Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)

**Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68,** also called the **Pastoral Symphony,** is a symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven. The composer started the symphony in 1802 and finished the work in 1808 in the village of Heiligenstadt northwest of Vienna. It was first played in Vienna, Austria on 22 December 1808 in the Theater an der Wien with the Symphony No. 5 in C minor, the Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, the "Choral" Fantasy, "Ah! perfido!" (a concert aria composed in 1796), and parts of the Mass in C major of 1807.

The symphony is programmatic, which is not like most of Beethoven's other works.

## Instrumentation

The symphony is written for:

**Woodwinds**
- 1 piccolo (fourth movement only)
- 2 flutes
- 2 oboes
- 2 clarinets in B
- 2 bassoons

**Brass**
- 2 horns in F and B
- 2 trumpets in C and E (third, fourth, and fifth movements only)
- 2 trombones (alto and tenor, fourth and fifth movements only)

**Percussion**
- Timpani in F and C (fourth movement only)

**Strings**
- Violins I, II
- Violas
- Cellos
- Double basses

## Form

There are five parts, also called movements. This is not normal for symphonies in Beethoven's time, which often had four movements. The movements are:

- {| class="wikitable"
!
!German name
!English translation
!Tempo marking
!Duration
!Key
|-
|I.
|_Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande_
|Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside
|Allegro ma non troppo
|7-13 minutes
|style="white-space: nowrap;" |F major
|-
|II.
|_Szene am Bach_
|Scene by the brook
|Andante molto mosso
|9-13 minutes
|style="white-space: nowrap;" |B major
|-
|III.
|_Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute_
|Merry gathering of country folk
|Allegro
|2-6 minutes
|style="white-space: nowrap;" |F major
|-
|IV.
|_Gewitter, Sturm_
|Thunder, Storm
|Allegro
|2-3 minutes
|style="white-space: nowrap;" |F minor
|-
|V.
|_Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm_
|Shepherd's song. Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm
|Allegretto
|7-11 minutes
|style="white-space: nowrap;" |F major
|} The work takes about 35-46 minutes to play. This changes based on the  tempo and whether the repeats in the 1st and 3rd movements are done.

## Further reading

- Frogley, Alain (1995). "Beethoven's Struggle for Simplicity in the Sketches for the Third Movement of the Pastoral." _Beethoven Forum_, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 99–134.
- Lorenz, Christoph L. (1985). "Beethovens Skizzen zur 'Pastoralen.'" Die Musikforschung, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 95–108.
- Russell, Tilden (Spring 2003). "Unification in the Sixth Symphony: The Pastoral Mode." _Beethoven Forum_, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–17.
- Will, Richard (Fall 2002). "The Nature of the Pastoral Symphony." _Beethoven Forum_, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 205–215.

## External links

- Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral") – A Beginners' Guide – Overview, analysis and the best recordings – The Classic Review
- Interview with Christoph Eschenbach

## Infobox (musical composition)

- **name**: Symphony No. 6
- **composer**: Ludwig van Beethoven
- **image**: Beethoven sym 6 script.PNG
- **caption**: Part of a sketch by Beethoven for the symphony
- **other name**: _Pastoral Symphony_
- **key**: F major
- **opus**: 68
- **composed**: –1808
- **dedication**: Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz, Prince Lobkowitz
Andrey Razumovsky, Count Razumovsky
- **duration**: About 40 minutes
- **movements**: Five
- **premiere date**: Beethoven concert of 22 December 1808, 22 December 1808
- **premiere conductor**: Ludwig van Beethoven
- **premiere location**: Theater an der Wien, Vienna