral echoes based on smaller portions of the first theme and in Beethoven’s symphony the middle pitches of the bridge theme are isolated and echoed between high wind instruments and lower strings. In other words, both symphonies use the same process but in a different way, where Beethoven, tends to build up

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