Sketch to the Scherzo from op. 67 Fifth Symphony from Eroica Skbk (1803)

Original Sketch to Scherzo of Fifth Symphony op. 67 (1802)

While Beethoven was working on the Third Symphony, he was also dealing with some notions for what would become the Fifth Symphony. The basic outline with its driving 3/4 beat is already present, but sometimes the projected harmonies and dissonances are truly shocking. Beethoven's original harmonies are much bolder and more dissonant than in the final version, which reinforces the notion that Beethoven wrote his symphonies very much with the general public in mind, and apparently avoided the music becoming too difficult for his listeners, at least at this stage of his career. The sketch is found on page 155 of the Eroica sketchbook, held by the Biblioteka Jagiellonska in Krakow, Poland.

Opus: 67

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