What were some of Beethoven's symphonic innovations?

Answer 1

Some of Beethoven's symphonic innovations included:

• The development and expansion of the symphonic coda, e.g. in his 8th symphony, the coda made up almost half of the final movement.
• Beethoven was the first to use a single motif as a unifying element throughout an entire symphony. This was most evident in the 5th symphony in which the same four-note motif was repeated, in varying forms, throughout the entire work.
• The expansion of the symphony orchestra. Beethoven took instrumentation to its absolute range of capabilities. Musicians were extended beyond their usual, comfortable boundaries in what they were expected to perform. Beehoven was also the first to use Trombone in symphonic form, doing so in his 5th symphony.
• Symphonies were no longer just entertaining pieces - they became outpourings of emotion and passion.
• Beethoven was the first to score for vocals within a previously purely orchestral genre, e.g. his 9th symphony was the first to use choral parts.
• No longer were the movements of a symphony necessarily distinct parts; Beethoven was the first to smoothly transition and progress between movements.