Symphonies

Symphonies were invented just a couple of hundred years ago. Until that time, apparently, music was not supposed to be written just because someone was bursting to write a piece of music; it was for a definite purpose, such as for a celebration, or for dancing, or maybe for the entertainment of some count or duke. A famous musician would bring his band along, and they would play something to show off his skill. (In other words, the music was probably written precisely for the purpose of displaying the skill of the performer and his troupe.)

Around the 1600s, musicians seem to have had more leisure to indulge in creativity. Following the lead of incredibly wealthy courts such as that of France, musicians created grand musical fantasias, such as Handel's Watermusic, and Purcell's Fairy Queen, which consisted principally of dance movements. In Italy these were called sinfonias. It happened that the composers who put these things together put a lot of energy into the grand opening movement, which was called the Overture, and was not a dance at all. So the whole musical work consisted of: Grand Overture, followed by a number of dance pieces. They were called Suites in English, or Dance Suites. [Added later: I forgot to make the main point I wanted to right here; most symphonists must have found it more satisfying --in terms of the opportunity for self-expression-- to write the overtures than the rest of the suite. It is almost certain that this was the reason for the classical symphony to be greatly influenced by the overture than by the other dance movements. However, the third movement of a classical symphony was often a minuet, or a scherzo, a movement in triple time that expressed humor.] Today we might view such unprepossessing works with condescension, but there are many who enjoy them greatly, myself among them. Some of the most satisfying are Johann Sebastian Bach's four orchestral suites, called Ouvertures, and Georg Friderik Handel's Watermusic suites. Of Bach orchestral suites, the first two are a little more contemplative in nature, while the last two are more energetic and celebratory. In all, the actual introductory overture is the most grand and serious movement. When such men as Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach and Joseph Haydn began to experiment with abstract music, that is, music that was not intended for an entertainment, nor for the theater, they appear to have taken the Overture as a starting point. In any event, in the symphonies of the 19th century, the first movement is the most serious movement, followed by usually three shorter movements. (The first movements also had a very sophisticated structure, about which I'll write another time. It's better to get familiar with a couple of symphonies first, by just listening to them repeatedly.)

Haydn must be credited with establishing the symphony as a viable compositional vessel for the creativity of Mozart, Beethoven, and those who followed, until by the time of Mahler, composers felt impelled to break the mold of the form simply because, one imagines, that it was the only way to escape the domination of Beethoven's incredible achievements. Those who are knowledgeable about symphonies usually have their favorites, and I was hoping to air my own. But the collection of all symphonies ever written is unbelievably varied. Thus two people could claim to love symphonies, but be thinking of very different examples of the genre. The symphonies of Haydn do not excite me very much. There are several that command attention, but I'm not totally grabbed by them. Starting with late Mozart, though, symphonies start getting very engaging. The symphony that seems easiest to get to know and like, I think, is Mozart's Symphony number 40 in G minor. The unforgettable first movement was well known in the seventies, thanks to a pop version that didn't come close to doing it justice. And once that is so familiar that you don't long to hear it over and over again, why there's three more movements to get familiar with! Beethoven's 5th is one of the most famous symphonies of all. But his 3rd symphony is also fascinating. It has an amazing sense of motion, as if things are whirling round at a terrific pace! As a teenager I viewed it with a certain disdain, since the 5th seemed so superior in it's intense passion. But the unbridled enthusiasm of the 3rd (often known as the Eroica) is hard to resist; finally when I was 40 it got me. That's one persistent symphony!

Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th are all frequently performed, and well-established in the symphonic repertoire. But I discovered Beethoven's 4th earlier this year. I had bought a whole set, and had just put the first few on, to get familiar with them. Well, I guess it worked! Nos 1, 2 and 4 are really musical, and by no means trial runs. Any composer would have been proud to have written any of them; they're just overshadowed by the remaining six.

Franz Schubert was an amazing symphonist. Two of his symphonies are notably famous: the Unfinished, and the Ninth. The Unfinished, especially, is accessible to someone not accustomed to listening to extended works, because of the gorgeous melodies with which it is filled. Johannes Brahms wrote four, at least to our knowledge. They're each very powerful works, indeed. But 2, 3 and 4 seem to be a little on the lighter side than 1, which is very Beethovenian, as well as very Brahmsian. Felix Mendelssohn, a near contemporary of Brahms, wrote a number of symphonies. The first few were written as a teenager of about 15, and were only for strings (violins 1 and 2, violas, cellos and double-basses), and when Mendelssohn's symphonies are considered, these are not usually what are meant. The major orchestral symphonies were written when he was about 30, and one of them is the famous Italian Symphony, written in recollection of a holiday spent in Italy. Germans who traveled in Italy in the 19th century were often impressed with the sunshine and the sunny personalities of the Italians, and Mendelssohn put a lot of bubbliness into the Italian. Finally, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote several symphonies that are very well loved, in particular Symphonie Pathetique; Antonin Dvorak wrote the lovely symphony titled From the New World after a visit to the US; Gustav Mahler wrote many symphonies, including the towering 8th, which requires an enormous number of performers, and is very impressive. And one of the great symphonists was Anton Bruckner, who wrote some lovely symphonies that are very atmospheric, notably the 4th, called the Romantic Symphony. This is just a starting list of possible symphonies to listen to. Finally, a little gem that is not a symphony at all, but rather a serenade for light after-dinner (or even during dinner) entertainment: Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, K525. The writing is famously transparent, that is, its very simplicity makes it easy to see its structure, especially the structure of its first movement, which is a poster-child for the structure of the first movement of a symphony.

Archimedes