3.13 The Symphony
A symphony was a large, impressive concert piece for orchestra
Became prominent as public concerts grew
More variety and flexibility
The “crowning achievement” of Viennese Classical music
Movements of the Symphony
A typical symphony has 4 movements:
First movement: Fast/moderate tempo, sonata form, sometimes has a slower introduction
Second movement: Slow tempo, quiet mood, variety of forms
Third movement: Always minuet and trio (moderately paced and triple meter)
Fourth movement: Fast/faster than first, sonata/rondo form (or combo)
Has similarities to the Baroque Concerto!
Note that there are exceptions.
Sonata Form
Linked to symphonies, in the opening movement of each
Contrast and flexibility
ABA’ form, usually with repetitions
A is exposition, B is development, A’ is recapitulation
Exposition (A)
Large, diverse section presenting basic material
Order of events:
First (main) theme is presented in the tonic key (often a tune)
Bridge/transition and modulation
Second group of themes in the new key
New second theme introduced
Cadence theme (closing; last theme of the second group) constructed
Usually repeated
Development (B)
Heightens tensions
Themes are broken up, extended, developed, etc.
Many modulations
Last one returns to tonic in the retransition
Recapitulation (A’)
Review of all exposition themes
Tonic key only
First theme, bridge, then second group (second theme and cadence theme)
There may also be an optional section called the coda, which (in this case) repeats BA’
Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 (1788), First Movement
Most famous work of Mozart
Dark and uneasy mood (minor mode, rare)
Opening texture was homophony
Exposition: First theme played twice, second theme is in the major mode, and divides music between strings and woodwinds- then it’s repeated w/ strings and woodwinds flipped. Short cadence theme, back to minor, then everything is repeated.
Development: First theme modulates, counterpoint, lots of modulations and fragmentation. When that ceases, that’s the retransition.
Recapitulation: New pathos, shifts previously major mode material to minor, alterations of exposition materials, great power overall.
Coda: Very short, first theme then repeated cadences.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Biography
Austrian
Father was a court musician/composer (possessive and controlling to poor Wolfgang)
Child prodigy, very successful at the time
Musician at the court of Salzburg (hometown), but he hated it, and left to freelance in Vienna
Wrote great operas, but people thought his music was difficult
Fell out of popularity and struggled financially
Died dramatically at 35 while composing (maybe) his own Requiem Mass
Symphonies of Haydn
Haydn was a “master” of the Classical symphony, creating more than 100. Most famous were his last 12, for London concerts.
Symphony No. 94 in G Major (The Surprise, 1791), First Movement
Slow introductory section (Haydn signature)
After that, quickens and sonata form begins
First theme, violin duet, is happy and light
Bustling and jaunty
Second and cadence themes were more expansive
Cadence has alternating strings and woodwinds
No retransition in development
“Surprise” recapitulation
Classical Variation Form
Variation form repeats the theme with changes at each repetition
In Classical, the theme is a tune in the upper register
Big with virtuosos, who would improvise them
Often 12 variations
Theme | Variation 1 | Variation 2 | Coda |
---|---|---|---|
|: a :||: b :| | |: a1 :||: b1 :| | |: a2 :||: b2 :| | (free) |
Surprise Symphony, Second Movement
Slow and more restful
Unique variation form
4 variations and a brief coda
Theme (x), normal variation (x1), variation within variation (x1’)
Minuet Form (Classical Dance Form)
Classical focused on minuet dance form instead of stylized dances
Minuets survived and were popular still
fashionable social dance
more technical
Included in all symphonies and string quartets
Baroque and Classical Dance Form
Baroque minuet and trio is ABA, w/ A the minuet and B the trio
A (|: a :||: b :|), B (|: c :||: d:|), A (ab)
Classical composers were more complex, with two versions
Version 1
A- |: a :||: ba :|
B- |: c :||: dc :|
C- aba
Version 2 (more common)
A- |: a :||: ba’ :|
B- |: c :||: dc’ :|
C- aba’
This was sometimes called ternary form
Surprise Symphony, Third Movement
Version 2 of classical dance form
Minuet is “boisterous” and “unruly,” while the trio has “controlled charm”
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Biography
Not from a professional musical family (though his father was an amateur musician)
Talented choirboy in youth
Had the prestigious position of “Kapellmeister” with Prince Paul Anton Esterházy
Composed 104 symphonies, 68 string quartets, over 20 operas, and many other things
Composed a lot of music for baryton, a “bizarre archaic instrument” similar to a plucked cello with extra strings
He and Mozart were friends, and played together one time
Became more famous with public concerts
Turned to choral music later in life
Nice, honorable, and generous
Very human, and thought his art should have some of this humanity too
Rondo Form
Rondo form is like ABACA, though it can be many other things, like ABACADA, ABACABA, or ABACA coda
Basically just has a full fledged tune (A) which is returned to after even other episode (B,C, etc.)
There are more complex sonata rondos
Surprise Symphony, Fourth Movement
Very fast, “effervescent and joyous”
ABACAB(A)
3.13 The Symphony
A symphony was a large, impressive concert piece for orchestra
Became prominent as public concerts grew
More variety and flexibility
The “crowning achievement” of Viennese Classical music
Movements of the Symphony
A typical symphony has 4 movements:
First movement: Fast/moderate tempo, sonata form, sometimes has a slower introduction
Second movement: Slow tempo, quiet mood, variety of forms
Third movement: Always minuet and trio (moderately paced and triple meter)
Fourth movement: Fast/faster than first, sonata/rondo form (or combo)
Has similarities to the Baroque Concerto!
Note that there are exceptions.
Sonata Form
Linked to symphonies, in the opening movement of each
Contrast and flexibility
ABA’ form, usually with repetitions
A is exposition, B is development, A’ is recapitulation
Exposition (A)
Large, diverse section presenting basic material
Order of events:
First (main) theme is presented in the tonic key (often a tune)
Bridge/transition and modulation
Second group of themes in the new key
New second theme introduced
Cadence theme (closing; last theme of the second group) constructed
Usually repeated
Development (B)
Heightens tensions
Themes are broken up, extended, developed, etc.
Many modulations
Last one returns to tonic in the retransition
Recapitulation (A’)
Review of all exposition themes
Tonic key only
First theme, bridge, then second group (second theme and cadence theme)
There may also be an optional section called the coda, which (in this case) repeats BA’
Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 (1788), First Movement
Most famous work of Mozart
Dark and uneasy mood (minor mode, rare)
Opening texture was homophony
Exposition: First theme played twice, second theme is in the major mode, and divides music between strings and woodwinds- then it’s repeated w/ strings and woodwinds flipped. Short cadence theme, back to minor, then everything is repeated.
Development: First theme modulates, counterpoint, lots of modulations and fragmentation. When that ceases, that’s the retransition.
Recapitulation: New pathos, shifts previously major mode material to minor, alterations of exposition materials, great power overall.
Coda: Very short, first theme then repeated cadences.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Biography
Austrian
Father was a court musician/composer (possessive and controlling to poor Wolfgang)
Child prodigy, very successful at the time
Musician at the court of Salzburg (hometown), but he hated it, and left to freelance in Vienna
Wrote great operas, but people thought his music was difficult
Fell out of popularity and struggled financially
Died dramatically at 35 while composing (maybe) his own Requiem Mass
Symphonies of Haydn
Haydn was a “master” of the Classical symphony, creating more than 100. Most famous were his last 12, for London concerts.
Symphony No. 94 in G Major (The Surprise, 1791), First Movement
Slow introductory section (Haydn signature)
After that, quickens and sonata form begins
First theme, violin duet, is happy and light
Bustling and jaunty
Second and cadence themes were more expansive
Cadence has alternating strings and woodwinds
No retransition in development
“Surprise” recapitulation
Classical Variation Form
Variation form repeats the theme with changes at each repetition
In Classical, the theme is a tune in the upper register
Big with virtuosos, who would improvise them
Often 12 variations
Theme | Variation 1 | Variation 2 | Coda |
---|---|---|---|
|: a :||: b :| | |: a1 :||: b1 :| | |: a2 :||: b2 :| | (free) |
Surprise Symphony, Second Movement
Slow and more restful
Unique variation form
4 variations and a brief coda
Theme (x), normal variation (x1), variation within variation (x1’)
Minuet Form (Classical Dance Form)
Classical focused on minuet dance form instead of stylized dances
Minuets survived and were popular still
fashionable social dance
more technical
Included in all symphonies and string quartets
Baroque and Classical Dance Form
Baroque minuet and trio is ABA, w/ A the minuet and B the trio
A (|: a :||: b :|), B (|: c :||: d:|), A (ab)
Classical composers were more complex, with two versions
Version 1
A- |: a :||: ba :|
B- |: c :||: dc :|
C- aba
Version 2 (more common)
A- |: a :||: ba’ :|
B- |: c :||: dc’ :|
C- aba’
This was sometimes called ternary form
Surprise Symphony, Third Movement
Version 2 of classical dance form
Minuet is “boisterous” and “unruly,” while the trio has “controlled charm”
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Biography
Not from a professional musical family (though his father was an amateur musician)
Talented choirboy in youth
Had the prestigious position of “Kapellmeister” with Prince Paul Anton Esterházy
Composed 104 symphonies, 68 string quartets, over 20 operas, and many other things
Composed a lot of music for baryton, a “bizarre archaic instrument” similar to a plucked cello with extra strings
He and Mozart were friends, and played together one time
Became more famous with public concerts
Turned to choral music later in life
Nice, honorable, and generous
Very human, and thought his art should have some of this humanity too
Rondo Form
Rondo form is like ABACA, though it can be many other things, like ABACADA, ABACABA, or ABACA coda
Basically just has a full fledged tune (A) which is returned to after even other episode (B,C, etc.)
There are more complex sonata rondos
Surprise Symphony, Fourth Movement
Very fast, “effervescent and joyous”
ABACAB(A)