The Symphony No. 5 in C minor of Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 67, was written 1804–1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music, and one of the most frequently played symphonies. First performed in Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterward. E. T. A. Hoffmann described the symphony as “one of the most important works of the time”.
It begins by stating a distinctive four-note “short-short-short-long” motif twice. clef treble key c minor time 2/4 r8 f’8[ f’8 f’8]
The symphony, and the four-note opening motif in particular, are known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco to rock and roll, to appearances in film and television.
Since the Second World War it has sometimes been referred to as the “Victory Symphony”. “V” is the Roman character for the number five; the phrase “V for Victory” became well known as a campaign of the Allies of World War II. That Beethoven’s Victory Symphony happened to be his Fifth (or vice versa) is coincidence. Some thirty years after this piece was written, the rhythm of the opening phrase – “dit-dit-dit-dah” – was used for the letter “V” in Morse Code, though this is probably also coincidental.
The BBC, during World War Two, prefaced its broadcasts to Europe with those four notes, played on drums.
For a further comprehensive biography on this symphony, please visit the Wikipedia page @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Beethoven)
For information on Ludwig van Beethoven, please go to the American Beethoven Society’s website @ http://americanbeethovensociety.org/
Please see Beethoven’s official website @ http://www.lvbeethoven.com/
On Seiji Ozawa, please see Wikipedia @ Seiji Ozawa was born on September 1, 1935 to Japanese parents in the city of Mukden, Manchukuo (now Shenyang, China). When his family returned to Japan in 1944, he began studying piano with Noboru Toyomasu, heavily studying the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. After graduating from the Seijo Junior High School in 1950, Ozawa sprained his finger in a rugby game. Unable to continue studying the piano, his teacher at the Toho Gakuen School of Music (Hideo Saito), brought Ozawa to a life-changing performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which ultimately shifted his musical focus from piano performance to conducting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiji_Ozawa
On the Boston Symphony Orchestra, please see Wikipedia @
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the country’s five major symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the “Big Five”.[1] Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston’s Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood.
Andris Nelsons is the current music director of the BSO, as of the 2014-2015 season. Bernard Haitink currently holds the title of conductor emeritus of the BSO, and Seiji Ozawa has the title of BSO music director laureate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Symphony_Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra official website to buy tickets etc, please see @ http://www.bso.org/