Symphony #8!

[Joy]

There is no dedicatee for Beethoven's "little symphony" as he liked to call it. Although all his other symphonies have. Can anyone explain why?

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[spaceray]

Beethoven wrote the Eighth Symphony in Teplitz in 1812 ,perhaps the intended dedicatee was the Immortal Beloved?

[Peter]

The other symphonies are dedicated to male patrons, but I agree it is odd that there is no dedication for such a major work.

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'Man know thyself'

[Joy]

Spaceray, interesting theory! Something I never would have thought of. Another mystery perhaps? I read where Beethoven had committed the 8th to full score within four months, maybe he didn't have time for a dedication! heh! heh!

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Peter]

Originally posted by Joy:
Spaceray, interesting theory! Something I never would have thought of. Another mystery perhaps? I read where Beethoven had committed the 8th to full score within four months, maybe he didn't have time for a dedication! heh! heh!

The symphony wasn't published until 1817 so I'm sure he could have thought of someone if he'd wanted!

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'Man know thyself'

[Andrea]

Berlioz spoke about the Allegretto from this Symphony #8 as having "fallen from heaven straight into the brain of its author, and been written at a sitting - `tout d'un trait'."

[Roehre]

There is no dedicatee for Beethoven's "little symphony" as he liked to call it. Although all his other symphonies have. Can anyone explain why?

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'Truth and beauty joined'

A reason might be that the 8th is the only symphony of which sketches were not from the very beginning onwards meant for a symphony but initially for a piano concerto. This explains as well that we've got two symphonies in F major, something which Beethoven with his careful planning of keys normally would have avoided. (e.g. the first 12 piano sonatas are in 11 different keys, and that the quartet opus 135 was to be in F amazed friends, as these expected a work in d-minor).A symphony in d-minor or b-minor would have been more likely (As other skteches testify).
Consequently the person whom Beethoven might have dedicated the piano concerto might not have been the person whom he found "worthy" of a symphony.

But it is an interesting question, and I hadn't realised a potential connection with the Immortal Beleved either I must say.

[Sorrano]

A reason might be that the 8th is the only symphony of which sketches were not from the very beginning onwards meant for a symphony but initially for a piano concerto. This explains as well that we've got two symphonies in F major, something which Beethoven with his careful planning of keys normally would have avoided. (e.g. the first 12 piano sonatas are in 11 different keys, and that the quartet opus 135 was to be in F amazed friends, as these expected a work in d-minor).A symphony in d-minor or b-minor would have been more likely (As other skteches testify).
Consequently the person whom Beethoven might have dedicated the piano concerto might not have been the person whom he found "worthy" of a symphony.

But it is an interesting question, and I hadn't realised a potential connection with the Immortal Beleved either I must say.

This, also, lends to the argument that Beethoven was particularly interested in the tonal centers of his works.