Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Imagine transplanting the ending of Beethoven's 5th Symphony to the beginning of the first movement. The effect is at best comical, at worst ridiculous. Why? Because the simple tonal affirmation and the rhythmic repetition of the tonic over large spans of time in completely unornamented form suggests ending rather than beginning. There is a sense of arrival, rather than departure.- A Practical Guide to Musical Composition by Alan Belkin
