Hey Kids Commuters! Summer is heating up and so is week three of IPR’s Kids Commute Summer Listening Program! Each week for five weeks, we’re bringing you a special extended episode of Kids Commute. As always, there’s a Quizlet at the end of the program. Answer the question and receive our week three prize!
This week’s selection is one of the most famous classical pieces of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Symphonies are pretty long compositions (this one lasts between 30 and 40 minutes, depending on the conductor), so in this episode we focus on the first movement, Allegro con brio, which means “fast, and with spirit”. Listen as we walk through some of Beethoven’s life, and highlight a few of his earlier compositions. We teach you what a motif is, and we point out several times where good ol’ Ludwig uses a simple motif to build a tremendous work of art that continues to inspire musicians to this very day.
KIDS COMMUTE SUMMER LISTENING - WEEK 3
MUSIC: Symphony No. 5, first movement, Allegro con brio
COMPOSER: Ludwig van Beethoven
CONDUCTOR/ORCHESTRA: Sir Georg Solti/Chicago Symphony Orchestra
A great example of Beethoven’s brilliance as a composer is that he is able to create so many musical ideas out of only four notes!
And now, fast, and with spirit, just as Beethoven directed, we’ll bring you this week’s episode:
Here are all four movements, broken up into individual parts:
Movement 1, Allegro con brio
Movement 2, Andante con moto
Movement 3, Scherzo. Allegro
Movement 4, Allegro
Other Beethoven works mentioned in this episode:
Variations on a March by Ernst Dressler
Piano Concerto No. 4 (complete)
Symphony No. 1 (complete)
For fun!
Classical comedian PDQ Bach (Peter Schickele) narrates the 1st Movement of Symphony No. 5 as a sporting event
And a disco version!!! (Editor's note: when she was a kid, your Kids Commute host, Kate, had a whole dance routine, "Robot Does the Hustle," to this number.)