# Ludwig van Beethoven — Symphony No. 5 in C minor

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor (1808) is No. 1 in our Classical Period ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1808
- **On one list:** Classical Period
- **Updated:** 2026-08-30
- **Artist:** [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://waxonia.com/artist/ludwig-van-beethoven/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/ludwig-van-beethoven--symphony-no-5-in-c-minor/

## What we say

### No. 1 in [Classical Period](https://waxonia.com/genre/classical-period/)

Four notes, and a forty-minute argument about what can be built from them. The most famous opening in music is also the most thoroughly worked-out, which is not a coincidence.

## Analysis

12 sections, the first drop of 9 at 0:15, 3% of the way in.

- **Tempo:** 95.7 BPM — holds throughout
- **Key:** C minor
- **Dynamic range:** 18.8 dB — wide open — the quiet parts are genuinely quiet
- **Length:** 7:18

- `0:00` A · **intro**, instrumental — opens the record below its own average energy — playing: other
- `0:31` B · **peak** (bar 13), instrumental — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: other
- `0:44` A · **breakdown** (bar 18), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: other
- `1:04` C · **steady** (bar 26), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: other
- `1:34` A · **breakdown** (bar 38), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: other
- `1:57` B · **peak** (bar 47), instrumental — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: other
- `2:10` A · **breakdown** (bar 52), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: other
- `2:30` A · **steady** (bar 60), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: other
- `4:18` D · **breakdown** (bar 103), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning
- `4:44` B · **lift** (bar 113), instrumental — a short rise that does not resolve — a fill or a transition, not a build — playing: other
- `5:00` A · **breakdown** (bar 120), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: other
- `5:28` C · **steady** (bar 131), instrumental — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: other

**Drops** at 0:15 (bar 6), 1:08 (bar 27), 1:41 (bar 41), 2:34 (bar 62), 3:22 (bar 81), 3:59 (bar 96), 4:44 (bar 113), 5:56 (bar 142), 7:01 (bar 168). A drop is a moment, not a stretch.

**What is playing.** Separated into parts by a source-separation model, so each lane is the instrument it names.

- **drums:** the drum kit, separated from the mix
- **bass:** the bass part, separated from the mix
- **vocals:** the voice, separated from the mix
- **other:** everything else — synths, guitars, keys, strings

Measured from the YouTube master on 2026-08-29. Section labels describe how the energy
moves, not musical form. Anything we were not confident enough to state is omitted
rather than hedged.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Ludwig%20van%20Beethoven%20Symphony%20No.%205%20in%20C%20minor) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hv-F6LZ1sJk)

---

Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.