The symphony came about as sort of a confluence between the German serenade and the French orchestral suite, with a certain influence from the Italian concerto as well. In the 1760s there arose a stormy passionate style of symphony known by the German term Sturm und Drang. Sturm und Drang means storm and urge, although it is sometimes translated as storm and stress. The Sturm und Drang period produced a lot of second-rate symphonies by composers who were trying very hard to be deep and passionate. The only one at the time who was innovative, passionate, and interesting, was Joseph Haydn.  Still, this period produced no great masterpieces in the genre of the symphony.

In 1773 there appeared a sturm and drang symphony that is powerful and interesting, though still perhaps not a truly great masterpiece. I speak of the symphony #25 in G minor, by W.A. Mozart. The young Mozart was very much influenced by Haydn and was able to produce a truly passionate and powerful work at the tender age of 17. The first movement of this symphony is the best movement. It shows such perfection of craftsmanship, perfection of sonata form, and such energy and passion, it is hard to believe it came from a teenager. Mozart’s greatest symphonies are numbers 25, 29, 32, 35, 36, 38, and especially the last three, 39, 40, and 41. Number 38 has a great first movement, and a nice finale. It is interesting that number 38 only has three movements. By that time most symphonies were including a minuet between the slow movement and the finale.

The finale of number 38 uses as its theme, a nervous sounding melody that Mozart had used in act two of Figaro for the scene in which Cherubino has to jump out the window of the countess’s room in order to escape being caught by the count. In Figaro that theme is heard for less than a minute, but in the finale of symphony 38, that theme is heard enough times to make an impression on one’s memory.

Number 39 is strongly colored by the woodwind, especially clarinet, and has a strong influence from comic opera. Number 40 is in G minor and has a first movement that is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful symphonic movements ever composed. Symphony 41 is strongly influenced by comic opera but at the same time it is majestic and powerful. In fact it earned the nickname “Jupiter Symphony” because of its regal sounding, powerful style. I consider The Jupiter Symphony to be the greatest orchestral composition of the eighteenth century, especially the finale. The finale of The Jupiter Symphony is a tour-de-force of contrapuntal composition. It is a loosely bound sonata form movement with fugal texture.

I should mention here, that finales are always more loosely structured than first movements, and when they do use an inherently tight form, such as sonata form, it is always a less tightly organized sonata form than that of the first movement. This is true in all genres of music in the eighteenth century, and is usually true in the nineteenth century as well. Finales need a more relaxed feel with less stress and conflict.

In the 1780s Haydn was following Mozart’s lead, though still innovative and unique. Haydn went on to compose about 115 symphonies, the last couple dozen or so being wonderful works. My personal favorite is his last one, symphony number 104. (Some 11 or so symphonies of Haydn were discovered many decades after his death and received numbers such as 16A or 21B; hence to discrepancy of 104 being his last when he composed about 115 of them).

During the 1780s Haydn composed many masterpiece symphonies, particularly the ones he wrote for a commission for a concert in Paris, numbers 82-87 and 90-92. Symphony number 92 became known as the Oxford Symphony because Haydn took it with him to London and performed it there when he received his honorary degree from Oxford. It is a truly delightful symphony, full of wit and humor, while at the same time, serious and deep. The finale is wonderful.

One thing that is under-appreciated by most people is the wit and humor that Haydn imbued so much of his music with. In his wonderful book, “The Classical Style,” Charles Rosen, when speaking of the Paris symphonies, says, “There is not a measure, even the most serious, of these great works which is not marked by Haydn’s wit.”

After the death of Mozart, Haydn went on to compose his greatest symphonies as well as masterpieces in other genres of music. In 1790 Mozart begged Haydn not to go to England. Haydn did not take his young friend’s advice. On January the first, 1791, Haydn set foot on English soil. He left London at the end of June 1792. During this stay in London he composed symphonies 94-98. Haydn made a second trip to London in 1794, arriving there on Feb the 4^th and stayed until Aug 15^th 1795. He was immensely successful in London and the symphonies he composed there are the most sophisticated and masterful of all his symphonies. My personal favorite symphonies by Haydn are 88, 89, 92, 96, 100, and 104. Number 104 is the best one in my opinion. I love it. The first movement is wonderful. The finale uses an Austrian folk melody as its theme and is simply fantastic!

I might add here that I have never really appreciated the slow movements or minuets to most symphonies. There are some of them that I like. There are some nice symphonic slow movements by Haydn, particularly, in my opinion, the slow movements to symphonies 98 and 100. The slow movement to Mozart’s Jupiter symphony is very nice. I enjoy the minuet to Mozart’s 40^th symphony, with its exciting cross rhythms. The minuet to Mozart’s Jupiter symphony pleases me, but mostly while hearing it, I am on the edge of my seat contemplating hearing the awesome finale.

Some eighteenth century symphonies only have three movements, the minuet was added as a sort of diversion from the seriousness of the other movements. The trio section of the minuet in particular was usually treated by composers as sort of a bucolic and simple sort of dance music. Haydn’s minuets are his least imaginative creations. In fact, they pretty much all sound alike. First movements are usually the movements in which a composer shows the most originality, and Haydn’s first movements, as well as his finales, are simply wonderful, at least from symphony 88 onwards.

Now we come to a young man who was eager to make a name for himself as a composer and later became the greatest symphonist of them all. In his early and mid-twenties Beethoven had composed some fine chamber music and some extremely original piano sonatas. He had composed a few piano concertos as well. At the age of twenty-nine he made his debut as a symphonist. His symphony #1, which debuted in 1800, is a lackluster work. It is heavily influenced by Haydn but far more banal than Haydn was at his worst. Try again Ludwig. Number 2 of 1802 is a little better but still not quite up to the standard of Haydn and Mozart. Before he had finished his second symphony, Beethoven was working very hard on a third one. Beethoven’s third symphony In E-flat, nicknamed “The Eroica,” was truly revolutionary. Premiering in 1803, it took the symphony to the next level in its ongoing evolution. Its form and proportions were inherited from Mozart, its style, however, is in the so-called French Heroic style. And it is long; some of Mozart’s entire symphonies were shorter than the first movement of this one.

The first movement of Beethoven’s third is tightly knit and never loses focus despite the plethora of themes. One feature of Beethoven’s music is that he gave more weight to the development section of a sonata form movement than did his predecessors, Haydn and Mozart, and this symphony’s first movement is certainly no exception. Beethoven expected the listener to have a good memory because the dissonant C-sharp in very beginning is not resolved until the recapitulation. There is a wonderful moment just before the recapitulation gets underway. The first violins are playing a tremolo on the note B-flat and the second violins are playing a tremolo on the note of A-flat. Any listener can feel the suspense of this moment. Suddenly the horns begin playing the theme in the tonic key (E-flat), only to be cut short after four notes by the entire orchestra playing fortissimo on a B-flat-seventh chord. This false start by the horns is a stroke of genius.

Next, the theme is quickly taken up by the cellos, which resolve the dissonant C-sharp of the opening by dropping it a semi-tone down to C-natural. A solo horn then plays the theme in the key of F, followed by the flutes and first violins playing it in unison in the key of D-flat. This is a very novel and ingenious way to begin a recapitulation. It is in the “wrong” key, and with quite a delicate orchestration. The music suddenly gathers up momentum. There is a short secondary development section, then all of the themes are heard in the tonic key. A powerful coda closes this monumental movement.

The second movement of the third symphony is a funeral march in C minor. The darkness of this movement gives way to light for a brief time, and then darkness prevails again.

For the third movement of symphony three, Beethoven did not compose a minuet. He composed a movement in ¾ time, but it is no minuet. He titled it “scherzo,” which is the Italian word for joke. Haydn had used the term scherzo for the third movement of some of his string quartets, but Beethoven was the first to compose a symphonic scherzo. As the name implies, the movement is light-hearted and not without a certain humorous character. In the central section, or trio, Beethoven makes good use of the horns.

The finale of Beethoven’s third is as unique as the other three movements. It is a quasi theme-and-variations movement. After eleven bars of furious introduction ending on a B-flat seventh chord, Beethoven gives only the bass line, and with strings playing pizzicato, and no other instruments. Then he gives the bass line again, but this time with wind instruments alternating the notes (at a higher octave) with the strings. This all sounds very humorous. This is followed by two variations for strings alone. In the third variation, the melody itself is finally heard, and is played by the winds. It was quite novel at the time to begin a theme-and-variations movement without the theme, but with only the bass line to the theme, and then to not give the actual theme until the third variation.

The theme that Beethoven used for this finale is a theme that he had used thrice before. He used it for the finale of his only ballet, “Creatures of Prometheus.” He used it for a simple German dance, and he used this simple catchy melody as the theme for a monumental theme-and-variations work for piano, which has become known as his Eroica Variations for Piano.

The third variation is rather long and leads to the fourth variation which is a fugato. This is carried on at length and then a new theme appears which is a lively march in the key of G minor. Then the main theme returns, now in C Major, and then suddenly in C minor. Then another fugato is heard. Then the pace slows to poco andante and the melody is heard again, this time only slightly varied and with winds only. Then the full orchestra carries on for a while. The music winds down a bit, and the theme becomes a slow march with alternating winds and strings. Suddenly the full orchestra bursts out with the short introduction heard at the beginning of this movement and a powerful coda is heard until the final closing. What a powerful way to end a symphony! The ending of the Eroica is in my opinion, the most satisfying ending of any of Beethoven’s symphonies.

In 1806 Beethoven finished a new symphony. It is in a light-hearted style reminiscent of certain symphonies of Haydn. It seems as if Beethoven needed to do something easy after creating the huge masterpiece that was his third symphony.

In 1808 Beethoven premiered two new symphonies. The 5^th, in C-minor, and in the so-called heroic style, and the 6^th, in F major, known as the Pastoral Symphony, are so different in nature they might as well have come from different planets . The 5^th is powerful, dramatic, and tempestuous. The 6^th is sweet, melodic, and rustic. In his 5^th symphony Beethoven introduces trombones, piccolo, and contrabassoon, none of which, despite being used in other types of music, had ever been used in a symphony before.

The opening of the first movement of the 5^th symphony is one the most easily recognizable themes in the history of music. This opening movement is one of Beethoven’s greatest creations, and many people have never listened to the entire movement, but they instantly recognize the opening theme. The entire movement is imbued with the short rhythmic motif of three short notes followed by one long one. Even the second theme seems to grow out of this motif. Beethoven learned how to concentrate the energy of a small germ or motif, and base an entire movement on it by studying the music of Joseph Haydn. But even Haydn never took it to this extreme. The movement is so focused, so concentrated on this motif, yet never sounds too repetitive. It builds such great excitement and resolves itself most satisfactorily. It is like a huge cathedral built of bricks. Each brick in itself is simple, but they are put together in such a way as to create a huge and complex edifice.

The slow movement to Beethoven’s fifth is a relaxing diversion from the intense stress of the first movement. It is in the key of A-flat.

For the scherzo we return to the key of the opening movement, C minor. It is dark and gloomy, but not without a certain wit and humor. Beethoven expanded the usual proportions of the scherzo and there are some brilliant innovations here. One brilliant innovation was the way the scherzo, rather than coming to a decisive end, gradually dies away and gives way and segues directly into the finale.

One kettle drum is softy tapping away on the note C while the violas are softly holding on to a C and the cellos and first violins are playing an A. The second violins come in with a C while the first violins play fragments of the scherzo theme. The cellos play a few notes and finally settle on playing the note G. Even the most musically insensitive person will know that something big is about to happen. It sounds very mysterious, and gives such a strong impression that something extraordinary is about to happen. This goes on for a several measures, then there’s a brief crescendo and then the finale begins. And what a finale it is! The key is now C major rather than minor. The themes that this finale uses are as simple as can be, yet this is a masterful finale. It is so powerful and triumphant!

For this finale, contrabassoons, trombones, and piccolo are used. As mentioned above, this is the first use of any of those instruments in a symphony. The powerful triumphant music ensures that there is no doubt that the hero has overcome all obstacles. The stress and strain of the previous movements has been overcome with a triumphant victory. After developing the themes of this finale for a while, the music suddenly slows down and becomes quiet, and the scherzo resumes again. But this is not really the scherzo. It is a mere ghost of the scherzo. Only the oboes, clarinet, horn and strings are heard, and the scherzo sounds weak and tired, as if it is trying to reappear and take over, but is unable to gather up enough energy to do so. This mysterious sounding music once again gives way to the triumphant sound of the full orchestra blaring away on the simple themes presented in the first half of the finale. Beethoven adds a long coda which never leaves the key of C major. The music ends with the entire orchestra hammering away on the chord of C major until the finale C chord under a fermata slowly dies away.

His 6^th symphony is in a class by itself. The first programmatic symphony in history. It is about nature. It is about a walk in the country. It is full of effects associated with rustic, or pastoral music, such as lively 6/8 rhythms, drones, and certain woodwind effects. This symphony is also unusual for having five movements instead of four.

Beethoven titled the first movement, “Joyous feelings on arriving in the countryside.” It has a far more relaxed feeling than the first movement of any symphony by Beethoven. The key choice Beethoven uses as a contrast to the tonic key is not the dominant, as is usual, but the subdominant, so instead of creating a heightened tension, he creates a relaxed atmosphere. The rate of change of harmony is slow too. And just as the first movement of the fifth made little use of major keys and major chords, this one is the opposite. It makes little use of minor keys and minor chords. This quality is one of the main things that makes it so happy and cheerful throughout. This movement, indeed the entire symphony makes more use of repetition than any of his other symphonies, with the exception of the opening movement of the fifth.

After this very beautiful first movement, the second movement takes us to a “scene by the brook” as Beethoven called it. It is in B-flat and begins with the second violins, violas, and two cellos playing a slow run in triplets representing the murmuring of the brook. The melody is in the first violins. Many people miss hearing the first note of the melody. The first melody note is given immediately and then the violins have almost a whole measure of rest before the melody resumes. This movement features three birds, the cuckoo, represented by two clarinets, the nightingale, represented by a flute, and the quail, represented by the oboe. This beautiful andante is very relaxed and soft, and is one of my favorite slow movements in the history of the symphony.

For the third movement we return to the key of F major. Beethoven titled this movement “Merry Assembly of Country folk.” This movement takes the place of the minuet or scherzo, and is the most rustic-sounding movement of this symphony. This movement ends on a C-seventh chord, which is unusual. A seventh chord creates expectation of its resolution and does not give a feeling of finality. Much blues music ends on a seventh chord.

After the last chord of the third movement, the note of D-flat is played in tremolo by the cellos. Could this be the sound of distant thunder? Suddenly a storm bursts upon the scene. This storm is violent and is punctuated by thunderous tympani. Beethoven undoubtedly got the idea of this thunderstorm from the thunderstorm in Haydn’s oratorio, “The Seasons” but Beethoven’s thunderstorm is more violent, and full of thunderclaps arriving at unexpected moments. As the storm dies away, a few more claps of thunder are heard, though sounding more distant. The music gets sweet and quiet, and suddenly a flute representing the sun coming out from the clouds, rises up a scale of C major, from a B natural, up an octave and a seventh to a high A, and then jumps down a seventh to the B natural above the one from which it started. This B natural becomes the leading tone for the note of C. This scale takes us right into the finale, which Beethoven titled, “Thankful Feelings of Joy After the Storm” and is sometimes called the “Shepherd’s hymn of Thanks.”

After the scale just described, the next chord is the chord of C major, with the flute taking the note C up high, the violas providing the bass note C, the oboes and bassoons giving out the notes C and E. The only note missing from this C chord is G, but from the context, one knows that it is in fact a C chord, and it leads right into a clarinet playing a little figure on the chord of C, which is imitated by the horn, after which the first violins play a beautiful, but quite simple melody with a light accompaniment by the other instruments. The second violins then take up this lovely melody and octave lower. Beethoven makes much use of this simple lovely melody, repeating it over and over. It is catchy and pretty and bears repetition well. This symphony does not go out with a bang like Beethoven’s other symphonies do. It slowly dies away until coming to rest on the final chord of F major.

Wagner called Beethoven’s seventh the apotheosis of dance. After hearing this same symphony, the composer Carl Maria Von Weber said that this symphony is evidence that Beethoven is ripe for the mad house.

This symphony begins with the longest introduction of any of Beethoven’s symphonies. It is so long it can almost be considered a separate movement. This introduction, which is in 4/4 time, ends with the single note E being repeated over and over again, alternating between winds and strings. The first movement-proper begins with the flutes and oboes playing a high E in a dotted rhythm in 6/8 time. Berlioz compared this movement to a peasant dance. Its first theme certainly does have a very danceable character to it. Prior to this symphony Beethoven had composed works that derive much of their expressiveness from the constant iteration and development of a small set of rhythmic figures. The third piano sonata and the first movement of the first string quartet are good examples. And of course the first movement of the fifth symphony unfolds almost entirely from a single small rhythmic motif. Perhaps the biggest difference here is that Beethoven’s rhythms are so danceable. The rhythmic driving force of this movement is spellbinding, and the listener will be dazzled by many sudden and unexpected changes.

Beethoven titled the second movement allegretto rather than the usual andante or larghetto. The term allegretto means to play a bit faster than andante, but not quite allegro. When Beethoven’s friend Maezel invented the metronome, Beethoven put metronome marks at the beginning of each movement of all of his symphonies, but later denounced the use of the metronome, saying something about the conductor needing to feel the pulse. But at least a metronome mark can give us a more exact indication of the tempo that the conductor intended, than can the somewhat ambiguous words like allegro, andante, larghetto, etc. I mention this because this movement, more than any other movement of any symphony of Beethoven, is taken with a very wide range of tempos. Some conductors take it at a ponderously slow pace, while others make it almost an allegro. I prefer to hear it performed somewhat slowly, but not too slow.

This second movement is one of my favorite slow movements. In fact it is one of my favorite movements, slow or fast, from any symphony. It begins with an A minor chord in second inversion, played with oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns. This is followed by a rhythmic figure in the low strings (violas, cellos, and basses). This rhythmic figure dominates almost every measure of the movement, but never sounds monotonous. This movement unfolds as sort of a theme-and-variations movement, but not quite.

The way Beethoven gradually brings the music higher from the low instruments on up to the higher ones in the first part of this movement is very expressive. A beautiful moment occurs when the key changes from A minor to A major and the clarinets introduce a new theme. A theme of such simplicity, and yet, such sweetness. The music eventually goes back to A minor and eventually we hear a fugato. This lovely fugato carries on for a while and then takes us back to the key of A major, with the second theme making a return. Suddenly we find ourselves back in A minor and the movement closes with a coda, ending on the same second inversion of an A minor chord with which it began, orchestrated exactly the same way. Ending on a chord of second inversion gives the sense that there is more to come. It is an unstable chord and does not give any impression of finality.

The hypnotic and beautiful second movement is followed by a very lively and idiosyncratic scherzo. This movement is full of unusual effects and is a pure delight. And it is long.

The finale of this symphony can be described as boisterous, playful, powerful, and majestic. Many other adjectives come to mind, but those will suffice. It is very lively, and like the other movements of this symphony, it is imbued by pervasive rhythmic motifs. It ends with an enormous coda.

The eighth symphony is Beethoven’s shortest symphony. He has returned to the style that Haydn had perfected in the 1790s. It is full of wit and humor. The home key of this symphony is F major, the same as the sixth symphony, but its style and substance is worlds apart from the sixth.

The first movement jumps right into the fray without so much as one measure of introduction. This boisterous character of this movement is contrasted by a certain angry feeling that pervades this movement. A lengthy coda rounds off this nice little movement.

Beethoven headed the slow movement allegretto scherzando. It is the shortest movement in any Beethoven symphony, but it is simply charming. It is humorous, graceful, and pretty.

The third movement was headed by Beethoven, temp di menuetto, but it is no minuet. It a type of Austrian dance in ¾ time, known as a Landler, which is similar to a waltz, but has a more rustic feel to it.

The last movement is the longest one of this symphony, and the violent energy of the first movement returns, but again, it is pervaded by a humorous touch.

Beethoven’s ninth, is, to use a much overused word, awesome. This symphony truly deserves to be called awesome. It was quite revolutionary in its day. It extraordinary length was unprecedented. The recalling of themes from the other three movements in the introduction to the finale was unprecedented. The use of human voices in a symphony was unprecedented.

The first movement seems to me to be gradually bringing order out of chaos. For the first 14 measures you only hear the notes A and E. Such a simple beginning! It gradually begins to unfold into something that has clear outlines, and although not very melodic, is a theme that is arresting and exciting. It took me a long time to appreciate the first movement. It is so wild and eccentric. It sounds so crazy. It is so full of fury and power!

It was a great idea for Beethoven to place the scherzo as the second movement. This places the slow movement just before the finale, which has the effect of making the finale seem faster by contrast.

The scherzo was revolutionary in its treatment of the kettle drums, and it does not follow conventional scherzo form either. Its rhythm is powerful and compelling and seems to have a four/four time superimposed on six-eight.

The slow movement falls in the category of Beethoven’s dreamy introspective style. It uses a long-winded melody for its main theme. Beethoven is usually not thought of as a melodist but, in fact, he composed many beautiful melodies, and this is one of them.

The finale is perhaps the most revolutionary of all of the movements of this symphony. The idea of using human voices in a symphony was certainly new. Beethoven uses a four-part choir with four soloists. The form of the last movement is unique also. It is in a quasi-variation form, and a quasi-sonata form at the same time. This last movement is huge and imposing. The finale is so great it could stand on its own as a great masterpiece without being the finale of a symphony.

This finale begins with the most horribly violent clamor imaginable, which carries on for only seven measures, after which the cellos and basses begin playing in imitation of an opera recitative. This terrible din is heard again, only to be followed once again by a passage of recitative in cellos and basses. This happens twice more, and then a short adagio passage is heard, followed by more recitative in cellos and basses. We hear fragments of the theme that will soon become so important. Finally we close on the chord of D major. Suddenly we hear the melody. It is played down low on cellos and basses. Soon the violas and bassoons join in and a variation of this melody is played. Then a second variation of the melody is played. Then the full orchestra plays a third variation of this simple tune, which is extended by means of a coda. Suddenly the violent, dissonant clamor of the beginning of this movement breaks through once more.

This is when we finally hear the human voices. A Baritone begin to intone a recitative, after which he sings the melody, and is followed immediately by the choir repeating the second half of the melody. Then the soloists sing a variation which is a somewhat decorated version of the melody. This is immediately followed by the soloists singing yet another variation of the melody, being joined by the choir halfway through. A short transition follows and ends on an F chord under a fermata.

Another variation of the melody is now heard, this one being in the style of a Turkish march and is in the key of B-flat. For this Beethoven brings in four horns, two trumpets, a triangle, a bass drum (AKA side drum), piccolo, and cymbals. The march begins with just a thud on the bass drum, with the bassoons and contra bassoon playing a B-flat the drum is struck. There is a long rest and this happens again. And again. Then the rests between the thuds get shorter. Finally the march begins. This leads straight into a tenor solo. The tenor is soon joined by the other soloists.

Next we hear an orchestral interlude which is an expansion of the theme. It is fast and wild and leads us to a transitional section in which the two horns play an F-sharp, an octave apart from each other, over and over for many measures. Suddenly another variation of the theme is heard, this time with full choir.

The music then comes to a sudden rest. At this point Beethoven adds three trombones to the score and a new theme is heard. This rather solemn, but somewhat disjunct, hymn-like theme, is given out by the basses and tenors of the choir singing in parallel octaves. The bass trombone and bass violins are playing the theme in the same octave as the bass singers, while the cellos are playing it in the same octave as the tenors.

The music slows down and modulates to the key of G minor. After this section the movement reaches its climax, which is a double fugue. The two themes that this double fugue uses, are of course the main theme of the movement, and the hymn-like theme that was just presented. This is carried on at length. There is a high A that the sopranos have to hold for a long time. They are supported by the flute playing the A in the upper range of the flute’s register. Then there is an interlude, followed by another interlude in a rather free style. This carries on for a while and leads to the coda. Beethoven brings in the full choir and every instrument for a rousing coda. This movement ends in a orgiastic explosion of joy!

The music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven had a profound effect on Beethoven’s much younger contemporary, Schubert. His early symphonies sound a bit too much like Haydn and Mozart. At a very young age he had a good understanding of how to write for all of the instruments of the orchestra, and a good grasp on form. There is much charm and beauty in his early symphonies, but he didn’t show much originality until he composed his symphony in B minor, AKA “Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony.” This symphony has only two movements because, for unknown reasons, he never finished it. Its first movement is so different from any symphonic movement ever before composed. With its brooding, melancholy atmosphere, and its exquisitely refined beauty, this first movement is totally mesmerizing. After composing a lovely slow movement for this symphony, Schubert began some sketches for a scherzo, and set it aside and never finished it.

Now we come to Schubert’s greatest symphonic achievement, his last symphony. It is called “Symphony in C major the Great” in order to distinguish it from Schubert’s other symphony in the key of C major. This symphony makes great use of the somber, profundity of sound that trombones can add to an orchestra. This is an epic symphony on a grand scale. The first movement is preceded by a slow introduction. The intrusion of elements from the introduction into the actual sonata-form movement is a stroke of genius. Beethoven and Haydn had done that sort of thing before, Beethoven in his Piano Sonata Number 8 (Pathetique Sonata) and his B-flat string Quartet, and Haydn in his Symphony Number 103. But Schubert reinterprets the material from the introduction, brings it up to a faster tempo, and gives it great importance.

The second movement is based on a catchy melody in a march-like rhythm. I find this movement spellbinding. The scherzo is in sonata form like the one from Beethoven’s ninth, but this one sounds nothing like Beethoven. The finale is long and broadly sweeping. In fact in all four movements of this symphony, especially the first and last, Schubert is working with broad, sweeping gestures. He is thinking in terms of using full paragraphs as the building blocks, rather than using short phrases. This makes it quite the opposite of, say, Beethoven’s Fifth, but its structure and outlines are somewhat akin to that of Beethoven’s Ninth, even though it does not sound anything like that work.

This brings us to the end of the second third decade of the nineteenth century. Shortly after the death of Beethoven and Schubert, Berlioz composed a very original symphony, and Mendelssohn was coming of age. Later Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and others made their contributions to the symphonic repertoire. Those, I will save for part two.