The solemn march from Beethoven’s ‘Symphony no. 7’ was featured in the climactic scene of the film ‘The King’s Speech’. It’s a masterpiece and it communicates perseverance and determination in overcoming adversity. In this episode I share insights into the piece, I continue our journey to uncover how music works by answering the question ‘What Is Harmony?’, and I discuss the instruments of the String section in an orchestra.

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Hello! My name’s Scott Wilson. I’m a conductor and I’m passionate about classical music. In this podcast we discover the music of one of our greatest artforms. We listen to a new piece in each episode, I share insights into the music, and over time, I’ll take you on a journey through classical music’s composers, musicians, and history. Everything’s discussed in an easily digestible way, and no prior knowledge is needed. This podcast is for you!

Today we’re listening to ‘Symphony no. 7’ by the composer Beethoven. This solemn march is considered to be a masterpiece. It communicates perseverance and determination in overcoming adversity. It’s deeply sincere, and it’s music that can touch the soul of a listener.

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The first four episodes featured music written in the early to mid-twentieth century. We now jump back a hundred years. It’s 1813 and we’re in Vienna. The greatest composers and musicians were based there, and several of them performed in the premiere of this piece. One of those performing was Antonio Salieri. Though he was a noted composer and teacher, he was immortalized as the jealous contemporary of Mozart in the Academy Award winning film Amadeus.

So, here we go: the beginning. You’ll hear an opening chord played at length. It narrows the focus of the listener: we enter an atmosphere of seriousness. And then, our journey begins.

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The journey we’ve just heard felt complete. We began at home, marched somewhere else, then returned home. This journey can be understood as an arc. We begin at a point of rest. Then as we move up the arc, tension increases. At the middle of the arc, we’re compelled to return home, and as we do so, tension dissipates. In music, this journey is called a phrase.

We’ll now hear the second half of the phrase again. Try to hear the music as an inevitable march towards home. The final chord of this phrase is our destination.

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When I was new to classical music, I’m certain I couldn’t have heard the opening phrase as a journey from rest to tension to rest. If that’s the case for you, it’s okay. All we’re doing here is acknowledging what’s happening on a technical level in the music. And in any case, you’re going to hear this phrase again! The first phrase of this piece is played four times in a row, each time by a larger group of instruments.

We’ll listen to the next phrase now. Previously only the violas, cellos, and double basses were playing; now the 2nd violins join. Enjoy the journey through the phrase. See if you feel the arc’s progression from the beginning, to a point of increased tension, and then a return home.

[music excerpt]

In what we’ve just heard, the melody could be heard prominently: it’s the part in the music that’s easiest to sing. As we discussed in the last episode, a melody is a linear series of notes that are heard through time as if connected. A melody is also distinct from the bass line and from the chords, which are the clustered notes that give music a ‘full’ sound.

So, I’ll demonstrate on the piano. Here’s the bass line and the chords.

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Now I’ll sing the melody over the top of the bass line and the chords.

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So I’m no grammy-award winning singer! But what was demonstrated was a melody, chords, and a bass line all happening at once. When these elements are heard together, it creates what we call harmony.

Here we go again. And this time I’ll play the melody, chords, and bass line all on the piano.

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Harmony is a building block of music. In fact, it’s the most important part of music because - more than anything else - it’s what maintains our interest as listeners. And guess what, you’re already an accomplished interpreter of harmony. Harmony exists in all Western music, whether it's classical, rock, jazz, or pop. It creates coherence for a listener. Essentially, the composer uses harmony to prolong tension in the music, only fully resolving it at the end of a piece. It’s the reason we know when a song or a symphony is finished. It gives us that feeling of ‘release’ when the music ends. 

So, how does it work? Harmony has as its basis a home note. This home note - which is different for each piece - has no tension. It's the ultimate point of rest. All other pitches, and all other combinations of pitches, cause the listener to feel differing amounts of tension depending on how closely related they are to the home note. If the composer chooses pitches that move further away from the home note, we feel increased tension in the music. As the pitches come closer again, the tension dissolves. The fundamental fact of harmony is that listeners seek resolution in the music: we seek the home note.

Well, I realise this brief overview of harmony is a lot to buy into on a first go! But as we continue to discover how music works over the coming episodes, it’ll all become clearer!

But for now, let’s listen again. This is the fourth and most dramatic version of the phrases which open the piece. You’ll hear a journey from rest to tension to rest, which is created by the harmony. As listeners, we seek resolution of tension; we follow the journey of the music until it reaches a point of rest.

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It’s powerful music isn’t it? And perhaps you recognise it from the climactic scene of the film The King’s Speech. Colin Firth as King George the 6th is delivering a radio address to the Commonwealth. It’s a rallying call to unite millions to stand up to Nazism. The King has a crippling stutter which he’s desperately trying to overcome. The use of music in this scene is magnificent. It takes nearly thirty seconds for King George to be able to speak, but it’s after fifteen seconds that the music begins: it conveys determination. It’s no quickstep march. It’s a procession. Each step is a struggle: you feel the King carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. But ultimately we sense triumph. The music is relentlessly driving us to our goal of harmonic resolution. The listener knows the journey will be tough, but because the harmony continuously carries the phrases forwards, we believe we will - and that the King will - prevail.

Listen again. Do you hear these qualities in the music?

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When I cut the music at that point, it’s possible to feel the effect music has on us. We have such a strong desire to hear the music resolve, that cutting it off before it does so, leaves us hanging. For me, it’s as though my body hasn’t been brought down naturally to a point of relaxation. I need to hear the tension unwind in the music.

Well, Beethoven’s next move is particularly special. Since the beginning, there’s been four phrases. Each has maintained the same journey towards and away from tension, and each has grown, building to that spectacular moment we just heard. But, this time, as we return home, there’s a substantial reduction in volume and the music seamlessly moves from somewhere emotionally heavy to somewhere relaxed and joyful.

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Playing the melody we just heard was one of the woodwind instruments we discussed in the previous episode: the clarinet. Underneath, a warm carpet of sound is created by the string section. This section accounts for two-thirds of the instruments in an orchestra. From highest pitch to lowest, there are two groups of violins - 1st violins and 2nd violins - and one each of violas, cellos, and double basses. Violins are the most numerous because they are the smallest and produce the least volume. Violas, cellos, and double basses each increase in size and, therefore, decrease in number. Usually the 1st violins are at the front left of the stage; the 2nd violins and violas are in the middle; and the cellos are at the front right. The double basses arrange themselves behind the cellos.

A double bass is more or less the same size as a person. As such, when playing, the musician must either stand, or perch on a stool. Cellos must be played seated because the instrument rests between the player’s legs. But though they always sit in an orchestra, violins and violas can be played standing because the instrument is positioned underneath the chin. The players of each of these instruments strive to produce the best possible sound, and this is achieved when the strings are played precisely over the wooden body of the instrument, which acts as resonating chamber.

Sound is produced when the strings vibrate. A string can be plucked with a finger, but usually a bow is drawn across it by the right hand. The bow itself is made of stretched horse’s hair, which is mounted on a thin piece of wood. Tree sap - which has been processed to form a hard substance called rosin - is rubbed on the horse hair so that it will cause friction when it travels across the string. Originally the strings were made of stretched-out, dried sheep intestine, but now they’re usually made of metal. The strings are under high tension, and sit just above a piece of wood called the fingerboard. The fingers of the left hand press the strings into the fingerboard in order to shorten or lengthen the string, therefore producing different pitches.

Violins, violas, cellos, and double basses are truly remarkable instruments. The capacity for endless refinement in performance technique on them is such that musicians spend a lifetime uncovering their possibilities. It’s their abundantly rich sound that’s the soul of an orchestra.

We’re now going to listen to the moment in the piece where Beethoven composes solely for the string section. Initially you’re going to hear the 1st violins and the 2nd violins playing two separate parts. One group is playing a slow melody and the other is playing faster notes. Remember that you’re - quite unbelievably - listening to horse’s hair with tree sap on it, activating the vibrations of a string originally made of sheep’s gut, which is then amplified by a wooden box!

[music excerpt]

We’ll hear this same music again in a moment. But this time, when the music plays on a little longer, you’ll hear the violas, cellos, and double basses join in. These instruments repeat the music you’ve already heard, but at a lower pitch. On top, a new part is added to the original music.

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Beethoven’s being rather clever swapping parts between different instruments and adding new parts that sit above the original music. It’s as if Beethoven is trying to solve a riddle, interweaving the parts until a path forwards presents itself. It creates suspense, which eventually builds to a climax.

In this next excerpt, when the music reaches its point of highest intensity, you may notice that it ever so slightly slows down. The music feels heavier, with more attention being given to the significance of every single note being played. These decisions - to maintain or release momentum in the music - are made by the conductor. For me, the performance we’re about to hear is effective because of these subtle decisions. Struggle, perseverance, and determination are powerfully communicated when the conductor emphasises this moment by very slightly holding back the speed.

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And again, Beethoven beautifully dissolves the tension in the music.

Experiencing this piece as a journey towards a point of rest, towards the resolution of tension, can be one of the most enjoyable ways of listening to the music. You’re on a journey led by the harmony, and it’s a journey you’re already an expert at perceiving.

When you listen to the whole piece, I hope you’ll enjoy the rich sound in the moments of high tension; and that you’ll celebrate the moments of resolution. Beethoven’s ‘Symphony no. 7’: such a wonderful piece of music!

Thank you for being with me for another episode of A Thousand Pictures. If you have questions or would like to make a suggestion of a piece or topic for a future episode, please get in touch via social media or email feedback@athousandpictures.com. Further information, a link to the recording featured in today’s podcast, and suggestions about what to listen to next can be found at athousandpictures.com. Or subscribe to our email list and you’ll receive this information directly to your inbox.

Today we’ve been listening to the second movement from ‘Symphony no. 7 composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. I recommend the recording by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christian Thielemann.

And finally, please subscribe, please rate and review, and please share this podcast with others. Your support is valuable and it’s appreciated: together we can create a community which celebrates classical music! Now go and listen to this wonderful piece, and get out there and hear a performance by your local orchestra!

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