The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination

Resumen del libro

A unique and revelatory work of musical history: the first book to examine in great depth what is perhaps the best known and most popular symphony ever written and its four-note opening, which has fascinated musicians, historians, and philosophers for the last 200 years.

Music critic Matthew Guerrieri reaches back before Beethoven's time to examine what might have influenced him in writing his Fifth Symphony, and forward into our own time to describe the ways in which the Fifth has, in turn, asserted its influence. He uncovers possible sources for the famous opening notes of the symphony in the rhythms of ancient Greek poetry and certain pre-Revolutionary French symphonies. He confirms that, contrary to popular belief, Beethoven was not deaf when he wrote the Fifth. He traces the fifth's influence in China, Russia (it was adopted by Marx and Engels), and the United States (Emerson and Thoreau were passionate fans) and shows us how it was used by both the Allies and the Nazis in World War II. Altogether, a fascinating piece of musical detective work-a treat for music lovers of every stripe.

MATTHEW GUERRIERI is the music critic for The Boston Globe, and his articles have also appeared in Vanity Fair, NewMusicBox, Playbill, and Slate.