Beethoven’s works are traditionally categorized in four different compositional periods. His Symphony no. 5 falls into his so-called heroic period⎯1803–1815. This symphony exemplifies Beethoven’s artistic creed of self-expression and demonstrates his revolutionary approach to composition. His contextual use of form, his use of pervasive motivic development, his approach to music as an ongoing dramatic narrative, his use of rhythm as a narrative element divorced from pitch, and his continual pursuit of originality are all very much in evidence here.