Septet in Eb Major - Beethoven

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Melody

  • Largely diatonic with decorative chromaticisms
  • Use of broken chords and ornaments (acciaturas in bar 2 and trills in bar 17)
  • Chromatic scales used to lead into melody
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Rhythm and Metre

  • Slow triple time - More rhythmically complex
  • Long adagio introduction
  • Lots of annacrusises
  • Syncopation with quavers
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T. For Texture

  • Mostly melody dominated homophony with some antiphonal exchange (bar 48-50)
  • Tutti homophony in bar 1 then monphony in the violin in bar 2
  • Some homorhythmic passages (e.g. bar 50-52)
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Harmony

  • To begin, harmonic rhythm is slow, but speeds up towards cadences 
  • Functional harmony
  • Simple diatonic harmony
  • Introduction ends with a dominant 7th leading to 1st subject of exposition
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Instruments

  • A septet is an unusual number for a chamber orchestra
  • Clarinet rivals the violin in importance even though it is a relatively new instrument
  • Horn and bassoon provide sonority
  • Articulation present in all instruments
  • Quadruple stopping in violins in the final bar
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Tonality

  • Tonality is dictated by structure as we are in sonata form
  • 1st subject is in Eb (bar 18-52)
  • 2nd subject is in the dominant key of Bb Major (53-110)
  • Development starts in Cminor at bar 111 (C minor is dramatic because it is the relative minor)
  • Recapitulation starts in bar 154-232 where there is a large coda
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Structure

  • Structure is sonata form
  • 1st subject is bar 18-52
  • 2nd subject is bar 53-110
  • Development is 110-154 in Cminor
  • Recapitulation starts in 154-232
  • Coda is 232-end
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