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Is Beethoven really being tonally ambiguous?

7K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  mikeh375 
#1 ·
I have heard arguments that the introduction of Beethoven's first symphony is an example of tonal ambiguity from several people, but the first one I heard it from was Chairat Chongvattanakij, a youtube channel that has analysis videos of 6 of Beethoven's 9 symphonies. Specifically I heard it in this video, not surprisingly, an analysis of Beethoven's first symphony:



But I disagree. Instead, here is my perspective on the situation.

First measure emphasizes the subdominant, but we don't know it yet. There is then further emphasis on the submediant and the dominant. But we don't know until towards the end of the introduction that that is what is going on. Still, the harmonic motion is too clear for it to truly be tonal ambiguity. True tonal ambiguity would involve harmonic motion that isn't as clear as it is in Beethoven's works, and more likely, the whole tone scale or the pentatonic scale. Only 1 composer I know of did this on a regular basis, that one being Claude Debussy.



So what else could explain this fleeting C major that isn't confirmed until the Allegro? Modulation. I think this is what is going on, starting from the cadence on F. It would explain why C major is only there in fleeting moments before it goes back to being in A minor or whatever. It isn't until the last measure with its long G chord and its fast downward scale that leads straight into the Allegro that C major is confirmed as the key. Further evidence that this is modulation and not tonal ambiguity? Basically any of Beethoven's works, they all involve lots of modulation, including moments where the modulation is almost constant.



A great example of this though is his Rondo a Cappricio, which modulates a lot and has this moment of constant modulation where the key moves from B major to Ab major, through a bunch of seventh chords, most of them being diminished 7ths on the leading tone of the key they lead to or in third inversion. The sequence of vii°7 -> I is interrupted by G#°7, a chord that is treated like a B°7 that leads to C minor. This then leads to another sequence of V7 -> vii°7 4/2 -> V7 -> I, which ends on Ab major. In fact, I could analyze this entire piece, and perhaps I should.

But getting back to his first symphony, I think modulation is the answer. The harmonic motion is too clear to be tonal ambiguity, yet the C major is too fleeting to sound like the tonic in the introduction. The only thing that explains both of these things is modulation.

Here is the symphony with the score, so that you can see the fleeting C major:



And here is Rondo a Cappricio so that you can see why I think it is modulation and not tonal ambiguity that is the answer:



Do you think modulation is the answer as to why C major doesn't feel like the tonic in the symphony introduction, or do you think Beethoven truly is being tonally ambiguous?
 
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#2 · (Edited)
I agree with you that the opening of Beethoven's 1st Symphony is not tonally ambiguous. There's simply some momentary suspense, since we aren't sure what the tonic is going to be until we hear a distinct dominant in bar four. The whole progression, I7 - IV - V7- vi - V7/V - V - V7, is easily comprehended in the home key of C.

Tonal ambiguity isn't the same thing as simple uncertainty about where we are at the moment or where we're going. If that were the case we could describe a large portion of tonal music as tonally ambiguous, making the concept rather useless.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I agree with you that the opening of Beethoven's 1st Symphony is not tonally ambiguous. There's simply some momentary suspense, since we aren't sure what the tonic is going to be until we hear a distinct dominant in bar four. The whole progression, I7 - IV - V7- vi - V7/V - V - V7, is easily comprehended in the home key of C.
I disagree; I think that Beethoven IS exploiting the harmonic ambiguity of the C major scale, with its tendency to want to go to F via the leading tone E-F, and the general instability of the note F in the C major scale.

Tonal ambiguity isn't the same thing as simple uncertainty about where we are at the moment or where we're going. If that were the case we could describe a large portion of tonal music as tonally ambiguous, making the concept rather useless.
To the contrary, in this sense much of tonal music is tonally ambiguous, and this is built-in to the system with the C major scale and its unstable "F" note. But call it what you will; that's irrelevant to the facts of what is going on in diatonic music using the major scale.
If you'd rather save the term "tonally ambiguous" for other purposes, fine; but this Beethoven example clearly demonstrates that CP tonality relies on a constant harmonic tension, and a tendency to move out of the tonic key into the subdominant. In fact, this is a "built-in" feature of the C major scale.
 
#4 ·
Ok so now we get the Lydian Chromatic Beethoven? LOL. You have to wait until op132 for that. Why did Beethoven feel the need to flatten the ‘second leading tone’ by making the opening chord a dominant seventh?

‘Tonally ambiguous’ is a relative concept within a particular style - can not compare LvB to Debussy. Relative to classical period norms, the intro is ambiguous, particularly with the opening dominant chord which was unprecedented for music of that period
 
#5 ·
Ok so now we get the Lydian Chromatic Beethoven? LOL. You have to wait until op132 for that. Why did Beethoven feel the need to flatten the 'second leading tone' by making the opening chord a dominant seventh?
Yes, "The Lydian Chromatic Beethoven" proves that this is an underlying principle of tonality, not just George Russell's concept.

The presence of a flatted seventh is not essential; the ascending leading tone takes care of everything. The net result, root movement a 4th up (we hear 4ths as 'root on top') is sufficient. Nice try, though. When will you see that I'm right?

'Tonally ambiguous' is a relative concept within a particular style - can not compare LvB to Debussy. Relative to classical period norms, the intro is ambiguous, particularly with the opening dominant chord which was unprecedented for music of that period
I agree. So reserve the term for other things, and tell this to the thread-starter. Now, quit quibbling about terminology, and address the question at hand.
 
#10 ·
I'm talking about his root progressions by a 4th upward (C-F), not 5th (Bb-F).
 
#12 ·
#9 ·
Beethoven was (at times) a harmonic rascal. I'm sure he chuckled as he decided to start the first symphony with a secondary dominant seventh that delayed the sense of the real tonic. So he faked us out for a short time. But that's all. C major is fully heard soon after. I personally would not call those opening bars "tonally ambiguous".
 
#16 ·
I think much more interesting is Beethoven's use of root movements by thirds.
 
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