Beethoven’s Symphonic Homage to Nature
Beethoven’s Symphonic Homage to Nature
Beethoven’s Symphonic Homage to Nature
“How happy I am to be able to walk among the shrubs, the trees, the woods, the grass, and the rocks — no one can love the countryside more than I do — for the woods, the trees, and the rocks give a man the inspiration he needs”.
— Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827, born in Bonn) is arguably one of the most famous and influential composers in Western classical music. Not only was he a key figure in the transition from the Classical to the Romantic Ages, but his innovative compositions “re-made and remoulded ” many musical structures (sonata, symphony, etc.) according to Classic FM. Furthermore, he gained a reputation as a master pianist and composer despite the devastating deterioration of his hearing.

“Beethoven walk in nature”, Michael Martin Sypniewski, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
The five movements of Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 6)
By now, you may be wondering how Beethoven relates to biodiversity. Well, he was famously known as a lover of nature. He regularly left the bustling city of Vienna for quiet refuge in the countryside, which played muse to many of his compositions. A lot of his music references elements of nature, most notably Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 commonly known as the Pastoral Symphony. Composed in 1807 and 1808, it includes musical onomatopoeias of quail, nightingale, and cuckoo calls. It also contains descriptive passages of a murmuring brook and a thunderstorm with lightning and rain. Pastoral Symphony fundamentally represents the connections between humans and nature, focusing on the feelings of gratitude and peace people experience while surrounded by forests, streams, and animals.
“Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the countryside”
“Scene by the brook”
“Merry gathering of country folk”
“Thunder and storm”
“Shepherd’s song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm”
Beethoven was also no stranger to pollution, especially since he lived through the Industrial Revolution. With unsanitary drinking water, polluted city air, and the destruction of nature, his escape to the countryside to compose is symbolic of his reverence and appreciation of the natural world. To honour his 250th Birthday, Beethoven’s Pastoral Project is calling on artists from across the globe to come together to create their own “visions of a harmonious co-existence of mankind and nature”. Musicians will perform the Pastoral Symphony on June 5th, 2020, the United Nations World Environment Day. As a “global statement for the preservation of nature”, this project is drawing attention to environmental protection, global sustainability, and “achieving the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement”.