Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, Pastoral
Completed in 1808, the 6th symphony is one of the few works in Beethoven's output that has explicit references to programmatic content. In this case, references to the sights and sounds of nature. Beethoven was a lover of nature and would often take walks in the country outside of Vienna. It is from these experiences that Beethoven pulled the images; a serene brook, calling birds, and a thunderstorm, amongst others, that he uses in the Symphony. It is these references, which Beethoven described as "more the expression of feeling than painting," that has lead to the work's popularity over 200 years since its composition.
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