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Composers
 Shostakovich |
was considered the father of symphony, and
composed 104 symphonies ,
in which he set its character and at the same time experimented and improved
symphonic orchestration
and dynamics.
Among his main works is the well-known "Surprise
Symphony" ,
in which Haydn startles listeners during the otherwise quiet second movement,
and the "Military Symphony",
that incorporates parade music. Mozart also
composed many symphonies, and the most famous ones are the Symphony
no. 40,
and Symphony no. 41,
also known as "Jupiter".
Beethoven
was the one who took the symphony to the highest
level of musical composition.
In his own works he brought, to a peak, the combination between sophistication
and technique with melodic, harmonic and dynamic abundance; all these,
together with the expression of human emotions of a sensitive, tormented
composer, who painted his inner world and sensations into music. No wonder,
that after him, a period in which the symphony was the center of personal
expression started - the Romantic
age. Beethoven's nine symphonies are considered
the summit of symphonic writing: the all-famous
5th Symphony,
the "Pastoral" 6th Symphony,
reflecting his love for nature, is one of the first program works in history
of western music. But Beethoven's most important is the 9th
Symphony,
where, for the first time in history, a composer
introduced a choir and solo singers into the most instrumental form of
all.
for solo instrument and orchestra and the descriptional "symphonic
poem"
are the outcomes of symphony, and form in symphony itself was less strict
than before. In his "Unfinished"
Symphony,
Schubert
presents a less conventional structure. Mendelssohn,
in his "Scottish" and
"Italian"
symphonies, includes descriptions of his travels to these countries, along
with the conventional form. Brahms
held the standard of classic symphony, and
was considered Beethoven's ultimate successor.
Many others designed symphonic sound in new ways and expressed ideas, such
as the unity of man and universe (Mahler)
and integration of folk music into symphonic music (Dvorák's
9th Symphony, "From the New World").
The number of orchestral instruments in their work continuously grew. Mahler
demanded that Symphony
no. 8, "The Thousand Symphony" would
be played by a thousand players and choir singers.
6th, the "Pathetic",
and Schubert's
4th, "the Tragic",
emphasise how intensely the artist's sensation pored into his music. In
the 20th century,
the symphony lost much of its appeal compared to past centuries, yet it
is still a common form of expression for Shostakovich,
Hindemith
and Stravinsky
("Psalms"
Symphony).
Examples of symphony parts
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