4th Symphony in B flat, Opus 60.
Dedicated to Count Oppensdorf.
Adagio—Allegro vivace—Adagio—Menuetto—Finale.
This happy and serene work has been undeservedly overshadowed by its two towering neighbours. Schumann has called it a slender Greek maiden between two Norse giants. The opening Adagio sounds the only dark mood in the Symphony.
It is lashed on to the Allegro by some powerful violin scales.
The flute, oboe and bassoon converse sportively over the second subject. A strange sequential passage in unison upon the strings in three-bar phrases following a happy little canon on the wood-wind instruments and some powerful syncopations lead in to the development. An atmosphere of humour and good feeling permeates the movement.
The lovely melody which forms the chief theme of the Adagio is given to the violins. It is accompanied by a strong persistent rhythmic figure, which is transferred later on to the drums with great effect. The wood-wind work and the horn passages are exquisite.
The third movement Allegro vivace is full of fun, lively syncopations and duple time effects giving it more of the nature of a Scherzo.
It has a charmingly tender trio and a coda of exquisite poetry ending with Schumann's "Just one more question for the horn to put" before the final crash. This is one of the longest movements which Beethoven has written in this form. The bright, sunny mood of the opening movements increases in the radiant Finale. There the modulations are surprising and the touches of humour delightful. The little skirmish on the part of the bassoon just before the return, the whimsical little notes on the flutes and violins, the augmentation of the subject as it fades away into the stealthy questionings between the violins and bassoons near the end, are but a few of the many little quips and sallies.