Beethoven was a great Nature lover and preferred solitude in the countryside to the company of people. One of his English friends wrote: "...Never have I met another person whom flowers or clouds make so happy!" The Duchess Von Brunswick added: "...Nature was for Beethoven the only refuge when the storm of musical ideas threatened to overcome him." Composing did not come easily to Beethoven. While walking in fields and woods, he would carry a small notebook and a pencil in his pocket, and each time a musical idea occurred to him, he would write it down. Later, at home, he would copy it onto a music sheet, but until this or that idea reached its final stage, it underwent numerous metamorphoses. It is quite surprising to discover that despite Beethoven's great love for Nature, it inspired only very few of his works, such as the Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28, ("Pastoral"), of 1801. The sixth symphony, "Pastoral", indeed was inspired by Nature, which he loved so much, and written while Beethoven was spending the summers of 1807 and 1808 in the town of Heiligenstadt. Today, Heiligenstadt is just another suburb of Vienna, but back then it was a rural retreat, a green refuge from the heat and noise of the city. The symphony deals with simple rural joys and with Nature's beauty, as well as with its wild and stormy side. Yet, it is not a programmatic work with exact descriptions of Nature such as The Four Seasons by Vivaldi (1678-1741). It is more the composer's musical impression of Nature and the landscape. On the first page of the programme booklet for the premiere on 22 December 1808 in Vienna, Beethoven wrote: "Pastoral Symphony, or Recollection of Life in the Countryside (more an expression of feelings than painting)". As he himself said: "Painting carried too far in instrumental music loses its effect". Nevertheless, to each of its five movements he appended a descriptive subtitle, suggesting its content. From the beginning, the Sixth is dominated by bright airy keys and textures, appropriate of its programmatic intent. The melodies feature an abundance of thirds and sixths, and the predominance of drones, so typical of folksong. The first movement, subtitled Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Countryside, depicts a pastoral and spring-like scene. The whole movement, reflecting feelings and sensations in music, is cast in a serene and pleasant atmosphere. The second movement, Scene by the Brook, describes a more detailed picture: the gurgling of water in the low strings, trills LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) S Y M P H O N Y N O . 6 I N F M A J O R , O P . 6 8 ( " P A S T O R A L " ) ca. 40 mins. Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Countryside: Allegro ma non troppo Scene by the Brook: Andante molto mosso Merry Gathering of the Peasants: Allegro Thunderstorm: Allegro Shepherds' Song - Happy and Thankful Feelings After the Storm: Allegretto
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