eethoven's First is "more Classical" than his Fifth, but even in this first symphony he displays hints of the revolutionary elements which will eventually become his trademark. The first movement is in sonata form, with the two-themed exposition repeated "according to the excellent rule laid down by Haydn" (Grove 7), then followed by a development, a recapitulation, and a coda; nothing is revolutionary in this. However, the symphony is labelled as being in C major; although there are exceptions to this rule, in general, any Classical symphony would begin firmly on the tonic. Beethoven's First, however, begins its introduction "with a discord in the key of F" (Grove 4), the subdominant, the one key to which, Apthorp comments, "young composers were warned against modulating until near the end of the composition" (117, emphasis mine). From there, the introduction moves swiftly to G in the third measure. In fact, the tonic is not fully established until the beginning of the allegro con brio exposition section in measure 13. Thus from the first measure of his First Symphony, which "owes a considerable debt to Haydn" (Brown 7), Beethoven manages to display some of the rebellious spirit which makes him such a distinct and distinguished composer.
In spite of the rather shocking tonality of the introduction, however, the remainder of the first movement of Beethoven's First is otherwise essentially in line with the standard Classical form. The first theme of the exposition is firmly in C; in fact, Grove remarks that it consists of "little more than the notes of the common chord of the tonic repeated" (6). Beethoven continues to follow tradition in presenting the second "very melodious and agreeable" theme (Grove 6), a bright exchange between flute and oboe beginning in measure 53, in the dominant, and the repeated section concludes with a firm cadence on G. The path toward this cadence is long and elaborate, a compositional tactic Ap...