APO Livestream - The New Zealand Herald Premier Series: The Greats - Listening Notes: Experienced Listener

The third movement, Scherzo opens in C major, with the
first theme played by staccato strings. A second feature of
the movement is the waltz themes that keep appearing –
the first of these constitutes the second theme.
The second section opens in A-flat major and starts with
dotted minim chords in the woodwinds and brass, with a
staccato string accompaniment. The section ends with
two sforzando chords back in C major.
The Trio section starts in A major. Horns, clarinets,
bassoons and trumpets playing in octaves for eight
bars and the movement’s fourth theme is played by a
woodwind choir. The theme is doubled in thirds and
sixths, a harmony Schubert liked to use throughout the
symphony. Next, the flutes and bassoons reprise the Trio’s
opening theme. The Trio repeats back to the Scherzo to
finish that movement.
The final movement, Allegro vivace, has two main themes.
This movement opens in the symphony’s tonic key of C
major. This movement is in Sonata form and has two main
themes. The first theme begins with a call to attention,
with fortissimo C’s in octaves. The second theme also has
a running rhythm in the strings while the woodwinds play
the melody.
There are extensions of this theme until both main
themes are heard again in their entirety – the
development section deals with fragments of
the themes instead of the entire theme itself.
The recapitulation repeats all the elements of
the two themes. A coda section expands some of the
melodic material with a short episode where strings,
horns and bassoons play an accented C for four bars
with the full orchestra answering in different keys. The
coda is unusually long, being 180 bars. The movement’s
introductory rhythm returns before a sforzando C major
chord that fades away to the end.
DID YOU KNOW?
In March 1827, Schubert was a torchbearer at
Beethoven’s funeral.
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