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 examples, took shape 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 mid-18th century century - and remember the symphonies of Haydn; the great upheavals of the late 18th - early 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, and ordinary people from the people), she consciously opposed herself to court art. Opera buffa was distinguished by its naturalness, liveliness of action, and spontaneity of musical language, often directly related to folklore. It featured vocal patter, comic parody coloraturas, and lively and light dance tunes. The act finales unfolded as ensembles in which characters Sometimes everyone sang 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 XVII - early XVIII centuries, a brilliant galaxy of virtuoso violinists appeared in Italy, who were also gifted composers. Vivaldi, Yomelli, Locatelli, Tartini, Corelli and others, who played the violin perfectly - musical instrument, which in its expressiveness can be compared with the human voice, created an extensive violin repertoire, mainly from pieces called sonatas (from the Italian sonare - to 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. Ballet art has received high development; 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 also gravitated toward plot, program, and verbal definitions of music when creating instrumental pieces. “Flying Cap”, “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 is four different dances different nations- 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, as well as with the German musical culture of that time in general, many musical genres are 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 - the most complex look 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 the immortal comedies of Beaumarchais. This also applies to music. It is now, in a difficult period fraught with events of colossal historical significance, that a new, truly revolutionary genre is being born in the depths of old, long-established musical genres and forms - 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 what happened there historical processes most fully reflected 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. The “center of gravity” of philosophical thought, which most fully reflected the deep essence of the social changes of that era, turned out to be in Germany, far from social storms.

There, first Kant and later Hegel created their new philosophical systems. Like philosophical systems, symphony is the most philosophical, dialectical-processual genre musical creativity, - was finally formed where only distant echoes of approaching thunderstorms reached. Where, moreover, stable 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. Over time, violins replaced the ancient viol and soon took a leading position in the orchestra. Brass wooden tools- flutes, oboes, bassoons - united into a separate group, and copper ones also appeared - trumpets, trombones. 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 of dynamic shades that had not previously been 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 were heard for the first time - works that were constructed according to one type and had general principles that absorbed many features of pre-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 goes away faster than the rumor wants it to: like a guest introduced to the owners of the house during a large reception, he moves away from them, giving way to others following behind. After a moment of general movement, a new theme appears - 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. This, in general terms, was the symphony of that 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 of the overture - heroic fanfare, touching lamento, stormy fun of buffoons - not associated with specific stage situations and not bearing characteristic individual traits(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 an 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. Built on this German philosophy, in particular, Hegel's dialectical method. 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 musical development, the completion of the symphonic cycle.

This is how the symphony would have developed by the beginning of the 19th century; this, in the most general terms, would have been the case, for example, with 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 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 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 the happy chance that the Elector of the Palatinate was a great lover of music and had enough money to afford huge expenses on it, major musicians from different countries gathered in the capital of the Palatinate - Austrians and Czechs, Italians and Prussians - each of whom contributed contribution 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 brief 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 of the musical form, united by one tonality and figurative community, over time, not one, but several different theme-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.

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 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 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, similar 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 internal conflict symphonies 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 head of the court orchestra of Prince Esterhazy, drew the attention of his employer to the fact that the musicians had not been paid for a long time and they were literally ready to leave the orchestra. The prince who knew the form perfectly classical symphony, understood the subtle hint, and the situation was resolved in favor of the musicians.

Symphony Orchestra

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, brass and other orchestras, for an orchestra with a solo instrument (concert orchestra), 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 Austrian. 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") - highest achievement symphony 18th century art Mozart's creative experience was reflected in his later works. Haydn. The role of L. Beethoven, the completion of the Viennese classical school (9 S., 1800-24), is especially great in the history of S. 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. slimness and variety 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 (4 S., 1890-1936), H. Severud (9 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 spirit and percussion instruments, 1968), Italian J. F. Malipiero (11 S., 1933-69), Englishmen 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 tend toward intimacy and, on the contrary, toward monumentality; not divided into parts and consisting of plural. parts; traditional warehouse and free composition; for ordinary 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 “Symphony Concertante”, 1790, was written for a 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, ed. 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, L., 1969; ., 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); 03, Bd 4; Torrefrança F., Le origini della sinfonia, 1913, v. 291-346, 1914, 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); 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

Among the many musical genres, one of the most honorable places belongs to the symphony. Always, from the moment of its inception to the present day, it has sensitively reflected its time: the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven, Berlioz and Mahler, Prokofiev and Shostakovich are reflections on the era, on man, on the ways of the world, the ways of life on earth.

Symphony as a standalone musical genre arose relatively recently: some two and a half centuries ago. However, during this historically short period of time, it has come a long way. Word symphonia translated from Greek it means only consonance. In Ancient Greece, this was the name given to a pleasant combination of sounds.

Later they began to designate either an orchestra or the introduction to a dance suite.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the term replaced the current concept of overture.

The first symphonies in the current sense appeared in the center of Europe in the second half of the 18th century. And the place and time of her birth are not accidental. Originating simultaneously in different parts of Europe, in the depths of old, previously established musical forms - the dance suite and the operatic overture, the symphony was finally formed in the countries of the German language. In Italy the national art was opera.

In pre-revolutionary France, already saturated with an atmosphere of freethinking and rebellion, other arts came forward, such as literature, painting and theater - more concrete, directly and clearly expressing new ideas that excited the world. When, several decades later, it came to music, the song entered the ranks of the revolutionary troops as a full-fledged fighter - “Carmagnola”, “Ca ira”, “La Marseillaise”.

Symphony - and to this day the most complex of all types of music not related to other arts - required other conditions for its formation, for full perception: it required thinking, generalization - calm and concentrated work. It is no coincidence that the center of philosophical thought, which reflected social changes in Europe at the end of the 18th century, turned out to be in Germany, far from social storms. At the same time, rich traditions of instrumental music have developed in Germany and Austria. This is where the symphony appeared.

It arose in the works of Czech and Austrian composers, and acquired its final form in the works of Haydn, in order to reach its peak in Mozart and Beethoven. This classical symphony (Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven went down in the history of music as “Viennese classics”, since most of their work is associated with this city) developed as a cycle of four parts, which embodied different aspects of human life.

The first part of the symphony is fast, active, sometimes preceded by a slow introduction. It is written in sonata form.

The second part is slow - usually thoughtful, elegiac or pastoral, that is, dedicated to peaceful pictures of nature, quiet rest or dreams. There are second parts that are mournful, concentrated, and deep.

The third part of the symphony is a minuet, and later, in Beethoven, a scherzo. This is a game, fun, living pictures of folk life, a fascinating round dance...

The finale is the result of the entire cycle, the conclusion from everything that was shown, thought out, felt in the previous parts. Often the ending is life-affirming, solemn, victorious or festive.

In the general scheme, the symphonies of different composers are very different. So, if Haydn’s symphonies are mostly serene, joyful, and only in very few of the 104 works of this genre he created, serious or sad tones appear, then Mozart’s symphonies are much more individual, sometimes perceived as the predecessors of romantic art.

Beethoven's symphonies are filled with images of struggle. They fully reflected the era of the Great French Revolution and the lofty civic ideas inspired by it. Beethoven's symphonies are monumental works, in depth of content, breadth and power of generalization, not inferior to opera, drama, or novel. They are distinguished by deep drama, heroism, and pathos. The last of Beethoven's symphonies, the Ninth, features the chorus singing the rapturous and majestic hymn "Embrace, O Millions," set to the verses of Schiller's ode "To Joy." The composer paints here a grandiose picture of a free, joyful humanity that strives for universal brotherhood.

Ludwig van Beethoven. Ode "To Joy" from Symphony No. 9

At the same time as Beethoven, in the same Vienna, lived another wonderful Austrian composer, Franz Schubert. His symphonies sound like lyrical poems, like deeply personal, intimate statements. With Schubert, a new movement came to European music, the symphony genre - romanticism. Representatives of musical romanticism in the symphony are Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz.

Hector Berlioz, an outstanding French composer, was the first to create a program symphony (see the story about program music), writing a poetic program for it in the form of a short story about the artist's life.

Symphony in Russia is primarily Tchaikovsky. His symphonic works are exciting, exciting stories about a person’s struggle for life, for happiness. But this is Borodin: his symphonies are distinguished by their epic breadth, power, and truly Russian scope. These are Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Glazunov, who created eight beautiful, bright, balanced symphonies.

The symphonies of D. Shostakovich embody the 20th century with its storms, tragedies and achievements. They reflect the events of our history and the images of people of the composer’s contemporaries, building, fighting, searching, suffering and winning. S. Prokofiev's symphonies are distinguished by their epic wisdom, deep drama, pure and bright lyrics, and sharp jokes.

D. Shostakovich. Symphony No. 7 op. 60 “Leningradskaya” in C major. Part 1

Any symphony is the whole world. The world of the artist who created it. The world of time that gave birth to it. Listening to classical symphonies, we become spiritually richer, we become familiar with the treasures of human genius, equal in significance to the tragedies of Shakespeare, the novels of Tolstoy, the poems of Pushkin, the paintings of Raphael.

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Symphony

Symphony(from Greek " consonance") is a genre of symphonic instrumental music of a multi-part canonized form of fundamental ideological content.

A symphony is usually a composition for orchestra, usually consisting of several movements. This is one of the most important genres of European music. In the modern sense, the word “symphony” came into use relatively recently, in the 70s. XVIII century, but it itself is very ancient origin.

"Symphony" means "harmony" in Greek. In ancient times, this was the name given to the singing of a choir or ensemble in unison, as well as any harmonic, euphonious combination of tones. In the Middle Ages, the word disappeared from use, and its new life began in the Renaissance. But now the word “symphony” had a different meaning. In the music of the Renaissance, polyphonic vocal compositions- madrigals, canzones. They usually opened with an instrumental introduction, which was called a symphony. When in the 17th century. When the opera arose, it also began with a symphony - later such an introduction turned into an overture.

In the 18th century The symphony gradually separated from vocal music and began its independent existence. It acquired its classic appearance in the 1780-1790s. in the works of the great Austrian composers J. Haydn and W. A. ​​Mozart. From this time on, the brilliant path of the symphony in European and world music began; it was then that it became the most important, central genre of musical creativity.

A classical symphony consists of four contrasting movements. Together they form a sonata-symphonic cycle. The cyclic structure allows the composer to express a variety of feelings and moods, to create a musically generalized image of the era. The symphonies of Mozart, L. Beethoven, L. I. Tchaikovsky, J. Brahms, G. Mahler, D. D. Shostakovich give us the opportunity to experience the unique atmosphere of time, just as a novel or theatrical play does.

The first part of a classical symphony is energetic, effective, at a fast tempo, and, as a rule, occupies a dominant position in the cycle. For it, composers choose one of the most complex forms - the sonata. The sonata form makes it possible to compare contrasting, even conflicting images - heroic and lyrical, gloomy and bright, solemn and tender. These images then develop, change and, as a result, acquire a new character, new features. The first part of the symphony is therefore particularly distinguished by its diversity and richness.

The second part is usually slow. Its character is determined by lyrical, contemplative moods; it contains melodies close to songs and romances. This is a respite after the turbulent events of the first part. But there are also deviations. For example, in one of Haydn’s symphonies and in Beethoven’s “Eroic Symphony” in the second movement, a funeral march sounds, mournful and majestic.

The third movement in the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart is a minuet. Minuets in classical symphonies are like sketches, pictures from life. Haydn's minuets are full of folk fun, close to peasant dances; in Mozart they are lyrical, sometimes with a touch of dramatic seriousness. Beethoven replaced the minuet with a scherzo - music of a rapid, lively nature, often with a humorous overtones.

The fourth part is the finale. Like the first, it is written at a fast pace, but internally it is not so contrasting. If the meaning of the first part lies in the conflicting comparison of images and dramatic development actions, then in the finale the statement and summing up come to the fore. It is no coincidence that finales are often written in the form of a rondo, based on the circular return of the same theme, that is, on the proclamation of the same musical thought. Simultaneously with the sonata-symphonic cycle, the orchestral composition, for which the symphonies were created, is a symphony orchestra.
Top in historical development The symphony is rightfully considered the work of Beethoven. Each of his symphonies is a new, individual version of the genre, each of them contains a whole world philosophical ideas, is the result of the composer’s hard work of thought.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony, which crowns his career, opens new page in the history of the genre. In its final part, the ode “To Joy” by F. Schiller sounds, affirming the idea of ​​​​the universal brotherhood of mankind. This idea, central to Beethoven's work, is proclaimed in the powerful sound of the choir and orchestra. This is how the symphony becomes vocal. It was inherited by composers of subsequent generations: vocal symphonies were written by G. Berlioz, Mahler, A. N. Scriabin, I. F. Stravinsky, Shostakovich.

The poetic text makes the content of the symphony more concrete, and such works belong to program music. A program symphony can also become a program if the composer simply prefixes it with a title. Haydn also had similar works, for example the original “ Farewell Symphony", ending with the gradual departure of the musicians. In Beethoven's 6th (Pastoral) Symphony, all five movements are titled. We see that the program plan forced Beethoven to increase the number of parts in the symphony and move away from the classical construction of the cycle. Later composers treated the form of the symphony even more freely, increasing the number of parts or, on the contrary, compressing the cycle into one movement. Each time it is connected with the idea of ​​the composition, with an individual plan.
The greatest symphonists after Beethoven are F. Schubert, Brahms, A. Bruckner, A. Dvorak, Mahler.

The symphonic heritage of Russian composers - Tchaikovsky, A. P. Borodin, A. G. Glazunov, Scriabin, S. V. Rachmaninov - is of world significance. Their great traditions received a rich and vibrant development in the works of Soviet composers of all generations - N. Ya. Myaskovsky, S. S. Prokofiev. A. I. Khachaturyan, T. N. Khrennikova, K. A. Karaev, Y. A. Ivanov, F. M. Amirov and other masters. The greatest symphonist of our time was Shostakovich. His 15 symphonies are a real chronicle of the 20th century.

Due to the similarity in structure with the sonata, the sonata and symphony are combined under the general name “sonata-symphonic cycle”. A classical symphony (as represented in the works of the Viennese classics - Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven) usually has four movements. The 1st movement, at a fast tempo, is written in sonata form; The 2nd, in slow movement, is written in the form of variations, rondo, rondo sonata, complex three-movement, less often in the form of a sonata; 3rd - scherzo or minuet - in three-part form da capo with trio (that is, according to the A-trio-A scheme); 4th movement, at a fast tempo - in sonata form, in the form of a rondo or rondo sonata.

A program symphony is one that is associated with a known content set out in the program (expressed, for example, in the title or epigraph), for example, Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony”, Berlioz’s “Fantasy Symphony”, etc. Dittersdorf, Rosetti and others were the first to introduce a program into a symphony. Haydn.

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What is a toccata

Toccata (Italian toccata from toccare - touch, push) - originally any work for keyboard instruments, in the modern sense - an instrumental piece of fast, clear movement of equal short durations. Usually the toccata is written for piano or organ, but there are also...