The 6th, Pastoral, is my favorite. I like it better than the 9th, which I’ve never been able to get into. I saw Fantasia as a small kid but didn’t really remember it–or maybe my faint or unconscious memories of it were what made me like it as an adult?
Trinopus, I’d never heard the assignation theory but I can see why people might believe it.
Here’s a great quiz, “Which Beethoven Symphony are You?”
I can’t choose between the 6th and the 7th. It probably depends on my mood.
I listen to all the symphonies – I have the complete set and often take it in the car. I’ve also loaded it onto an iPod, and can listen to it at the gym, but generally don’t choose to hear it there.
6th, for Fantasia and a children’s 45 called “The Lonesome Pine” that adapted it to the story.
Then 3rd.
Then 1st. It’s pleasingly simple but not too simple, and some identifiable harmonies and instrumentation show up there that he uses later.
7th, regardless of whther you exclude the 5th and 9th or not. I’d put the 9th in second place, the 8th next, and then the 5th.
I refuse to choose! They’re all delightful.
Well, Susan McClary infamously (or infamously in musicological circles at least) did an analysis of the Ninth which showed the recapitulation in the first movement is:
:eek:
She dialed it back in a later reworking of the paper. (See the cite above for details, should you be interested).
Oh lordy, I’d forgotten all about Susan McClary, the Camille Paglia of musicology. That said, Beethoven certainly wasn’t above inserting narratives and jokes into his music (witness the little Janissary band that suddenly marches through the last movement of the 9th for no reason other than the sheer fun of it).
I’m gonna say the 7th. The early ones, while excellent, are too Haydn-y for me to really enjoy them; Beethoven really hits his stylistic stride in the 5th and it’s all good from there.
Another vote for Beethoven’s 7th. The third movement is merely very good, but the 1st, 2nd, and 4th movements are each amazing in their own ways. I absolutely love that symphony.
I’ve heard this frequently, but the Pastoral kinda throws a monkeywrench in this, AFAIAC.
How about this rule of thumb: Beethoven’s better symphonies were the ones that weren’t powers of 2.
7th, then 1st.
LOL! Well, in the OP I mentioned my favourites were 2^2 followed by 2^3, and I’m kind of fond of 2^1 and 2^0, so, I’d say, bugger off! 
The 7th, followed by the 1st.
Out of the revered realm of symphonies, if you appreciate other Beethoven “tunes”, you may appreciate this contemporary concert pianist who, IMHO, is among the world’s finest: Yuja Wang. Here she performs, Waldstein (first movement). Sure, not without few hiccups, but at age 8, I made more mistakes playing chopsticks.
And here she is all grown up, playing a magnificent rendition of Hammerklavier. She’s nearly flawless.
I really can’t fathom how such talent can emerge at such an early age and continue to improve and improve more over time. Of course this applies to the great composers/performers, as well (e.g. the 3 B’s, Mozart and company). We are the lucky recipients of their genius and hard work.
BTW, Yuja’s repertoire includes much more than Beethoven. You should check it out. It’s quite impressive.
…and speaking of the exalted, rarefied space great symphonies hold in the public collective consciousness, sometimes the actual motifs are born of a more pedestrian, “human” nature—such as Beethoven’s “flatulent” movement: Symphony #2, mvt. 4.
If, as I do, you believe musicologist, Robert Greenberg’s interpretation, this endears me even more to Ludwig’s genius…and sly wit—hell, I can simply fart and people swoon.
6th. Love the 6th. I should go listen to it now.
Oscar Levant was once pulled over for speeding outside Los Angeles, and said to the patrolman “Officer, the Allegretto from Beethoven’s Seventh was on the radio, and I couldn’t help myself!”
I’ll take the Third. Ludwig threw a shrapnel bomb right down the center lane of contemporary music with that sucker.
His 10th was so beautiful and so sublime that it resonated across the galaxy, causing a warlike alien race to take notice of our developing civilization, travel billions of miles and enslave us all. I reluctantly teamed up with Doctor Who to go back to 1826 and stop him from finishing it.
Personally, leaving aside the 5th and 9th symphonies, my favorite would be the 7th, followed by the 6th.
Funny - I did that test and it said that I am a “6th symphony” type, and that Inwould go along well with a “7th symphony” type person ^.^
Another vote for the 7th. IMO it’s better than the 5th, and the allegretto is better than almost anything, but the 9th is still the best symphony overall.
After the 5th, the 7th is my favorite. The first recorded performance of it I ever had was by the Pittsburgh Symphony with Steinberg conducting, a terrific fast-paced version which I have not been able to find since. 