Ludwig van Beethoven's Sixth
Symphony in
F-major opus 68, subtitled
Pastoral has five movements:
- Awakening of Cheerful Feelings upon Arrival in the Country
Allegro ma no troppo, running time 8:57
- Scene by the Brook
Andanta molto mosso, running time 11:32
- Merry Gathering of Country Folk
Allegro, running time 3:02
- Thunderstorm
Allegro, running time 3:25
- Shepherd's Song: Happy and Thankful Feelings after the Storm
Allegretto, runnig time 8:46.
Beethoven's Sixth Symphony is his only symphony where the movements are named (or at least named interestingly). Beethoven interspersed
country dance-like melodies with music based on nature to paint a rustic picture of the
country and
nature.
This piece, written between 1807 and 1808, premiered on December 28, 1808 by a group who was essentially sight reading this, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and two other hard musical pieces written by Beethoven. This piece was the musical setting for Fantasia, motivating a series of scenes based on Greek mythology.
Running times are from Deutsche Grammophon's recording of the Berliner Philharmoniker, directed by Herbert von Karajan.