Symphony(from the Greek “consonance”) - a piece for orchestra, consisting of several parts. The symphony is the most musical form of concert orchestral music.

Classic structure

Due to the relative similarity of the structure to the sonata, the symphony can be called a grand sonata for orchestra. Sonata and symphony, as well as trio, quartet, etc. belong to the “sonata-symphonic cycle” - a cyclic musical form of a work in which it is customary to present at least one of the parts (usually the first) in sonata form. The sonata-symphonic cycle is the largest cyclic form among purely instrumental forms.

Like a sonata, a classical symphony has four movements:
- the first part, at a fast tempo, is written in sonata form;
- the second part, in slow movement, is written in the form of a rondo, less often in the form of a sonata or variation form;
- third movement, scherzo or minuet in tripartite form;
- the fourth movement, at a fast tempo, in sonata form or in the form of a rondo, rondo sonata.
If the first movement is written at a moderate tempo, then, on the contrary, it may be followed by a fast second and slow third movement (for example, Beethoven's 9th symphony).

Considering that the symphony is designed for a large orchestra, each part in it is written broader and more detailed than, for example, in an ordinary piano sonata because wealth expressive means symphony orchestra provides a detailed presentation of musical thought.

History of the symphony

The term symphony was used in ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, and mainly to describe various instruments, especially those capable of producing more than one sound at a time. Thus, in Germany, until the mid-18th century, symphony was a general term for varieties of harpsichords - spinets and virginels; in France, this was the name for barrel organs, harpsichords, two-headed drums, etc.

The word symphony, to designate musical works that sound together, began to appear in the titles of some works of the 16th and 17th centuries, by composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli (Sacrae symphoniae, 1597, and Symphoniae sacrae 1615), Adriano Banchieri (Eclesiastiche Sinfonie, 1607 ), Lodovico Grossi da Viadana (Sinfonie musicali, 1610) and Heinrich Schütz (Symphoniae sacrae, 1629).

The prototype of the symphony can be considered the one that developed under Domenico Scarlatti in late XVII century. This form was already called a symphony and consisted of three contrasting parts: allegro, andante and allegro, which merged into one whole. It is this form that is often seen as the direct forerunner of the orchestral symphony. The terms "overture" and "symphony" were used interchangeably for much of the 18th century.

Other important ancestors of the symphony were the orchestral suite, consisting of several movements in the simplest forms and mostly in the same key, and the ripieno concerto, a form reminiscent of the concerto for strings and continuo, but without solo instruments. The works of Giuseppe Torelli were created in this form, and perhaps the most famous ripieno concerto is Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3.

He is considered the founder of the classical symphony model. In a classical symphony, only the first and last movements have the same tonality, and the middle ones are written in keys related to the main one, which determines the tonality of the entire symphony. Outstanding representatives of classical symphony are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven dramatically expanded the symphony. His Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica") has a scale and emotional range that surpasses all earlier works, his Symphony No. 5 perhaps being the most famous symphony, ever written. His Symphony No. 9 becomes one of the first "choral symphonies" with the inclusion of parts for soloists and chorus in the last movement.

The romantic symphony was a combination of classical form with romantic expression. The software trend is also developing. Appear. The main distinguishing feature of romanticism was the growth of form, composition of the orchestra and density of sound. The most outstanding authors of symphonies of this era include Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. Bruckner and Gustav Mahler.

Beginning in the second half of the 19th century and especially in the 20th century, there was a further transformation of the symphony. The four-movement structure has become optional: symphonies can contain from one (7th Symphony) to eleven (14th Symphony by D. Shostakovich) movements or more. Many composers experimented with the meter of symphonies, such as Gustav Mahler's 8th Symphony, called "Symphony of a Thousand Participants" (due to the strength of the orchestra and choirs required to perform it). The use of sonata form becomes optional.
After L. Beethoven's 9th Symphony, composers more often began to introduce vocal parts into symphonies. However, the scale and content of the musical material remains constant.

List of prominent symphony authors
Joseph Haydn - 108 symphonies
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - 41 (56) symphonies
Ludwig van Beethoven - 9 symphonies
Franz Schubert - 9 symphonies
Robert Schumann - 4 symphonies
Felix Mendelssohn - 5 symphonies
Hector Berlioz - several program symphonies
Antonin Dvorak - 9 symphonies
Johannes Brahms - 4 symphonies
Pyotr Tchaikovsky - 6 symphonies (as well as the Manfred symphony)
Anton Bruckner - 10 symphonies
Gustav Mahler - 10 symphonies
- 7 symphonies
Sergei Rachmaninov - 3 symphonies
Igor Stravinsky - 5 symphonies
Sergei Prokofiev - 7 symphonies
Dmitri Shostakovich - 15 symphonies (also several chamber symphonies)
Alfred Schnittke - 9 symphonies

from Greek symponia - consonance

A piece of music for orchestra, mainly symphonic, usually in sonata-cyclic form. Usually consists of 4 parts; There are S. with more and less parts, up to one-part. Sometimes in S., in addition to the orchestra, a choir and solo vocals are introduced. voices (hence the path to the S. cantata). There are orchestras for string, chamber, wind and other orchestras, for an orchestra with a solo instrument (concert concert), organ, choir (choral orchestra), and wok. ensemble (vocal C). Concert symphony - S. with concert (solo) instruments (from 2 to 9), similar in structure to the concert. S. is often close to other genres: S.-suite, S.-rhapsody, S.-fantasy, S.-ballad, S.-legend, S.-poem, S.-cantata, S.-requiem, S.-ballet, S.-drama (a type of cantata), theater. S. (genus oners). By nature, S. can also be likened to tragedy, drama, lyricism. poem, heroic epic, to get closer to the cycle of genre muses. plays, will depict in a series. music paintings In typical in her samples she combines the contrast of parts with the unity of concept, the multiplicity of diverse images with the integrity of the muses. dramaturgy. S. occupies the same place in music as drama or novel in literature. As the highest type of instr. music, it surpasses all other types of it with the widest possibilities of embodiment, which means. ideas and wealth of emotional states.

Initially, in Dr. Greece, the word "S." meant a harmonious combination of tones (quart, fifth, octave), as well as joint singing (ensemble, choir) in unison. Later, in Dr. Rome, it became the name of the instrument. ensemble, orchestra. On Wednesday. centuries, S. was understood as secular instr. music (in this sense the term was used in France back in the 18th century), sometimes music in general; in addition, this was the name of some muses. tools (eg hurdy-gurdy). In the 16th century this word is used in the name. collections of motets (1538), madrigals (1585), vocal instruments. compositions (“Sacrae symphoniae” - “Sacred symphonies” by G. Gabrieli, 1597, 1615) and then instrumental. polyphonic plays (early 17th century). It is assigned to a polygon. (often chordal) episodes such as an intro or interlude in a wok. and instr. productions, in particular for introductions (overtures) to suites, cantatas and operas. Among operatic overtures, two types have emerged: Venetian - consisting of two sections (slow, solemn and fast, fugue), later developed into French. overture, and Neapolitan - of three sections (fast - slow - fast), introduced in 1681 by A. Scarlatti, who, however, used other combinations of parts. Sonata cyclic. the form gradually becomes dominant in S. and receives especially multifaceted development in it.

Having separated approx. 1730 from the opera, where the orc. the introduction was preserved in the form of an overture, the S. turned into an independent one. orc type music. In the 18th century will fulfill it as a basis. composition were strings. instruments, oboes and horns. S.'s development was influenced by various. types of orc. and chamber music - concert, suite, trio sonata, sonata, etc., as well as opera with its ensembles, choirs and arias, the impact of which on the melody, harmony, structure and figurative structure of S. is very noticeable. How specific. The genre of symphony matured as it dissociated itself from other genres of music, in particular theatrical music, gained independence in content, form, development of themes, and created that method of composition, which later received the name symphonism and, in turn, had a huge influence on many areas music creativity.

The structure of S. has undergone evolution. The basis of the series was a 3-part cycle of the Neapolitan type. Often, following the example of the Venetian and French. Overture in S. included a slow introduction to the 1st movement. Later, the minuet was included in S. - first as the finale of a 3-part cycle, then as one of the parts (usually the 3rd) of a 4-part cycle, the finale of which, as a rule, used the form of a rondo or rondo sonata. Since the time of L. Beethoven, the minuet has been replaced by a scherzo (3rd, sometimes 2nd movement), and since the time of G. Berlioz - by a waltz. The most important sonata form for S. is used primarily in the 1st movement, sometimes also in the slow and last movements. In the 18th century S. has been cultivated for many times. masters Among them are the Italian G. B. Sammartini (85 C., ca. 1730-70, of which 7 are lost), composers of the Mannheim school, in which the Czechs occupied a leading position (F. K. Richter, J. Stamitz, etc. .), representatives of the so-called pre-classical (or early) Viennese school (M. Monn, G. K. Wagenseil, etc.), the Belgian F. J. Gossec, who worked in Paris, the founder of the French. S. (29 S., 1754-1809, including “Hunting”, 1766; in addition, 3 S. for brass orchestra). Classic type S. was created by the Austrians. comp. J. Haydn and W. A. ​​Mozart. In the work of the “father of the symphony” Haydn (104 S., 1759-95), the formation of symphony was completed. From the genre of entertaining everyday music, it turned into the dominant type of serious instrument. music. The main features of its structure. The system has developed as a sequence of internally contrasting, purposefully developing parts united by a common idea. Mozart contributed to the S. drama. tension and passionate lyricism, grandeur and grace, gave it even greater stylistic unity (c. 50 C, 1764/65-1788). His last C. - Es-dur, g-moll and C-dur ("Jupiter") - the highest achievement of the symphony. 18th century art Mozart's creative experience was reflected in his later works. Haydn. Especially great in the history of S. is the role of L. Beethoven, the completion of the Viennese classical school(9 S., 1800-24). His 3rd ("Heroic", 1804), 5th (1808) and 9th (with a vocal quartet and choir in the finale, 1824) S. are examples of heroic. symphonism addressed to the masses, embodying the revolution. pathos nar. struggle. His 6th S. ("Pastoral", 1808) is an example of program symphonism (see Program music), and the 7th S. (1812), in the words of R. Wagner, is the "apotheosis of dance." Beethoven expanded the scope of S., dynamized its dramaturgy, deepened the dialectic of thematic themes. development, enriched internal structure and ideological meaning of S.

For the Austrian and German Romantic composers of the 1st half. 19th century The typical genres are lyrical (Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, 1822) and epic (the last - Schubert's 8th Symphony), as well as landscape and everyday style with colorful national themes. coloring (“Italian”, 1833, and “Scottish”, 1830-42, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy). The psychological level has also increased. the wealth of S. (4 symphonies by R. Schumann, 1841-51, in which the slow movements and scherzos are the most expressive). The trend that emerged among the classics was immediate. transition from one part to another and establishment of themes. connections between parts (for example, in Beethoven's 5th symphony) intensified among the romantics, and C appeared, in which parts follow one after another without pauses (Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's "Scottish" symphony, Schumann's 4th symphony).

The rise of the French S. dates back to 1830-40, when innovative production appeared. G. Berlioz, creator of the romantic. C software based on lit. plot (5-part "Fantastic" S., 1830), S.-concerto ("Harold in Italy", for viola and orchestra, after J. Byron, 1834), S.-oratorio ("Romeo and Juliet", dram. S. in 6 parts, with soloists and choir, after W. Shakespeare, 1839), "Funeral-triumphal symphony" (funeral march, "oratorical" trombone solo and apotheosis - for brass orchestra or symphony orchestra, optional - and choir, 1840). Berlioz is characterized by the grandiose scale of his production, the colossal composition of the orchestra, and colorful instrumentation with subtle nuances. Philosophical and ethical the problematics were reflected in the symphonies of F. Liszt ("Faust Symphony", but J. W. Goethe, 1854, with a final chorus, 1857; "S. to" Divine Comedy"Dante", 1856). The mute acted as an antipode to the programmatic direction of Berlioz and Liszt. Komi J. Brahms, who worked in Vienna. In his 4 S. (1876-85), developing the traditions of Beethoven and Romanticism. symphonism, combined classical. harmony and variety of emotional states. Similar in style. aspirations and at the same time individual French. S. of the same period - 3rd S. (with organ) by C. Saint-Saens (1887) and S. d-moll by S. Frank (1888). In S. “From the New World” by A. Dvořák (the last, chronologically 9th, 1893) not only Czech, but also Negro and Indian muses were refracted. elements. The ideological concepts of the Austrians are significant. symphonists A. Bruckner and G. Mahler. Monumental production. Bruckner (8 S., 1865-1894, 9th unfinished, 1896) is characterized by polyphonic richness. fabrics (influence of organizational art, and also, possibly, musical dramas of R. Wagner), duration and power of emotional build-ups. For Mahler's symphony (9 S., 1838-1909, 4 of them with singing, including the 8th - "symphony of a thousand participants", 1907; the 10th is not completed, an attempt to complete it from sketches was made by D. Cook in 1960; S. cantata “Song of the Earth” with 2 solo singers, 1908) is characterized by the severity of conflicts, sublime pathos and tragedy, and expresses novelty. funds. As if in contrast to their large compositions, which use a rich performer. apparatus, a chamber symphony and a symphonietta appear.

The most prominent authors of the 20th century. in France - A. Roussel (4 S., 1906-34), A. Honegger (Swiss by nationality, 5 S., 1930-50, including 3rd - “Liturgical”, 1946, 5th - S. "three re", 1950), D. Milhaud (12 S., 1939-1961), O. Messiaen ("Turangalila", in 10 parts, 1948); in Germany - R. Strauss ("Home", 1903, "Alpine", 1915), P. Hindempt (4 S., 1934-58, including the 1st - "Artist Mathis", 1934, 3- I - “Harmony of the World”, 1951), K. A. Hartman (8th S., 1940-62), and others. Contributions to the development of S. were made by the Swiss H. Huber (8th S., 1881-1920, including 7th - “Swiss”, 1917), Norwegians K. Sinding (4th S., 1890-1936), H. Severud (9th S., 1920-1961, including anti-fascist by design 5-7- I, 1941-1945), K. Egge (5 S., 1942-69), Dane K. Nielsen (6 S., 1891-1925), Finn J. Sibelius (7 S., 1899-1924), Romanian J. Enescu (3 S., 1905-19), the Dutch B. Peyper (3 S., 1917-27) and H. Badings (10 S., 1930-1961), the Swede H. Rusenberg (7 S., 1919- 69, and S. for wind and percussion instruments, 1968), the Italian J. F. Malipiero (11 S., 1933-69), the English R. Vaughan Williams (9 S., 1909-58), B. Britten (S.-requiem, 1940, "Spring" S. for solo singers, mixed choir, boys' choir and symphony orchestra, 1949), Americans C. Ives (5 S., 1898-1913), W. Piston ( 8 S., 1937-65) and R. Harris (12 S., 1933-69), the Brazilian E. Vila Lobos (12 S., 1916-58) and others. A wide variety of types C. 20th century. due to the multiplicity of creativity. directions, national schools, folklore connections. Modern S. are also different in structure, form, and character: they gravitate towards intimacy and, on the contrary, towards monumentality; not divided into parts and consisting of plural. parts; traditional warehouse and free composition; for regular symphony orchestra and for unusual compositions, etc. One of the trends in music of the 20th century. associated with the modification of ancient - pre-classical and early classical - muses. genres and forms. S. S. Prokofiev paid tribute to him in the “Classical Symphony” (1907) and I. F. Stravinsky in the Symphony in C and “Symphony in Three Movements” (1940-45). In some S. 20th century. a departure from previous norms is revealed under the influence of atonalism, athematism and other new principles of composition. A. Webern built S. (1928) on a 12-tone series. Among the representatives of the “avant-garde” S. is repressed. new experimental genres and forms.

The first among Russians. composers turned to the S. genre (except for D. S. Bortnyansky, whose “Concert Symphony”, 1790, was written for chamber ensemble) Mich. Y. Vielgorsky (his 2nd S. was performed in 1825) and A. A. Alyabyev (his one-part S. e-moll, 1830, and an undated 3-part S. Es-dur suite type, with 4 concert horns, have survived) , later A.G. Rubinstein (6th S., 1850-86, including the 2nd - "Ocean", 1854, 4th - "Dramatic", 1874). M. I. Glinka, author of the unfinished S.-overture at the bottom of the Russian. themes (1834, completed in 1937 by V. Ya. Shebalin), had a decisive influence on the formation of stylistics. damn russian S. with all his symphonies. creativity, in which works of other genres predominate. In S. rus. The authors clearly express nationalism. character, pictures of people are captured. life, historical events, the motives of poetry are reflected. Of the composers of “The Mighty Handful,” N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (3 S., 1865-74) was the first to act as the author of S. The creator of the Russian epic S. appeared A.P. Borodin (2nd S., 1867-76; unfinished 3rd, 1887, partially recorded from memory by A.K. Glazunov). In his work, especially in “Bogatyrskaya” (2nd) S., Borodin embodied the images of a gigantic people. strength. Among the highest achievements of world symphony - production. P. I. Tchaikovsky (6 S., 1800-93, and program S. “Manfred”, after J. Byron, 1885). The 4th, 5th and especially the 6th ("Pathetic", with a slow ending) S., lyrical-dramatic in nature, achieve tragic force in the expression of life's collisions; they are deeply psychological. with insight they convey a rich range of human experiences. Epic line S. continued by A.K. Glazunov (8 S., 1881-1906, including the 1st - “Slavic”; unfinished 9th, 1910, - one part, instrumented by G. Ya. Yudin in 1948) , 2 S. was written by M. A. Balakirev (1898, 1908), 3 S - by R. M. Gliere (1900-11, 3rd - “Ilya Muromets”). The symphonies attract you with their soulful lyrics. S. Kalinnikova (2 S., 1895, 1897), deep concentration of thought - S. c-moll S. I. Taneyeva (1st, actually 4th, 1898), drama. pathetic - the symphonies of S. V. Rachmaninov (3 S., 1895, 1907, 1936) and A. N. Scriabin, the creator of the 6-part 1st (1900), 5-part 2nd (1902) and 3-part 3rd (“Divine Poem”, 1904), distinguished by its special dramaturgy. integrity and power of expression.

S. occupies an important place in the Soviet Union. music. In the works of owls. composers received a particularly rich and vibrant development of the high traditions of classical music. symphonism. Sovs turn to S. composers of all generations, starting with senior masters - N. Ya. Myaskovsky, creator of 27 S. (1908-50, including the 19th - for brass orchestra, 1939), and S. S. Prokofiev, author of 7 S. (1917- 1952), and ending with talented young composers. A leading figure in the field of owls. S. - D. D. Shostakovich. In his 15 S. (1925-71) the depths of human consciousness and the tenacity of morals are revealed. forces (5th - 1937, 8th - 1943, 15th - 1971), embodied exciting themes of modernity (7th - so-called Leningradskaya, 1941) and history (11th - "1905", 1957; 12th - “1917”, 1961), high humanistic. ideals are contrasted with dark images of violence and evil (5-part 13th, based on lyrics by E. A. Yevtushenko, for bass, choir and orchestra, 1962). Developing tradition. and modern types of structure of the sonata cycle, the composer, along with a freely interpreted sonata cycle (a number of his sonata cycles are characterized by the sequence: slow - fast - slow - fast), uses other structures (for example, in the 11th - “1905”), attracts human voice (soloists, choir). In the 11-part 14th S. (1969), where the theme of life and death is revealed against a broad social background, two singing voices are soloed, supported by strings. and blow. tools.

Representatives of numerous people work productively in the region of S. national branches of owls music. Among them are prominent owl masters. music, such as A.I. Khachaturian - the largest Armenian. symphonist, author of colorful and temperamental songs (1st - 1935, 2nd - "S. with a bell", 1943, 3rd - S.-poem, with an organ and 15 additional pipes, 1947); in Azerbaijan - K. Karaev (his 3rd S., 1965 stands out), in Latvia - Y. Ivanov (15 S., 1933-72), etc. See Soviet music.

Literature: Glebov Igor (Asafiev B.V.), Construction of a modern symphony, " Contemporary music", 1925, No. 8; Asafiev B.V., Symphony, in the book: Essays on Soviet musical creativity, vol. 1, M.-L., 1947; 55 Soviet symphonies, L., 1961; Popova T., Symphony , M.-L., 1951; Yarustovsky B., Symphonies about war and peace, M., 1966; Soviet Symphony for 50 years, (comp.), chief editor G. G. Tigranov, L., 1967; Konen V., Theater and Symphony..., M., 1968, 1975; Tigranov G., On the national and international in the Soviet symphony, in the book: Music in Socialist Society, issue 1, Leningrad, 1969; Rytsarev S. ., Symphony in France before Berlioz, M., 1977. Brenet M., Histoire de la symphonie and orchestra depuis ses origines jusqu"a Beethoven, P., 1882; Weingartner F., Die Symphonie nach Beethoven, V. 1898. Lpz., 1926; his, Ratschläge fur Auffuhrungen klassischer Symphonien, Bd 1-3, Lpz., 1906-23,"Bd 1, 1958 (Russian translation - Weingartner R., Performance of classical symphonies. Advice to conductors, vol. 1, M., 1965); Goldschmidt H., Zur Geschichte der Arien- und Symphonie-Formen, "Monatshefte für Musikgeschichte", 1901, Jahrg. 33, No. 4-5, Heuss A., Die venetianischen Opern-Sinfonien, "SIMG", 1902/ 03, Bd 4; Torrefrança F., Le origini della sinfonia, "RMI", 1913, v. 20, p. 291-346, 1914, v. 21, p. 97-121, 278-312, 1915, v 22 , p. 431-446 Bekker P., Die Sinfonie von Beethoven bis Mahler, V., (1918) (Russian translation - Becker P., Symphony from Beethoven to Mahler, ed. and introduction by I. Glebov, L ., 1926); Nef K., Geschichte der Sinfonie und Suite, Lpz., 1921, 1945, Sondheimer R., Die formale Entwicklung der vorklassischen Sinfonie, "AfMw", 1922, Jahrg. 4, H. 1, same, Die Theorie der Sinfonie und die Beurteilung einzelner Sinfoniekomponisten bei den Musikschriftstellern des 18 Jahrhunderts, Lpz., 1925, Tutenberg Fr., Die opera buffa-Sinfonie und ihre Beziehungen zur klassischen Sinfonie, "AfMw", 1927, Jahrg. 8, No. 4; same, Die Durchführungsfrage in der vorneuklassischen Sinfonie, "ZfMw", 1926/27, Jahrg 9, S. 90-94; Mahling Fr., Die deutsche vorklassische Sinfonie, V., (1940), Walin S., Beiträge zur Geschichte der schwedischen Sinfonik, Stockh., (1941), Сarse A., XVIII century symphonies, L., 1951; Borrel E., La symphonie, P., (1954), Brook B. S., La symphonie française dans la seconde moitié du XVIII siècle, v. 1-3, P., 1962; Kloiber R., Handbuch der klassischen und romantischen Symphonie, Wiesbaden, 1964.

B. S. Steinpress

Publications in the Music section

Listening and understanding the symphony

What is the difference between classical, academic, symphonic and philharmonic music? Can a string quartet be considered an orchestra, and can such an “orchestra” then be called a violin orchestra? Answers to these and other popular questions about symphonies can be found in the material on the Kultura.RF portal.

Let's go to the concert

Ilya Repin. Slavic composers. 1872. Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky

A standard symphony concert consists of an overture and a concerto for some instrument (usually piano or violin) with an orchestra in the first movement and the symphony itself in the second. Most often they perform either overtures from famous theatrical works, or having their own plot, which allows even completely unprepared listeners to perceive music - at an extra-musical semantic level. Composers also write instrumental concerts with the mass audience in mind. With a symphony everything seems much more complicated, but this is only at first glance.

The first symphonies in the form to which we are accustomed appeared during the time of Joseph Haydn and largely thanks to him. The word “symphony” itself, of course, existed long before the composer: translated from Greek it meant “joint [harmonious] sound” and served to designate a wide variety of musical forms and genres. But it was precisely in the work of Haydn, the first of Viennese classics- the symphony became what it is now.

Almost all symphonies are built according to the same scheme and, in fact, tell the same type of plot. This scheme is usually called the sonata-symphonic cycle; it consists of four independent musical parts. These individual pieces of music are literally are lining up, like architectural structures, in accordance with very specific and precise mathematical laws. It was these laws that the hero of Pushkin’s work Salieri had in mind when he said that he “believed harmony with algebra.”

What does a symphony consist of?

Henryk Semiradsky. Chopin in the salon of Prince Anton Radziwill in Berlin in 1829 (detail). 2nd half XIX century. State Russian Museum

First part symphonies are also sometimes called “sonata allegro”, since it is written in sonata form and usually goes at a fast pace. The plot of the sonata form consists of three large sections - exposition, development and reprise.

IN exposition Two contrasting themes sound consistently: the main part is usually more active, and the side part is often more lyrical. IN development these themes intertwine and interact with each other in any way at the discretion of the composer. A reprise sums up this interaction: in it the main part sounds in its original form, and the side part changes under the influence of the main one. For example, if in the exposition it was lyrical, then in the reprise it becomes tragic (if the symphony is written in a minor key) or, conversely, heroic (for a major symphony).

The main intrigue of the symphony remains how exactly the composer develops the typical plot. And in an already familiar composition, you can pay special attention to the interpretation of the music by this or that conductor - this is akin to watching a new film adaptation of a famous novel.

Second part symphonies - slow, meditative in nature. It represents an understanding of the dramatic vicissitudes of the first part - as a rest after a storm or as a necessary but slow recovery after a severe fever.

The third part leads the internal conflict of the symphony to resolution through external movement. That is why composers of the 18th century traditionally wrote it in the three-beat rhythm of the then popular minuet dance. The form of the minuet was traditionally three-part, the third section of which literally repeated the first according to the pattern “A - B - A”. This repetition was sometimes not even written out with notes, and after the second section they simply wrote “da capo”: this meant that they had to play the entire first section from the beginning.

Since the time of Ludwig van Beethoven, the minuet has sometimes been replaced by a fast and lively scherzo (translated from Italian as “joke”), but even in these cases, the third movement of the standard symphony often retained the three-beat rhythm and the obligatory three-part “da capo” form.

And finally, fast fourth part or the final The symphony emotionally and meaningfully returns the listener to the “circle of life.” This is facilitated by the musical form rondo(from the French rondeau - “circle”), in which the finales of classical symphonies are most often written. The rondo principle is based on periodic returns, as if in a circle, of the main theme ( refrain), interspersed with other musical fragments ( episodes). The rondo form is one of the most harmonious and positive, and it is this that contributes to the life-affirming character of the symphony as a whole. .

No rules without exceptions

Peter Williams. Portrait of Dmitry Shostakovich. 1947. Central Museum musical culture named after M.I. Glinka

The typical form described is characteristic of the vast majority of symphonies created from the end of the 17th century to the present day. However, there are no rules without exceptions.

If something goes “not according to plan” in a symphony, this always reflects the composer’s special intention, and not his unprofessionalism or ignorance. For example, if the slow (“meaningful”) part of the symphony changes places with a minuet or scherzo, as often happens with romantic composers of the 19th century, this may mean that the author shifted the semantic emphasis of the entire symphony “inward,” since it was in the third quarter of the musical the work is the point of the “golden section” and the semantic culmination of the entire form.

Another example of a deviation from the standard form is another movement added “over plan,” as in Joseph Haydn’s Farewell (45th) Symphony, where the traditional fast finale is followed by a slow fifth movement, during which the musicians take turns stopping playing and leave the stage, extinguishing the candles attached to their music stands. With this violation of the canonical form, Haydn, being the leader of the court orchestra of Prince Esterhazy, drew the attention of his employer to the fact that the musicians for a long time salaries were not paid and they were literally ready to leave the orchestra. The prince, who knew the form of a classical symphony very well, understood the subtle hint, and the situation was resolved in favor of the musicians.

Symphony Orchestra

Lecture

Symphonic genres

The history of the birth of the symphony as a genre

The history of the symphony as a genre goes back about two and a half centuries.

At the end of the Middle Ages in Italy, an attempt was made to revive ancient drama. This marked the beginning of a completely different type of musically - theatrical arts- opera.
In early European opera the chorus did not play like this leading role as solo singers with a group of instrumentalists who accompanied them. In order not to interfere with the audience's view of the artists on the stage, the orchestra was located in a special recess between the stalls and the stage. At first, this particular place was called an “orchestra,” and then the performers themselves.

SYMPHONY(Greek) - consonance. During the period from the XVI-XVIII centuries. this concept meant “euphonious combination of sounds”, “harmonious choral singing" and "polyphonic musical composition».

« Symphonies" called orchestral intermissions between acts of the opera. « Orchestras"(ancient Greek) were called areas in front of the theater stage, where the choir was originally located.

Only in the 30s and 40s. years of the 18th century, an independent orchestral genre, which came to be called a symphony.

The new genre was a work consisting of several parts (cycle), and the first part, which contains the main meaning of the work, must certainly correspond to the “sonata form”.

The birthplace of the symphony orchestra is the city of Mannheim. Here, in the chapel of the local elector, an orchestra was formed, the art of which had a huge influence on orchestral creativity and on the entire subsequent development of symphonic music.
« This extraordinary orchestra has plenty of space and edges- wrote the famous music historian Charles Burney. Here the effects that such a mass of sounds can produce were used: it was here that “crescendo” “diminuendo” was born, and “piano”, which was previously used mainly as an echo and was usually synonymous with it, and “forte” were recognized musical colors, having their own shades, like red or blue in painting...”

Some of the first composers to work in the symphony genre were:

Italian - Giovanni Sammartini, French - Francois Gossec and Czech composer - Jan Stamitz.

But still, Joseph Haydn is considered the creator of the classical symphony genre. He owns the first brilliant examples of the keyboard sonata, string trio and quartet. It was in Haydn’s work that the symphony genre was born and took shape and took its final, as we now say, classical shape.

I.Haydn and W.Mozart summed up and created in symphonic creativity all the best that orchestral music was rich in before them. And at the same time, the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart opened up truly inexhaustible possibilities for a new genre. The first symphonies of these composers were designed for a small orchestra. But subsequently I. Haydn expands the orchestra not only quantitatively, but also through the use of expressive sound combinations of instruments that correspond only to one or another of his plans.

This is the art of instrumentation or orchestration.

Orchestration- this is a living creative act, the design of the composer’s musical ideas. Instrumentation is creativity - one of the aspects of the soul of the composition itself.

During the period of Beethoven's creativity, the classical composition of the orchestra was finally formed, which included:

Strings,

Paired composition of wooden instruments,

2 (sometimes 3-4) horns,

2 timpani. This composition is called small.

G. Berlioz and R. Wagner sought to increase the scale of the orchestra's sound by increasing the composition by 3-4 times.

The pinnacle of Soviet symphonic music was the work of S. Prokofiev and D. Shostakovich.

Symphony... It is compared to a novel and a story, a film epic and a drama, a picturesque fresco. Meaning All these analogies are clear. In this genre it is possible to express what is important, sometimes the most important thing for which art exists, for which a person lives in the world - the desire for happiness, for light, justice and friendship.

A symphony is a piece of music for a symphony orchestra, written in sonata-cyclic form. Usually consists of 4 parts, expressing complex artistic thoughts about human life, about human suffering and joys, aspirations and impulses. There are symphonies with more and fewer parts, up to one movement.

To enhance sound effects sometimes they are introduced in symphonies choir and solos vocal voices. There are symphonies for string, chamber, spiritual and other orchestras, for an orchestra with a solo instrument, organ, choir and vocal ensemble... . Four parts symphonies express typical contrasts of life states: pictures of dramatic struggle (first movement), humorous or dance episodes (minuet or scherzo), sublime contemplation (slow movement) and a solemn or folk dance finale.

Symphonic music- music intended to be performed by a symphony
orchestra; the most significant and rich field of instrumental music,
covering large multi-part works, rich in complex ideological
emotional content, and small musical pieces. The main theme of symphonic music is the theme of love and the theme of enmity.

Symphony Orchestra,
combining a variety of instruments, provides a rich palette
sound colors, expressive means.

The following symphonic works are still extremely popular: L. Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (“Eroic”), No. 5, “Egmont” Overture;

P Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, No. 6, Romeo and Juliet Overture, concerts (focus,

S. Prokofiev Symphony No. 7

I. Stravinsky fragments from the ballet “Petrushka”

J. Gershwin symphojazz “Rhapsody in Blue”

Music for orchestra has evolved in constant interaction with other forms musical art: chamber music, organ music, choral music, opera music.

Characteristic genres of the 17th-18th centuries: suite, concert- ensemble-orchestral, overture opera sample. Types of suites of the 18th century: divertissement, serenade, nocturne.

The powerful rise of symphonic music is associated with the promotion of the symphony, its development as a cyclic sonata form and the improvement of the classical type of symphony orchestra. They often began to introduce into the symphony and other types of symphonic music choir and solo vocals. The symphonic principle in vocal and orchestral works, opera and ballet has intensified. Genres of symphonic music also include symphonietta, symphonic variations, fantasy, rhapsody, legend, capriccio, scherzo, medley, march, various dances, various miniatures, etc. The concert symphonic repertoire also includes individual orchestral fragments from operas, ballets, dramas, plays, films.

Symphonic music of the 19th century. embodied a huge world of ideas and emotions. It reflects broad social themes, deepest experiences, pictures of nature, everyday life and fantasy, national characters, images of spatial arts, poetry, folklore.

There are different types of orchestra:

Military band (consisting of wind - brass and wood instruments)

String orchestra:.

The symphony orchestra is the largest in composition and richest in its capabilities; intended for concert performance of orchestral music. The symphony orchestra in its modern form did not emerge immediately, but as a result of a long historical process.

A concert symphony orchestra, unlike an opera orchestra, is located directly on the stage and is constantly in the field of view of the audience.

By virtue of historical traditions Concert and opera symphony orchestras have long differed in their composition, but these days this distinction has almost disappeared.

The total number of musicians in a symphony orchestra is not constant: it can fluctuate between 60-120 (and even more) people. Such a large group of participants requires skillful leadership for a coordinated game. This role belongs to the conductor.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, the conductor himself played some instrument during the performance - for example, the violin. However, over time, the content of symphonic music became more complex, and this fact little by little forced conductors to abandon such a combination.

Among the numerous musical genres and forms, one of the most honorable places belongs to the symphony. Having emerged as an entertainment genre, from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day it most sensitively and fully, like no other type of musical art, reflects its time. The symphonies of Beethoven and Berlioz, Schubert and Brahms, Mahler and Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich are large-scale reflections on the era and personality, on the history of mankind and the ways of the world.

The symphonic cycle, as we know it from many classical and modern designs, developed approximately two hundred and fifty years ago. However, during this historically short period of time, the symphony genre has come a long way. The length and significance of this path was determined precisely by the fact that the symphony absorbed all the problems of its time, was able to reflect complex, contradictory eras full of colossal upheavals, and embody the feelings, suffering, and struggles of people. It is enough to imagine the life of society in the middle of the 18th century - and remember the symphonies of Haydn; great upheaval late XVIII- the beginning of the 19th centuries - and Beethoven’s symphonies that reflected them; the reaction in society, disappointment - and romantic symphonies; finally, all the horrors that humanity had to endure in the 20th century - and compare the symphonies of Beethoven with the symphonies of Shostakovich in order to clearly see this huge, sometimes tragic path. Nowadays, few people remember what the beginning was like, what the origins of this most complex of purely musical genres, not related to other arts, were.

Let's take a quick look at musical Europe in the mid-18th century.

In Italy, the classical country of art, the trendsetter of all European countries, opera reigns supreme. The so-called opera seria (“serious”) dominates. There are no bright individual images in it, there is no genuine dramatic action. Opera seria is an alternation of different states of mind, embodied in conventional characters. Its most important part is the aria in which these states are conveyed. There are arias of anger and revenge, arias of complaint (lamento), mournful slow arias and joyful bravura ones. These arias were so generalized that they could be transferred from one opera to another without any damage to the performance. In fact, composers often did this, especially when they had to write several operas per season.

The element of the opera seria was the melody. The famous art of Italian bel canto received its highest expression here. In arias, composers reached the true heights of the embodiment of a particular state. Love and hate, joy and despair, anger and sorrow were conveyed by the music so vividly and convincingly that you did not need to hear the lyrics to understand what the singer was singing about. This, in essence, finally prepared the ground for textless music designed to embody human feelings and passions.

From interludes - insert scenes performed between acts of opera seria and not related to its content - its cheerful sister, comic opera buffe, arose. Democratic in content (its characters were not mythological heroes, kings and knights, but ordinary people from the people), it deliberately opposed itself to court art. Opera buffa was distinguished by naturalness, liveliness of action, spontaneity musical language, often directly related to folklore. It featured vocal patter, comic parody coloraturas, and lively and light dance tunes. The finales of the acts unfolded as ensembles, in which the characters sometimes sang all at once. Sometimes such endings were called a “tangle” or “confusion,” because the action rushed into them so quickly and the intrigue turned out to be confusing.

Instrumental music also developed in Italy, and above all the genre most closely associated with opera - the overture. Being an orchestral introduction to an opera performance, it borrowed from the opera bright, expressive musical themes, similar to the melodies of arias.

The Italian overture of that time consisted of three sections - fast (Allegro), slow (Adagio or Andante) and again fast, most often the entire minuet. They called it sinfonia - translated from Greek - consonance. Over time, overtures began to be performed not only in the theater before the curtain opened, but also separately, as independent orchestral works.

At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, a brilliant galaxy of virtuoso violinists appeared in Italy, who were also gifted composers. Vivaldi, Yomelli, Locatelli, Tartini, Corelli and others, who were fluent in the violin - a musical instrument whose expressiveness can be compared with the human voice - created an extensive violin repertoire, mainly from pieces called sonatas (from the Italian sonare - sound). In them, as in the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, Benedetto Marcello and other composers, some common structural features developed, which later turned into a symphony.

The musical life of France was shaped differently. They have long loved music associated with words and action. High development received ballet art; A special type of opera was cultivated - lyrical tragedy, akin to the tragedies of Corneille and Racine, which had the imprint of the specific life of the royal court, its etiquette, its festivities.

French composers gravitated toward plot, program, and verbal definition of music when creating instrumental pieces. “The Flowing Cap”, “The Reapers”, “Tambourine” - these were the names of the harpsichord pieces, which were either genre sketches or musical portraits- “Graceful”, “Tender”, “Hardworking”, “Flirtatious”.

Larger works, consisting of several parts, had their origins in dance. The strict German allemande, the mobile, like a sliding French chime, the stately Spanish sarabande and the swift jig - the fiery dance of English sailors - have long been known in Europe. They were the basis of the instrumental suite genre (from the French suite - sequence). Often other dances were included in the suite: minuet, gavotte, polonaise. An introductory prelude could be heard before the allemande, and in the middle of the suite a measured dance movement sometimes interrupted by a free aria. But the core of the suite - four diverse dances of different peoples - was certainly present in an invariable sequence, outlining four different moods, leading the listener from the calm movement of the beginning to the exciting, rapid finale.

Many composers wrote suites, and not only in France. The great Johann Sebastian Bach also paid them a significant tribute, with whose name, like the German musical culture that time in general, many musical genres were associated.

In countries German language, that is, numerous German kingdoms, principalities and bishoprics (Prussian, Bavarian, Saxon, etc.), as well as in various regions of the multinational Austrian Empire, which then included the “people of musicians” - the Czech Republic enslaved by the Habsburgs - instrumental music has long been cultivated . Every small town, town or even village had its own violinists and cellists, and in the evenings there were solo and ensemble pieces enthusiastically performed by amateurs. Churches and their schools usually became centers for music-making. The teacher was, as a rule, also a church organist, who performed musical fantasies on holidays to the best of his abilities. In large German Protestant centers, such as Hamburg or Leipzig, new forms of music-making also developed: organ concerts in cathedrals. These concerts featured preludes, fantasies, variations, choral arrangements and, most importantly, fugues.

Fugue is the most complex type of polyphonic music, which reached its peak in the work of I.S. Bach and Handel. Its name comes from the Latin fuga - running. This is a polyphonic piece based on one theme, which moves (runs across!) from voice to voice. Each melodic line is called a voice. Depending on the number of such lines, the fugue can be three-, four-, five-voice, etc. In the middle section of the fugue, after the theme has sounded completely in all voices, it begins to develop: first its beginning will appear and disappear again, then it will will expand (each of the notes that make it up will become twice as long), then it will shrink - this is called a theme in increase and a theme in decrease. It may happen that within a theme, descending melodic moves become ascending and vice versa (theme in circulation). Melodic movement moves from one key to another. And in the final section of the fugue - Reprise - the theme again sounds unchanged, as at the beginning, returning to the main tonality of the play.

Let us remind you again: we are talking about the middle of the 18th century. An explosion is brewing in the depths of aristocratic France, which will very soon sweep away the absolute monarchy. A new time will come. And while revolutionary sentiments are still only latently being prepared, French thinkers are speaking out against the existing order. They demand the equality of all people before the law and proclaim the ideas of freedom and fraternity.

Art, reflecting changes in social life, is sensitive to changes in the political atmosphere of Europe. An example of this is immortal comedies Beaumarchais. This also applies to music. Right now, in a difficult time, fraught with colossal events historical significance period, in the depths of old, long-established musical genres and forms, a new, truly revolutionary genre was born - the symphony. It becomes qualitatively, fundamentally different, because it embodies a new type of thinking.

One must think that it is no coincidence that, having prerequisites in different regions of Europe, the symphony genre was finally formed in the countries of the German language. In Italy, opera was the national art. In England, the spirit and meaning of the historical processes taking place there were most fully reflected in the oratorios of George Handel, a German by birth who became the national English composer. In France, other arts came to the fore, in particular literature and theater, which were more concrete, directly and clearly expressing new ideas that excited the world. Voltaire's works, " New Eloise"Rousseau, Montesquieu's "Persian Letters" in a veiled but quite intelligible form presented readers with a stinging criticism of the existing order, and offered their own options for the structure of society.

When, several decades later, it came to music, song joined the ranks of the revolutionary troops. The most striking example of this is the Song of the Army of the Rhine, created overnight by officer Rouget de Lisle, which became world famous under the name Marseillaise. Following the song, music appeared for mass celebrations and mourning ceremonies. And finally, the so-called “salvation opera”, which had as its content the pursuit of a hero or heroine by a tyrant and their salvation in the finale of the opera.

The symphony required completely different conditions both for its formation and for full perception. "Center of gravity" philosophical thought, which most fully reflected the deep essence of the social changes of that era, ended up in Germany, far from social storms.

There, first Kant and later Hegel created their new philosophical systems. Like philosophical systems, the symphony - the most philosophical, dialectical-processual genre of musical creativity - was finally formed where only distant echoes of approaching thunderstorms reached. Where, moreover, strong traditions of instrumental music have developed.

One of the main centers for the emergence of the new genre was Mannheim, the capital of the Bavarian Electorate of the Palatinate. Here, at the brilliant court of Elector Karl Theodor, in the 40s and 50s of the 18th century there was an excellent orchestra, perhaps at that time the best in Europe.

By that time, the symphony orchestra was just taking shape. And in the court chapels and in the cathedrals, orchestral groups with a stable composition did not exist. Everything depended on the means at the disposal of the ruler or magistrate, on the tastes of those who could give orders. At first, the orchestra played only an applied role, accompanying either court performances or festivals and ceremonies. And it was considered, first of all, as an opera or church ensemble. Initially, the orchestra included viols, lutes, harps, flutes, oboes, horns, and drums. Gradually the composition expanded, the number of string instruments increased. Over time, violins replaced the ancient viol and soon took a leading position in the orchestra. Brass wooden tools- flutes, oboes, bassoons - united into separate group, copper pipes and trombones also appeared. The obligatory instrument in the orchestra was the harpsichord, which created the harmonic basis of the sound. Behind him was usually the leader of the orchestra, who, while playing, simultaneously gave instructions for the introduction.

At the end of the 17th century, instrumental ensembles that existed at the Courts of nobles became widespread. Each of the numerous small princes of fragmented Germany wanted to have their own chapel. The rapid development of orchestras began, and new techniques of orchestral playing emerged.

The Mannheim orchestra consisted of 30 string instruments, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 4 horns, timpani. This is the backbone of the modern orchestra, the composition for which many composers of the subsequent era created their works. The orchestra was led by the outstanding Czech musician, composer and violin virtuoso Jan Vaclav Stamitz. Among the orchestra's artists were also the greatest musicians of their time, not only virtuoso instrumentalists, but also talented composers Franz Xaver Richter, Anton Filz and others. They determined the excellent level of performing skills of the orchestra, which became famous for its amazing qualities - the previously unattainable evenness of violin strokes, the finest gradations dynamic shades, previously not used at all.

According to a contemporary, critic Bossler, “the exact observance of piano, forte, rinforzando, the gradual expansion and intensification of sound and then again a decrease in its strength until a barely audible sound - all this could only be heard in Mannheim.” Bernie, an English music lover who took a trip to Europe in the mid-18th century, echoes him: “This extraordinary orchestra has enough space and facets to demonstrate all its capabilities and produce a great effect. It was here that Stamitz, inspired by Yomelli's writings, first went beyond the usual operatic overtures... all the effects that such a mass of sounds could produce were tried. It was here that crescendo and diminuendo were born, and piano, which was previously used mainly as an echo and was usually synonymous with it, and forte were recognized as musical colors with their own shades ... "

It was in this orchestra that four-part symphonies sounded for the first time - works that were built according to one type and had general patterns, which absorbed many features of previously existing musical genres and forms and melted them into something qualitatively different; new unity.

The first chords are decisive, full-voiced, as if calling for attention. Then wide, sweeping moves. Again chords, replaced by arpeggiated movement, and then a lively, elastic melody, like an unfolding spring. It seems that it can unfold endlessly, but it leaves faster than the rumor wants: like a guest introduced to the owners of the house during great reception, moves away from them, giving way to others following. After the moment of general movement appears new topic- softer, feminine, lyrical. But it doesn’t sound for long, dissolving into passages. After some time, we see the first theme again, slightly changed, in a new key. The musical stream flows rapidly, returning to the original, main tonality of the symphony; The second theme organically flows into this flow, now becoming closer in character and mood to the first. The first part of the symphony ends with full-voiced joyful chords.

The second movement, the andante, unfolds slowly and melodiously, bringing out the expressiveness of the string instruments. This is a kind of aria for orchestra, in which lyricism and elegiac reflection dominate.

The third movement is an elegant gallant minuet. It creates a feeling of relaxation and relaxation. And then, like a fiery whirlwind, the fiery finale bursts in. Such is the general outline, a symphony of the time. Its origins can be traced very clearly. The first part most closely resembles an operatic overture. But if the overture is only the threshold of the performance, then here the action itself unfolds in sounds. Typically operatic musical images overtures - heroic fanfare, touching lamento, stormy fun of buffoons - not associated with specific stage situations and not bearing characteristic individual features (remember that even the famous overture to " To the Barber of Seville"Rossini has nothing to do with the content of the opera and was originally written for another opera!), broke away from the opera performance and began independent life. They are easily recognizable in the early symphony - the decisive, courageous intonations of the heroic arias in the first themes, called the main ones, the gentle sighs of the lyrical arias in the second, the so-called secondary themes.

Opera principles are also reflected in the texture of the symphony. If previously instrumental music was dominated by polyphony, that is, polyphony, in which several independent melodies, intertwined, sounded simultaneously, here a different type of polyphony began to develop: one main melody (most often violin), expressive, significant, accompanied by an accompaniment that sets it off , emphasizes her individuality. This type of polyphony, called homophonic, completely dominates in the early symphony. Later in the symphony, techniques borrowed from the fugue appear. However, in the middle of the 18th century it could rather be contrasted with a fugue. There was, as a rule, one theme (there are double, triple and more fugues, but in them the themes are not opposed, but compared). It was repeated many times, but nothing contradicted it. It was, in essence, an axiom, a thesis that was repeatedly stated without requiring proof. The opposite is true in a symphony: in the appearance and further changes of different musical themes and images, one can hear disputes and contradictions. Perhaps this is where the sign of the times shows itself most clearly. Truth is no longer a given. It needs to be sought, proven, justified, comparing different opinions, clarifying different points of view. This is what encyclopedists do in France. German philosophy, in particular, Hegel’s dialectical method, is built on this. And the very spirit of the era of quest is reflected in music.

So, the symphony took a lot from the operatic overture. In particular, the overture outlined the principle of alternating contrasting sections, which in the symphony turned into independent parts. In its first part there are different sides, different feelings of a person, life in its movement, development, changes, contrasts and conflicts. In the second part there is reflection, concentration, and sometimes lyrics. In the third - relaxation, entertainment. And, finally, the finale - pictures of fun, jubilation, and at the same time - the result of musical development, the completion of the symphonic cycle.

This is how the symphony will turn out early XIX century, such, in the most general terms, it will be, for example, in Brahms or Bruckner. And at the time of her birth, she apparently borrowed the multiple movements from the suite.

Allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue are the four obligatory dances, four different moods that can be easily seen in the early symphonies. The dance quality in them is very clearly expressed, especially in the finales, which in terms of the nature of the melody, tempo, and even the size of the beat, often resemble a gigue. True, sometimes the finale of the symphony is closer to the sparkling finale of opera buffa, but even then its kinship with dance, for example, the tarantella, is undeniable. As for the third part, it is called a minuet. Only in Beethoven's work will the dance - gallant courtly or rude common - be replaced by a scherzo.

The newborn symphony thus absorbed the features of many musical genres, and genres born in different countries Oh. And the formation of the symphony took place not only in Mannheim. There was the Vienna School, represented, in particular, by Wagenseil. In Italy, Giovanni Battista Sammartini wrote orchestral works, which he called symphonies and intended for concert performance not associated with an opera performance. In France, a young composer, Belgian by birth, François-Joseph Gossec, turned to a new genre. His symphonies did not meet with response and recognition, because French music programming dominated, but his work played a role in the formation of French symphony, in the renewal and expansion of the symphony orchestra. The Czech composer Frantisek Micha, who at one time served in Vienna, experimented a lot and successfully in search of a symphonic form. His famous fellow countryman Josef Myslewicz had interesting experiments. However, all these composers were loners, but in Mannheim a whole school was formed, which also had at its disposal a first-class “instrument” - a famous orchestra. Thanks to happy occasion that the Elector of the Palatinate was a great lover of music and had enough money to afford huge expenses on it, in the capital of the Palatinate major musicians from different countries gathered - Austrians and Czechs, Italians and Prussians - each of whom contributed to the creation of a new genre. In the works of Jan Stamitz, Franz Richter, Carlo Toeschi, Anton Filz and other masters, the symphony arose in those of its main features, which then passed into the work of the Viennese classics - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.

So, during the first half-century of the existence of the new genre, a clear structural and dramatic model emerged that could accommodate diverse and very significant content. The basis of this model was a form called sonata, or sonata allegro, since it was most often written at this tempo, and later typical for both the symphony and the instrumental sonata and concerto. Its peculiarity is the juxtaposition of different, often contrasting musical themes. The three main sections of the sonata form - exposition, development and reprise - resemble the beginning, development of action and denouement of a classical drama. After a short introduction or immediately at the beginning of the exposition, the “characters” of the play are presented to the audience.

The first musical theme that sounds in the main key of the work is called the main theme. More often - the main theme, but more correctly - the main part, since within the main part, that is, a certain segment musical form, united by one tonality and figurative commonality, over time, not one, but several different themes and melodies began to appear. After the main batch, in early samples by direct comparison, and in later ones through a small connecting batch, a secondary batch begins. Her theme or two or three different topics contrast to the main one. Most often, the side part is more lyrical, soft, and feminine. It sounds in a different key than the main one, a secondary (hence the name of the part) key. A feeling of instability and sometimes conflict arises. The exhibition ends with the final part, which is either absent in the early symphonies or plays a purely auxiliary role as a kind of point, a curtain after the first act of the play, and subsequently, starting with Mozart, acquires the significance of an independent third image, along with the main and secondary ones.

The middle section of sonata form is development. As the title shows, in it the musical themes with which listeners became acquainted in the exhibition (that is, previously exhibited) are developed, subject to change, and development. At the same time, they are shown from new, sometimes unexpected sides, modified, and individual motives are isolated from them - the most active ones, which later collide. Development is a dramatically effective section. At the end there comes a climax, which leads to a reprise - the third section of the form, a kind of denouement of the drama.

The name of this section comes from the French word reprendre - to renew. It is a renewal, a repetition of the exposition, but modified: both parts now sound in the main key of the symphony, as if brought to agreement by the development events. Sometimes there are other changes in a reprise. For example, it can be truncated (without any of the themes sounded in the exposition), mirrored (first the side part sounds, and only then the main part). The first part of the symphony usually ends with a coda - a conclusion that establishes the main tonality and main image of the sonata allegro. In the early symphonies, the coda is small and is, in essence, a somewhat developed final part. Later, for example, in Beethoven, it acquires significant proportions and becomes a kind of second development, in which affirmation is once again achieved through struggle.

This form turned out to be truly universal. From the days of the symphony to the present day, it has successfully embodied the deepest content, conveying an inexhaustible wealth of images, ideas, and problems.

The second part of the symphony is slow. This is usually the lyrical center of the cycle. Its shape varies. Most often it is three-part, that is, it has similar outer sections and a contrasting middle section, but it can also be written in the form of variations or some other form, up to a sonata, which differs structurally from the first allegro only in a slower tempo and less effective development.

The third movement is a minuet in early symphonies, and a scherzo from Beethoven to modern times, as a rule, a complex three-part form. The content of this part has been modified and complicated over the decades from everyday or court dance to monumental powerful scherzos XIX century and further, to the menacing images of evil and violence in the symphonic cycles of Shostakovich, Honegger and other symphonists of the 20th century. Starting from the second half of the 19th century century, the scherzo increasingly changes places with the slow movement, which, in accordance with the new concept of the symphony, becomes a kind of spiritual reaction not only to the events of the first part, but also to the figurative world of the scherzo (in particular, in Mahler’s symphonies).

The finale, which is the result of the cycle, in early symphonies is often written in the form of a rondo sonata. The alternation of cheerful episodes sparkling with fun with a constant dance refrain - such a structure naturally followed from the nature of the images of the finale, from its semantics. Over time, with the deepening of the problems of the symphony, the patterns of structure of its finale began to change. Finales began to appear in sonata form, in the form of variations, in free form, and finally, with oratorio features (with the inclusion of a choir). His images have also changed: not only life affirmation, but sometimes also a tragic outcome (Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony), reconciliation with cruel reality or escape from it into the world of dreams, illusions have become the content of the finale of the symphonic cycle in the last hundred years.

But let's return to the beginning of the glorious path of this genre. Having emerged in the middle of the 18th century, it reached classical completion in the work of the great Haydn.