Kevin Sutton wrote:

>... and how many times does he use the Da da da dummmm gesture in his
>works. In many more than just the fifth symphony.!

One of schwartzo's common dictums is to judge works one at a time.  I
can't agree with this particular idea, and the use of recurring patterns
in a composers work is part of the reason why.  Recurring patterns in a
composers output area sign of strength, if the composer usesthem correctly.

Consider music practically for a moment.  The musician practices, and
then plays.  If the elements of a composer's thought can be broken into
particualr partsand riffs, then the musician can practice those patterns,
and will then see the score as a texture of the basic patterns.  Each of
these patterns he knows how to play without thought and as naturally as
he might lift a fortk or turn a key.  Even more so one would hope.

By creating music which is a texture of basic ideas, it allows the musician
to procede without awkwardness into a composer's turn of thought, and to
then spend his time wrestling with the subtle nuances of how the composers
woove seemlingly common bits into a work of music.

Before the 20th century artists dealt with artworks composed of larger
units - shapes in the case of painting, metrical half lines in the case
of poetry, and figures in the case of the pianist.  The etudes of Chopin
outline the technique to mastering his music, and by mastering the
figuresout of which Beethoven composes, it is possible to read his
symphonies with ease.  "One can often know by the grammar of the
work."Beethoven said on at leasttwo occasions.  Once when asked how he
could sight read a piece of music that he was barely looking at.

Only with a body of work can one appreciate all of the varied and subtle
uses a particular figure is put to.  The ...- pattern was brought up.  It
is true that it plays an important role in the C Minor symphony - it forms
the substratum for various sections.

Now take out the th symphony and look at the scherzo.  At first it might
seem that the figure is nowhere in evidence.  This is however illusory.
Inthe first movement, there is the recurrent iusein thewinds and violins
of a figure which is 3 1th notes followed bya dotted quarter in the next
measure.  Lest we forget the famous ...- pattern is really %...-

Beethoven underlines this with the variation of triplets and a dotted
quarter on the off beat.

In otherwords, a pervasive subtext of this movement is the same rhythmic
motif, only this time in a supporting role.

This, of course, does not show that he is "referencing" the C Minor in
the chorale, but he is working with the same materials.

When we get to the scherzo, the rhythmic section alternates between
figures which are quarter notes, and sections domianted by a dotted quarter
note, an eight note and a quarter note.  Whenver the first transitions into
the second, we hear a very distinct ...- pattern, only with the on beat
accenting the first note of the rapid pattern.  This pattern serves the
same purpose in the 9th it does in the fifth, it conjoins rhythmic sequence
to repose in the response, making the 2 measure unit both joined, and
contrasting.

Stirling S Newberry
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