symphony - Characteristics, The word symphony, Composers of symphonies, Symphonies by number and name, Symphony as "orchestra"

An orchestral work originating in the 18th-c, although the term had been used earlier with different meanings. The classical symphony of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert was mostly in four movements: a fast movement in sonata form; a slow movement; a minuet or scherzo; and a finale, often in sonata form like the first movement. In the 19th-c the structure was varied a good deal, and programmatic or descriptive intentions were often present, as in the five-movement Symphonie fantastique of Berlioz. The example of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which used solo singers and chorus, was followed by many composers, including Mahler. Sibelius's structural innovations led eventually to a single-movement symphony (No. 7, composed in 1924), while other composers (eg Shostakovich) have either modified the Romantic structure to serve their expressive purposes or, like Stravinsky, sought to restore the older symphonic styles.

Characteristics

The main characteristics of the classical symphony, as it existed by the end of the 18th century in the German-speaking world were:

4 movements, of which the first would usually be a fast movement in sonata form, the second a slow movement, the third either a minuet and trio or a ternary dance-like (scherzo) movement in "simple triple" metre, finishing with a fourth, fast movement in rondo and/or sonata form.

After Beethoven started experimenting with the movement structure and with programmatic features in his Sixth Symphony, and later added singers to the last movement of his Ninth Symphony, the possibilities for moulding the symphony format appeared limitless, starting from the early Romantic era, for example:

More variation in the movement structure: More movements and/or multi-layered movement structure (Berlioz, Roméo et Juliette; Solo and/or choral singing extended to several movements of a symphony (Mendelssohn, Second Symphony; Symphonies not for a symphony orchestra (symphonies to be played on a single organ by Charles-Marie Widor and Louis Vierne and also the Symphony for Solo Piano by Charles-Valentin Alkan) Extend the programmatic layer: even after the tone poem had split from the symphony genre as such, symphonies were published with extended programs, explicit (as in Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette, after Shakespeare, as well as in his Symphonie Fantastique) with reference to literary, poetic and folklore devices (as in John Kenneth Graham's symphony cycle), or more implicit, like a succession of sentiments (as in Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony), Carl Nielsen's The Four Temperaments

The word symphony

The word symphony is derived from the Greek Συμφωνία, a combination of syn- ('συν', with, together) and phone ('φωνή', sound, sounding), by way of the Latin symphonia. The most direct forerunner of the symphony is commonly considered to be the opera sinfonia, which by the 18th century had a standard structure of three contrasting movements: fast, slow, and fast dance-like, much like the modern symphony.

The 18th century symphony

The form that we now recognise as the symphony took shape in the early 18th century.

Symphonies at this time, whether for concert, opera, or church use, were not considered the major works on a program: often, as with concerti, they were divided up between other works, or drawn from suites or overtures.

The "Italian" style of symphony, often used as overture and entr'acte in opera houses, became a standard three movement form: a fast movement, the "allegro";

The first symphony to introduce the minuet as the third movement appears to be a 1740 work in D major by Georg Matthias Monn.

Two major centres for early symphony writing were Vienna, where early exponents of the form included Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Wenzel Raimund Birck and Georg Matthias Monn; The most important symphonists of the latter part of the 18th century, however, are considered to be Joseph Haydn, who wrote 106 symphonies over the course of 40 years, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The 19th century symphony

In the late 18th century, vocal music, particularly cantatas and operas, were considered the major form of concert music, with concerti being next. His nine symphonies set the standard for symphonic writing for generations afterwards. At the same time a more experimental form of symphonic writing was coming into being, featuring a greater number of symphonies with textual meaning or specific programs. While "program symphonies" had been written as early as 1790, their place and role became expanded with Hector Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique (1830) and then Liszt's program symphonies, such as the Dante Symphony and the Faust Symphony (both 1857).

In the second half of the 19th century, symphonies included movements using a much-expanded but often strict Sonata Form. At the same time symphonies grew in length, and became the centerpiece of the expanding number of symphony orchestras.

By the end of the 19th century French organists like Widor named some of their organ compositions symphony too: the "romantic" type of organs they played on (like the ones built by Cavaillé-Coll) allowed a thorough orchestral approach and sound, so these composers didn't think of their symphonies as inferior to those written for execution by a symphonic orchestra. In the cases of Widor and Vierne in particular it is much less usual to hear their symphonies for "orchestra alone", of which Vierne wrote one and Widor several, than those they wrote for organ.

The 20th century symphony

In the 19th century the symphonies got bigger and bigger, both in play time and size of the orchestra. The twentieth century saw further diversification in the style and content of works which composers labelled "symphonies" - the idea that the "symphony" was a definite form which had certain standards was eroded, and the symphony instead came to be any major orchestral work which its composer saw fit to label such. Gustav Mahler, whose second symphony written at the end of the 19th century is in five movements, continued to write novel works in the form: his third symphony, like the second, has parts for soloists and choir and is in six movements, the fifth, seventh and tenth symphonies are in five movements, and the eighth symphony, which in another age would more likely have been called a cantata or oratorio, is in two large parts, with vocalists singing for virtually the duration of the work. Designating a work a "symphony" still implied a degree of weightiness - very short or very frivolous works were rarely called symphonies.

Along with a widening of what could be considered a symphony, the 20th century saw an increase in the number of works which could reasonably be called symphonies but which were given some other name by their composer. The Concerto for Orchestra by Béla Bartók is just one such example (Bartók never wrote a work he called a symphony). Some present-day composers continue to write works which they call "symphonies" (Philip Glass, for example, has written eight as of 2005), but the tendency in the 20th century has been for the symphony to be less a recognisable form with its own conventions and norms, and more a label which composers apply to orchestral works of a certain ambition.

Composers of symphonies

Among composers who have composed symphonies are (listed in chronological order of birth):

Giuseppe Torelli, Italian composer of the Sinfonia à 4, the first real symphony. Ignaz Holzbauer (1711-1783) Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), son of Johann Sebastian Bach, composer of around 20 symphonies. Johann Stamitz (1717-1757), the first composer to regularly include a minuet as the third movement of his symphonies. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), one of the best known Classical composers of symphonies, he wrote 106 examples, combining wit and structural clarity (see the list of symphonies by Joseph Haydn and the Category of Haydn Symphonies). Franz Ignaz Beck (1734-1809), composer of about 25 symphonies (biography describes his symphonies especially as ahead of their time) François-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829), French composer of over 60 symphonies. Leopold Hoffmann (1738-1793) Johann Baptist Vanhal (1739-1813), Bohemian composer of at least 24 symphonies. Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799) Andrea Luchesi (1741-1801) Antonio Rosetti (c.1750-1792), Bohemian composer, wrote many symphonies, concertos (notably for horn), and vocal works. Muzio Clementi (1752-1832), Italian composer of symphonies. Writer of 41 such works, his last three reach the pinnacle of 18th century symphonic writing. Pavel Vranický (1756-1808), Bohemian composer of about fifty symphonies. Étienne Méhul (1763-1817), French composer of at least four symphonies. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827),often considered the greatest of all symphonists, he wrote 9 numbered symphonies plus sketches for a tenth - see Category of Beethoven symphonies. George Onslow (1784-1853), French composer of 4 symphonies in a style combining echoes of Beethoven and Schubert. Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), German composer, wrote 2 symphonies. Franz Schubert (1797-1828), composer of 9 surviving symphonies, with the Symphony No. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), composer of 12 complete string symphonies (the 13th was left unfinished) and 5 numbered symphonies, sketches for a 6th (1847). Joachim Raff (1822-1882), composer of 11 symphonies, several with programmatic elements, well known in his day, but now largely forgotten. Anton Bruckner (1824-1896), composer of 11 large-scale symphonies, including Nos. Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894), composer of 6 symphonies, with the second, the Ocean, and the sixth being the best known (though neither as well known now as they were in Rubinstein's day). Georges Bizet (1833-1875), French composer remembered by his Opera Carmen, wrote 1 symphony at the age of 17. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), composer of 4 symphonies, considered to be the artistic heir of Beethoven. Felix Draeseke (1835-1913), composer of the New German School wrote 4 symphonies. Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), composer of 5 symphonies (three of which are numbered while the other two are not), of which the best known is the third, his Symphony n°3 with organ. Ernest Chausson (1855-1899), French composer of 1 symphony and sketches for a second. Hans Rott (1858-1884), Austrian composer of a symphony (1879/1880), which features many stylistic similarities to the later symphonies of his friend and fellow student Gustav Mahler. Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), completed 9 large-scale symphonies, plus an incomplete 10th - see Category of Mahler symphonies. His third symphony is his longest symphony at 95 minutes, and his eighth, the Symphony of a Thousand, premiered with over one thousand performers. Felix Weingartner (1863-1942), composer of 7 symphonies and a sinfonietta. Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), composer of 6 symphonies. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), composer of the Kullervo Symphony, and of 7 numbered symphonies (a No.8 was destroyed by the composer in 1929). Vasily Kalinnikov (1866-1901), Russian composer of 2 symphonies. Albert Roussel (1869-1937), French composer of 4 symphonies. Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927), Swedish composer of 2 symphonies, one disowned by him. Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942), Austrian composer of 3 symphonies, a symphony in all but name called Die Seejungfrau (1902), and a Sinfonietta (1934). Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), composer of 9 symphonies. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), composer of 3 symphonies in a late-Romantic style. Josef Suk (1874-1934), Czech composer of two symphonies - in E major opus 14, and in C minor (the Asrael Symphony, opus 27). Franz Schmidt (1874-1939), Austrian composer of 4 symphonies. Charles Ives (1874-1954), American composer of 4 symphonies, his 'Holiday Symphony' referred to as his 5th, and his 'Universe Symphony' later reconstructed. Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Austrian composer of 2 chamber symphonies and several sketches for unpublished symphonies. Julián Carrillo (1875-1965), Mexican Composer, wrote 2 symphonies plus 3 atonal symphonies written in the "Thirteen Sound" technique. Richard Wetz (1875-1935), German late romantic composer of 3 symphonies Mieczysław Karłowicz (1876-1909), Polish composer of only one symphony, in e minor Op.7 "Rebirth" (1897). an early composer in the genre of the 20th century chamber symphony. Havergal Brian (1876-1972), English composer of 32 symphonies, most of which he wrote in his seventies and eighties. Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950), Soviet composer (moved from Poland at a very young age) and composer of 27 symphonies. Wrote 3 acknowledged and complete symphonies, 4 earlier ones and 2 later ones – the last completed by Pascal Bentoiu. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), wrote 3 purely orchestral symphonies plus the Symphony of Psalms for chorus and orchestra; Arnold Bax (1883-1953), English composer of 7 symphonies. Anton Webern (1883-1945), Austrian Composer of 1 symphony (1928). Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954), German composer of 3 symphonies, plus a Symphonic Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), Brazilian composer of 12 symphonies. Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959), Czech composer of 6 symphonies. Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953), Soviet composer of 7 symphonies, plus a Symphony-Concerto for Cello and Orchestra - see Category of Prokofiev symphonies. Arthur Honegger (1892-1955), Swiss-French composer of 5 symphonies. Walter Piston (1894-1976), American composer of 8 symphonies Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942), Czech composer of 8 symphonies (the last two in short score). Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), German composer of several works with descriptive titles designated symphonies, of which the best known is Mathis der Maler, as well as the Symphony in E-flat of 1939 and the Symphony in B-flat for Concert Band. Howard Hanson (1896-1981), American composer of 7 symphonies (no. Roger Sessions (1896-1985), American composer of 9 symphonies, all but the first two of which are written using some form of the twelve-tone technique. Viktor Ullmann (1898-1944), Czech Composer of 2 symphonies (1944, both are reconstructions from the short score of the Piano Sonatas No.5 and Piano Sonatas No.7 by Bernard Wulff). Roy Harris (1898-1979), American composer of 15 symphonies, of which Symphony No. Pavel Haas (1899-1944), Czech Composer of an unfinished Symphony (1940/41, orchestration completed by Zdenek Zouhar). Carlos Chávez (1899-1978), Mexican composer of 6 symphonies. Kurt Weill (1900-1950), German and later American composer of 2 symphonies Aaron Copland (1900-1990), American composer of 3 symphonies. Ernst Krenek (1900-1991), Austrian composer of 5 symphonies. Kurt Weill (1900-1950), German Composer of 2 symphonies. Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986), English composer of 11 symphonies. William Walton (1902-1983), English composer of 2 symphonies. Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978), world-famous Armenian composer, wrote 3 symphonies. Cemal Reşit Rey (1904-1985), Turkish composer of 2 symphonies. Michael Tippett (1905-1998), English composer of 4 symphonies. Eduard Tubin (1905-1982), Estonian composer of 10 symphonies. Karl Amadeus Hartmann (1905-1963), German composer of 8 symphonies. Paul Creston (1906-1985), American composer of 6 symphonies. Benjamin Frankel (1906-1973), English composer of 8 symphonies. Janis Ivanovs (1906-1983), Latvian composer of 21 symphonies. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), Soviet composer of 15 symphonies - see Category of Shostakovich symphonies. Ahmet Adnan Saygun (1907-1991), Turkish composer of 5 symphonies. Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996), Danish composer of 13 symphonies, 4 symphonies for strings and 3 chamber symphonies (these seven works not discarded, but not included by him among the other 13). Samuel Barber, (1910-1981), American composer of 2 symphonies. William Schuman (1910-1992), American composer of 10 symphonies. Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975), American composer of 1 symphony (1940). Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000), American composer of 67 symphonies. Allan Pettersson (1911-1980), Swedish composer of 17 expressive symphonies. Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), British composer of several symphonies, including the Sinfonia da Requiem (1940) and the Cello Symphony (1963). Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994), Polish composer, wrote 4 symphonies. David Diamond (1915-2005), American composer of 11 symphonies. Henri Dutilleux (1916), French composer of 2 symphonies. Sven Einar Englund (1916-1999), Finnish composer of 7 symphonies. Rowan Taylor (1916-2005), American composer, considered the most prolific composer of all time, wrote 265 symphonies. Lou Harrison (1917-2003), American composer of 4 symphonies. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), American composer and conductor, composed 3 symphonies. Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996), Polish composer who emigrated to the Soviet Union, composer of 20 symphonies for full orchestra and 4 chamber symphonies. Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006), British composer of 9 symphonies. Robert Simpson (1921-1997), British composer, wrote 11 symphonies. Peter Mennin (1923-1983), American composer, wrote 9 symphonies. Hans Werner Henze (born 1926), German Composer of 10 symphonies. Einojuhani Rautavaara (born 1929), Finnish composer of 8 symphonies. John Williams (born 1932), American Composer of a symphony (1966). Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933), Polish composer of 8 symphonies (as of 2005). Henryk Górecki (born 1933), Polish composer of 3 symphonies. Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), Russian Composer of Symphonies, Nos.1-8 (1972-98). Peter Maxwell Davies (born 1934), British Composer of a Sinfonia (1962), a Sinfonia Concertante (1982), a Sinfonietta (1983) and eight numbered symphonies (1976-2001). Giya Kancheli (born 1935), Georgian composer of 7 symphonies. Arvo Pärt (born 1935), composer of 3 symphonies (-1971) Philip Glass (born 1937), composer of 8 symphonies as of 2005. Richard Edward Wilson (born 1941), composer of 2 symphonies as of 2006. Composer of Thiruvasagam in Symphony (Classical Collection of Hymns on Lord Shiva) for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (London, 1993). Hristo Spasov Tsanoff (born 1947), composer of 1 symphony. John Coolidge Adams (born 1947), composer of a Chamber Symphony (1992) and 3 other works, symphonies in all but name. Heinz Chur (born 1948), German composer of 4 symphonies (1978-1991). Alla Pavlova (born 1952), Russian composer of 5 symphonies (as of 2006) Oliver Knussen (born 1953), English Composer of 3 symphonies. John Kenneth Graham (born 1955), American composer of 4 symphonies, orchestral tableaux of American folklore and legend. Aaron Jay Kernis (born 1960), American composer of 2 symphonies. Michael Torke (born 1961), American composer of 1 symphony (1997). Joe Monzo (born 1962), American composer of 2 completed symphonies and an unfinished 3rd. Evgeni Kostitsyn (born 1963), Russian composer of 5 symphonies. Robert Steadman (born 1965), UK composer of 2 symphonies and a chamber symphony. Thomas Adès (born 1971), British Composer of the Chamber Symphony For Fifteen Players Op.2 (1991).

Symphonies by number and name

Symphony as "orchestra"

In a more modern usage, a symphony or symphony orchestra is an orchestra, particularly one that plays or is equipped to play symphonies. Going to hear a symphony orchestra play is sometimes called "going to the symphony," whether or not an actual symphony is on the programme.

Media

Symphony 5, movement 1 (file info) — play in browser (beta) Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 1st movement Symphony 5, movement 2 (file info) — play in browser (beta) Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 2nd movement Symphony 5, movement 3 (file info) — play in browser (beta) Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 3rd movement Symphony 5, movement 4 (file info) — play in browser (beta) Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, 4th movement Problems playing the files?