Symphony

A symphony is an extended piece of music usually for orchestra and comprising several movements.

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

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• 4 movements, of which the first would usually be a fast movement in sonata form, the second a slow movement, the third a ternary dance-like (or scherzo) movement in "simple triple" metre, finishing with a fourth fast movement in rondo and/or sonata form.
• Instrumental, to be played by an orchestra of the relatively moderate size customary at the time.

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 unlimited, starting from the early Romantic era, for example:

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• More variation in the movement structure: More movements and/or multi-layered movement structure (Berlioz, Rom?o et Juliette; Mahler, Third Symphony); Single-movement structure and/or movements succeeding without interruption (Sibelius, Seventh Symphony; Richard Strauss, Eine Alpensinfonie)
• More variation in the instrumentation: Large full-blown romantic orchestras (Berlioz, Mahler, Bruckner); Solo and/or choral singing extended to several movements of a symphony (Mendelssohn, Second Symphony; Berlioz, Rom?o et Julliette; Shostakovich, 14th Symphony); Unusual or new instruments (cowbells in Mahler's Sixth Symphony; Ondes Martenot in the Turangal?la-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen); Symphonies not for a symphony orchestra (Widor's symphonies to be played on a single organ)
• 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' Rom?o et Juliette, after Shakespeare, as well as in his Symphonie Fantastique) or more implicit, like a succession of sentiments (as in Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony), Carl Nielsen's The Four Temperaments
Symphony: The word symphony ►



 

Music: Music is a natural intuitive phenomenon operating in the three worlds of time, pitch, energy, and under the three distinct and interrelated organization structures of rhythm, harmony, and melody....

Orchestra: An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. A small orchestra is called a chamber orchestra....

Movement: The term Movement has a variety of different meanings:...




Symphony related Images and Photos (experimental)

Symphony IV	Spring Symphony	Symphony 1915	Skyline Symphony III
Symphony of Six Million	Symphony of the City II	Instruments Symphony Orchestra	Symphony in Red and Khaki I
Water Garden Symphony	En Fargsymfoni (Symphony in Colour) 1906	Songbird Symphony 500 Piece Puzzle	Ruttmann Berlin Symphony of a Great City