On December 22, 1808, Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" premiered in Vienna. It was the most famous piece of Beethoven's nine symphonies. He began to lose hearing when he was 30 years old. After he became deaf, he wrote more famous symphonies, which are widely circulated today.

Whenever you mention Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, people will think of a voice, which is the famous "Destiny Knock". The famous "Destiny's Knock on the Door" is the shortest and most visual commentary on the interpretation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The phrase "fate knocks on the door" has been repeated countless times, and it is almost condemned by some music "experts" as a vulgar and simplistic description of Beethoven's music. But we still have to repeat this sentence here, because this sentence is indeed the most pertinent conclusion for understanding Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and it comes from Beethoven himself. According to Schindler, Beethoven's student and Beethoven's biographer, he once asked Beethoven about the meaning of the dominant motivation of the first movement of the Fifth Symphony. Beethoven replied: "This is fate knocking at the door, and this is how fate knocks. Later, people called the Fifth Symphony the "Symphony of Destiny."

We don't have to go to the trouble of researching whether this sentence really came from Beethoven himself. Nor do we have to argue about whether the theme sound type symbolizes some kind of concrete sound. Or we should know more about the life background and mental state of Beethoven's creation of this symphony. From Beethoven's music to understand the fire of life lit by Beethoven with his noble spirit of enlightenment

It was in 1804 that Beethoven began to conceive and write the Fifth Symphony. By then, he had written the "Heilgen's Will" and his deafness had completely lost hope of being cured. His passionate lover, Countess Julietta Ciarty, also left him because of family background and became the Countess of Galenburg. A series of spiritual blows put Beethoven on the verge of death. However, Beethoven fought tenaciously against his fate. He wrote in a letter: "It would be unimaginable if I left this world without creating anything." "During the most painful period of his life, Beethoven launched a vigorous creative climax: the Third Symphony (Hero) had not yet been written, and the Fifth Symphony (Destiny) had begun to be written. Before "Destiny" was completed and published in 1807, the lively and romantic Fourth Symphony was performed a year ago. The Sixth Symphony "Pastoral", the Fourth Piano Concerto and Fantasia written for piano, chorus and band were also premiered. During this period, famous works were also completed: piano sonatas "Walstein" and "Passion", three Russian string quartets, Beethoven's only opera "Fidelio" and three "Leonora Overture", Beethoven's only violin concerto (which is also a world violin classic), Mass in C major. Wait. All of these works are magnificent works, and each of them will later become a masterpiece. This is the precious spiritual wealth that Beethoven left to the world.

On the evening of December 22, 1808, a concert that could carry people in history was held at the Vienna Theater. At this concert, four new works by Beethoven were premiered in succession. They are "Symphony No. 5 (Destiny)","Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)","Piano Concerto No. 4" and "Piano, Chorus Fantasia", with Beethoven personally conducting and acting as piano soloist. Beethoven, who had just gotten rid of mental torture, showed amazing personality power: in one night, four large-scale works, twelve movements, and a Fantasia were performed together, with a brilliant melody for 120 minutes in a row. You can imagine that the Vienna Theater was reflected by Beethoven's fire of life that night. However, the performance was not as unprecedented as we imagine today, and the ears of aristocrats were not accustomed to the strong acoustic contrast in Beethoven's music. The reaction was cold. The musicians bullied Beethoven's deafness and refused to play well. The concert became Beethoven's self-burning. After this concert, Beethoven bid farewell to the piano playing stage forever. He never performed on stage as a performer again.

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony shows the fierce struggle of the human spiritual world and the triumph and joy of obtaining the freedom of the soul. Although Beethoven encountered many hardships when he wrote this symphony, his music pursued the joy of mankind. He does not limit his creation by his own joys and sorrows. Therefore, Beethoven's music has a noble spirit. Uniquely worshiping the "joy through suffering", it reveals the difficulties of human spiritual journey and the sublime beauty of overcoming suffering

The Fifth Symphony is divided into four movements, and there is an inseparable connection between the four movements. They are not only logical, but also integrated into one by the famous "theme of destiny." Beethoven's "destiny" is different from the "destiny" or "number of days" we usually understand. This destiny refers to the suffering and various misfortunes of life. People should overcome suffering, dominate their own lives, and achieve the ideal of human light. So he said the famous line in a letter to Pastor Amandah: "I am determined to remove all obstacles... I will hold fate by the throat." "The first movement of the music goes straight to the point and launches the theme-" The Knock of Fate."This voice is majestic, tenacious and even dangerous. It surrounds the surroundings and comes from time to time. It makes people nervous if they can't avoid it in time. The second theme is a lyrical melody, which is gentle and soothing. However, the destiny motive of the first theme strikes again, and the picture of the struggle unfolds dramatically in this way. The contradictions and conflicts intensified, forming the climax of the movement. Finally, the heavy sound of knocking motivation ended the first movement.

The second movement is like a lyric poem, expressing the complex world of human emotional experience. On the flowing board, the first theme is deep and serene, containing inner enthusiasm, and this melody is adapted from folk songs. The second theme is a heroic melody with appeal. The two themes rotate in variations, and the music gradually develops from warmth and softness to a firm and powerful march.

The third movement is a unique scherzo, divided into the main part, the middle part and the reproduction part. This movement opens up a vast scene of intense conflict between two forces. This is the final struggle between man and destiny. The two contradictory factors in the main music contrast. The cello and the double cello were tossing and turning in meditation. At this time, the horn entered again with the knocking of fate, but this time it was no longer a low hint, but a loud and majestic, and solemnly marching, with the characteristics of a march. The basic theme and destiny motivation are presented in turn, making the conflict more obvious. In the end, fate's motives prevailed. The obscure minor style in the middle of the movement turned into a cheerful major, which refreshed the spirit, and the joy of the world formed an unstoppable force. The third movement transitioned directly to the fourth movement in the jubilant atmosphere of triumph, full of light and victory. In this movement, the shadow of destiny's motive still exists, but it is just a shadow. Finally, when the finale of victory and joy sounded, it had completely disappeared, and the final carnival was a praise and praise of human power.

In the Fifth Symphony, Beethoven expressed his own noble personality by singing the praises of the light of life. Some critics say that Beethoven became a giant in this symphony. Engels even said in his letter: "If you have not heard this magnificent work, then you can say that you have never heard anything in your life." The reason why Engels used such exaggerated words to describe Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is because in Beethoven's music there is a kind of spirit, a kind of power, which inspires something deeply hidden in the depths of the human mind, so that this long-lost thing is awakened and becomes the personality force that controls one's own destiny.

If we ourselves encounter some kind of hardship on the road of life or are tricked by fate, then please pursue the spiritual realm shown in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony! Then everything will become insignificant, and the meaning of life is much greater than everything around us. This is what Beethoven's Symphony of Fate tells us.

Now let's compare Beethoven's personal experience when he composed the Fifth Symphony with the powerful power condensed in music, and it can reveal Beethoven's open heart and noble personality. Beethoven's own life experience is the foundation of his music, but Beethoven has completely entered the realm of selflessness in his creation. He is good at observing the depths of the human soul, and is good at understanding human feelings, but he is not selfish, because he has completely surrendered himself to art. He said: "As an ordinary person, I live only for my art and unfinished responsibilities." He uses his music to bring brilliant sunshine to the human spirit, which is also a manifestation of his own vitality. Listening to his music carefully can produce human introspection and reveal the meaning of life. The 19th century Romantic master Schumann commented on the Fifth Symphony: "No matter how many times you listen to it, there will naturally be a new admiration and exclamation, and as long as there is music in the world, it will be passed down from generation to generation."