Music and Ritual
Beethoven’s Fifth and the evolution of music consumption
M usic and ritual have been intertwined for the duration of our history and have coexisted in a variety of settings. Whether it’s a church or sports stadium, a fine restaurant or local pub, a symphony hall or dance club, music is often present to contribute its part. How often does music play a r ole in your favorite activities?
We owe the existence of our Western system of notation to the connection between music and ritual: Its development is attributed to scribes looking for ways to codify and preserve the many chant melodies that were being sung in cloistered communities during the early history of the Christian church. Successfully writing down this ritual music allowed for its transmission and increased accessibility, setting in motion an evolution of music consumption within our culture that continues to this day.
Let’s examine one popular example—Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony—to see how ritual has influenced our relationship with this piece over the last two centuries. A person in Vienna in 1808 could have attended the symphony’s premiere on Dec. 22 at the Theater an der Wien as part of an all-Beethoven program of premieres, with the composer conducting and performing at the piano. It was a singular occasion that was never to be repeated.
Beyond the premiere, that person would have to find another live performance, which would be the only opportunity to hear the work again in its original form. If two friends played the piano proficiently, they could read through an arrangement for piano duet published during Beethoven’s lifetime.
Later in the century, there’d be other arrangements to try that wouldn’t require a full orchestra. This most famously includes Liszt’s virtuoso transcription for piano solo completed in 1837, which only the most accomplished pianists could hope to play.
With the first recording of the symphony appearing in 1913, more than 100 years after the premiere, a new ritual of home consumption by the general public was ushered in—alongside the advent of radio. This was followed by countless other recordings in the course of the 20th century.
Recorded performances allowed music lovers to take matters into their own hands. The particular media changed from wax cylinders to 78s, LPs, 8-track tapes, cassettes and CDs, each with their own requisite rituals required for playback.
The internet now affords instant playback of hundreds of recordings and videos of Beethoven’s Fifth, and even livestreamed performances can be found. The attendant rituals of playing the symphony on older media have been largely replaced by a few clicks on a mobile de vice or a voice command. No more worries about LPs warping, cassettes wearing out or CDs getting scratched.
But perhaps our easy access has come at a cost: People attending the premiere of Beethoven’s Fifth had no idea they were listening to a work that would become a cultural icon, and were unlikely to hear it again. There was probably more confusion among Beethoven’s contemporaries than there was appreciation for his daring musical style. Today, we have a paradoxical situation in that the now-iconic piece of music has arguably been overexposed, while at the same time Beethoven competes with a near infinity of other entertainment options.
It will be fascinating to see what the future brings. Will we still be listening to Beethoven’s Fifth in 100 years, and if so, what new rituals will be present to shape our experience? Pianist, instructor and musicologist Erik Entwistle received an undergraduate degree in music from Dartmouth College. He earned a post-graduate degree in piano performance at Washington University in St. Louis and his doctorate in musicology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He teaches on Sanibel Island.