Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major
Ludwig van Beethoven
Work background
Researched classical background
Beethoven wrote the Fourth during a remarkably productive period that also produced his Violin Concerto and Fourth Piano Concerto. Count Franz von Oppersdorff commissioned the symphony. Its quiet, harmonically uncertain introduction delays the arrival of the bright main Allegro; the four-movement design also includes a sustained Adagio, an expanded scherzo and a quick-moving finale.
A listening guide
Hear how the slow introduction withholds the home key before the first movement accelerates.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Orchestra
Composition: 1806
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Lincoln Symphony: Beethoven Fourth and Seventh programme notes
Composition, commission and musical structure of Fourth Symphony | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Lincoln Symphony: Beethoven Fourth and Seventh programme notes
Composition, commission and musical structure of Fourth Symphony | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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