About the symphony. The history of the symphony The third part of the classical symphony is called

Symphony is the most monumental form of instrumental music. Moreover, this statement is true for any era - both for the work of the Viennese classics, and for the romantics, and for composers of later movements...

Alexander Maikapar

Musical genres: Symphony

The word symphony comes from the Greek "symphonia" and has several meanings. Theologians call this a guide to the use of words found in the Bible. The term is translated by them as agreement and agreement. Musicians translate this word as consonance.

The topic of this essay is a symphony as musical genre. It turns out that in a musical context, the term symphony contains several different meanings. Thus, Bach called his wonderful pieces for the clavier symphonies, meaning that they represent a harmonic combination, a combination - consonance - of several (in this case, three) voices. But this use of the term was an exception already in the time of Bach - in the first half of the 18th century. Moreover, in the work of Bach himself, it denoted music of a completely different style.

And now we have come close to the main topic of our essay - the symphony as a large multi-part orchestral work. In this sense, the symphony appeared around 1730, when the orchestral introduction to the opera was separated from the opera itself and turned into an independent orchestral work, taking as a basis a three-part overture of the Italian type.

The kinship of the symphony with the overture is manifested not only in the fact that each of the three sections of the overture: fast-slow-fast (and sometimes even the slow introduction to it) turned into an independent separate part of the symphony, but also in the fact that the overture gave the symphony an idea contrast of the main themes (usually masculine and feminine) and thus endowed the symphony with the dramatic (and dramaturgical) tension and intrigue necessary for music of large forms.

Constructive principles of the symphony

Mountains of musicological books and articles are devoted to the analysis of the form of the symphony and its evolution. The artistic material represented by the symphony genre is enormous both in quantity and variety of forms. Here we can characterize the most general principles.

1. Symphony is the most monumental form of instrumental music. Moreover, this statement is true for any era - for the work of the Viennese classics, and for the romantics, and for composers of later movements. The Eighth Symphony (1906) by Gustav Mahler, for example, grandiose in artistic design, was written for a huge - even according to the ideas of the early 20th century - cast of performers: a large symphony orchestra expanded to include 22 woodwinds and 17 brass instruments, the score also includes two mixed choirs and boys choir; to this are added eight soloists (three sopranos, two altos, a tenor, a baritone and a bass) and a backstage orchestra. It is often called the "Symphony of a Thousand Participants". In order to perform it, it is necessary to rebuild the stage of even very large concert halls.

2. Since the symphony is a multi-movement work (three-, often four-, and sometimes five-movement, for example, Beethoven’s “Pastoral” or Berlioz’s “Fantastique”), it is clear that such a form must be extremely elaborate in order to eliminate monotony and monotony. (A one-movement symphony is very rare; an example is Symphony No. 21 by N. Myaskovsky.)

A symphony always contains many musical images, ideas and themes. They are one way or another distributed between the parts, which, in turn, on the one hand, contrast with each other, and on the other, form a kind of higher integrity, without which the symphony will not be perceived as a single work.

To give an idea of the composition of the symphony's movements, we provide information about several masterpieces...

Mozart. Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”, C major
I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante cantabile
III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio
IV. Molto Allegro

Beethoven. Symphony No. 3, E-flat major, Op. 55 ("Heroic")
I. Allegro con brio
II. Marcia funebre: Adagio assai
III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
IV. Finale: Allegro molto, Poco Andante

Schubert. Symphony No. 8 in B minor (the so-called “Unfinished”)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto

Berlioz. Fantastic Symphony
I. Dreams. Passion: Largo - Allegro agitato e appassionato assai - Tempo I - Religiosamente
II. Ball: Valse. Allegro non troppo
III. Scene in the fields: Adagio
IV. Procession to execution: Allegretto non troppo
V. A Dream on the Night of the Sabbath: Larghetto - Allegro - Allegro
assai - Allegro - Lontana - Ronde du Sabbat - Dies irae

Borodin. Symphony No. 2 “Bogatyrskaya”
I. Allegro
II. Scherzo. Prestissimo
III. Andante
IV. Finale. Allegro

3. The first part is the most complex in design. In a classical symphony it is usually written in the form of a so-called sonata Allegro. The peculiarity of this form is that at least two main themes collide and develop in it, which in the most general terms can be spoken of as expressing the masculine (this theme is usually called main party, since for the first time it takes place in the main key of the work) and the feminine principle (this side party- it sounds in one of the related main keys). These two main topics are somehow connected, and the transition from the main to the secondary is called connecting party. Laying it all out musical material usually has a certain conclusion, this episode is called final game.

If we listen to a classical symphony with an attention that allows us to immediately distinguish these structural elements from the first acquaintance with this work, then we will discover modifications of these main themes in the course of the first movement. With the development of the sonata form, some composers - and Beethoven the first of them - were able to identify feminine elements in the theme of a masculine character and vice versa, and in the course of developing these themes, “illuminate” them in different ways. This is perhaps the brightest - both artistic and logical - embodiment of the principle of dialectics.

The entire first part of the symphony is constructed as a three-part form, in which first the main themes are presented to the listener, as if exhibited (that’s why this section is called exposition), then they undergo development and transformation (the second section is development) and ultimately return - either in their original form , or in some new capacity (reprise). This is the most general scheme into which each of the great composers contributed something of their own. Therefore, we will not find two identical constructions not only among different composers, but also among the same one. (Of course, if we're talking about about great creators.)

4. After the usually stormy first part of the symphony, there must certainly be a place for lyrical, calm, sublime music, in a word, flowing in slow motion. At first, this was the second part of the symphony, and this was considered a rather strict rule. In the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart, the slow movement is precisely the second. If there are only three movements in a symphony (as in Mozart's 1770s), then the slow movement really turns out to be the middle one. If the symphony has four movements, then in the early symphonies a minuet was placed between the slow movement and the fast finale. Later, starting with Beethoven, the minuet was replaced by a rapid scherzo. However, at some point the composers decided to deviate from this rule, and then the slow movement became the third in the symphony, and the scherzo became the second movement, as we see (or rather, hear) in A. Borodin’s “Bogatyr” symphony.

5. The finales of classical symphonies are characterized by lively movement with dance and song features, often in folk spirit. Sometimes the finale of a symphony turns into a true apotheosis, as in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Op. 125), where a choir and solo singers were introduced into the symphony. Although this was an innovation for the symphony genre, it was not for Beethoven himself: even earlier he composed the Fantasia for piano, choir and orchestra (Op. 80). The symphony contains the ode “To Joy” by F. Schiller. The finale is so dominant in this symphony that the three movements preceding it are perceived as a huge introduction to it. The performance of this finale with its call to “Hug, millions!” at the opening of the UN General Session - the best expression of the ethical aspirations of humanity!

Great creators of symphonies

Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn lived a long life (1732–1809). Half a century of it creative activity outlined by two important circumstances: the death of J. S. Bach (1750), which ended the era of polyphony, and the premiere of Beethoven’s Third (“Eroic”) Symphony, which marked the beginning of the era of romanticism. During these fifty years the old musical forms - mass, oratorio and concerto grosso- were replaced by new ones: symphony, sonata and string quartet. The main place where works written in these genres were now heard were not churches and cathedrals, as before, but the palaces of nobles and aristocrats, which, in turn, led to a change in musical values - poetry and subjective expressiveness came into fashion.

In all this, Haydn was a pioneer. Often - although not quite correctly - he is called the “father of the symphony”. Some composers, for example Jan Stamitz and other representatives of the so-called Mannheim school (Mannheim in the mid-18th century was the citadel of early symphonism), had already begun composing three-part symphonies much earlier than Haydn. However, Haydn raised this form to a much higher level and showed the way to the future. His early works bear the stamp of the influence of C. F. E. Bach, and the later ones anticipate a completely different style - Beethoven.

It is noteworthy that the compositions that have acquired important musical meaning, he began to create when he crossed his forty-year mark. Fertility, diversity, unpredictability, humor, inventiveness - this is what makes Haydn head and shoulders above the level of his contemporaries.

Many of Haydn's symphonies received titles. Let me give you a few examples.

A. Abakumov. Play Haydn (1997)

The famous symphony No. 45 was called “Farewell” (or “Symphony by Candlelight”): on the last pages of the symphony’s finale, the musicians, one after another, stop playing and leave the stage, leaving only two violins, ending the symphony with a question chord la - F sharp. Haydn himself told a semi-humorous version of the origin of the symphony: Prince Nikolai Esterhazy once for a very long time did not let the orchestra members leave Eszterhazy for Eisenstadt, where their families lived. Wanting to help his subordinates, Haydn composed the conclusion of the “Farewell” symphony in the form of a subtle hint to the prince - a request for leave expressed in musical images. The hint was understood, and the prince gave the appropriate orders.

In the era of romanticism, the humorous nature of the symphony was forgotten, and it began to be endowed with a tragic meaning. Schumann wrote in 1838 about the musicians extinguishing their candles and leaving the stage during the finale of the symphony: “And no one laughed at the same time, since there was no time for laughter.”

Symphony No. 94 “With a Timpani Strike, or Surprise” received its name due to the humorous effect in the slow movement - its peaceful mood is disrupted by a sharp timpani strike. No. 96 “Miracle” began to be called that due to random circumstances. At the concert in which Haydn was to conduct this symphony, the audience, with his appearance, rushed from the middle of the hall to the empty first rows, and the middle was empty. At that moment, a chandelier collapsed in the center of the hall, only two listeners were slightly injured. Exclamations were heard in the hall: “Miracle! Miracle!" Haydn himself was deeply impressed by his involuntary salvation of many people.

The name of symphony No. 100 “Military”, on the contrary, is not at all accidental - its extreme parts with their military signals and rhythms clearly depict musical picture camps; even the Minuet here (third movement) is of a rather dashing “army” type; inclusion of Turkish percussion instruments in the symphony’s score delighted London music lovers (cf. Mozart’s “Turkish March”).

No. 104 “Salomon”: isn’t this a tribute to the impresario John Peter Salomon, who did so much for Haydn? True, Salomon himself became so famous thanks to Haydn that he was buried in Westminster Abbey “for bringing Haydn to London,” as indicated on his tombstone. Therefore, the symphony should be called exactly “With A lomon”, and not “Solomon”, as is sometimes found in concert programs, which incorrectly orients listeners to the biblical king.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart wrote his first symphonies when he was eight years old, and his last at thirty-two. Their total number is more than fifty, but several youthful ones have not survived or have not yet been discovered.

If you take the advice of Alfred Einstein, the greatest expert on Mozart, and compare this number with only nine symphonies by Beethoven or four by Brahms, it will immediately become clear that the concept of the symphony genre is different for these composers. But if we single out Mozart’s symphonies that, like Beethoven’s, are really addressed to a certain ideal audience, in other words, to all of humanity ( humanitas), then it turns out that Mozart also wrote no more than ten such symphonies (Einstein himself speaks of “four or five”!). "Prague" and the triad of symphonies of 1788 (No. 39, 40, 41) are an amazing contribution to the treasury of world symphony.

Of these last three symphonies, the middle one, No. 40, is the best known. In popularity it can only be rivaled by “Little night serenade" and Overture to the opera "The Marriage of Figaro". Although the reasons for popularity are always difficult to determine, one of them in this case may be the choice of tone. This symphony is written in G minor - a rarity for Mozart, who preferred cheerful and joyful major keys. Of the forty-one symphonies, only two were written in a minor key (this does not mean that Mozart did not write minor music in major symphonies).

His statistics are similar piano concerts: Of the twenty-seven, only two have a minor key. Considering the dark days in which this symphony was created, it may seem that the choice of tonality was predetermined. However, there is more to this creation than just the everyday sorrows of any one person. We must remember that in that era, German and Austrian composers increasingly found themselves at the mercy of the ideas and images of the aesthetic movement in literature, called “Sturm and Drang.”

The name of the new movement was given by F. M. Klinger’s drama “Sturm and Drang” (1776). Appeared large number dramas with incredibly passionate and often inconsistent heroes. Composers were also fascinated by the idea of expressing with sounds the dramatic intensity of passions, heroic struggle, and often longing for unrealizable ideals. It is not surprising that in this atmosphere Mozart also turned to minor keys.

Unlike Haydn, who was always confident that his symphonies would be performed - either in front of Prince Esterhazy, or, like the "London ones", in front of the London public - Mozart never had such a guarantee, and despite this, he was amazingly prolific. If his early symphonies are often entertaining or, as we would now say, “light” music, then his later symphonies are the “highlight of the program” of any symphony concert.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven created nine symphonies. There are probably more books written about them than there are notes in this heritage. The greatest of his symphonies are the Third (E-flat major, “Eroica”), the Fifth (C minor), the Sixth (F major, “Pastoral”), and the Ninth (D minor).

...Vienna, May 7, 1824. Premiere of the Ninth Symphony. Surviving documents testify to what happened then. The very announcement of the upcoming premiere was noteworthy: “The Grand Academy of Music, which is being organized by Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven, will take place tomorrow, May 7th.<...>The soloists will be Ms. Sontag and Ms. Unger, as well as Messrs. Heitzinger and Seipelt. The concertmaster of the orchestra is Mr. Schuppanzig, the conductor is Mr. Umlauf.<...>Mr. Ludwig van Beethoven will personally take part in directing the concert.”

This direction eventually resulted in Beethoven conducting the symphony himself. But how could this happen? After all, by that time Beethoven was already deaf. Let's turn to eyewitness accounts.

“Beethoven conducted himself, or rather, he stood in front of the conductor’s stand and gesticulated like crazy,” wrote Joseph Böhm, the orchestra’s violinist who took part in that historic concert. “He would either stretch up or almost squat down, waving his arms and stamping his feet, as if he himself wanted to play all the instruments at the same time and sing for the whole choir. In fact, Umlauf was in charge of everything, and we musicians only looked after his baton. Beethoven was so excited that he was completely unaware of what was happening around him and did not pay attention to the stormy applause, which hardly reached his consciousness due to his hearing impairment. At the end of each number they had to tell him exactly when to turn around and thank the audience for the applause, which he did very awkwardly.”

At the end of the symphony, when the applause was already thundering, Caroline Unger approached Beethoven and gently stopped his hand - he still continued to conduct, not realizing that the performance was over! - and turned to face the hall. Then it became obvious to everyone that Beethoven was completely deaf...

The success was enormous. It took police intervention to end the applause.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

In the genre of symphony P.I. Tchaikovsky created six works. Last Symphony - Sixth, B minor, Op. 74 - called “Pathetic” by him.

In February 1893, Tchaikovsky came up with a plan for a new symphony, which became the Sixth. In one of his letters, he says: “During the journey, I had the idea of another symphony... with a program that will remain a mystery to everyone... This program is very imbued with subjectivity, and often during the journey, mentally composing it, I am very cried."

The sixth symphony was recorded by the composer very quickly. In just a week (February 4–11), he recorded the entire first part and half of the second. Then the work was interrupted for some time by a trip from Klin, where the composer then lived, to Moscow. Returning to Klin, he worked on the third part from February 17 to 24. Then there was another break, and in the second half of March the composer completed the finale and the second part. The orchestration had to be postponed somewhat because Tchaikovsky had several more trips planned. On August 12, the orchestration was completed.

The first performance of the Sixth Symphony took place in St. Petersburg on October 16, 1893, conducted by the author. Tchaikovsky wrote after the premiere: “Something strange is happening with this symphony! It’s not that I didn’t like it, but it caused some confusion. As for me, I am prouder of it than of any other composition of mine.” Further events turned out tragically: nine days after the premiere of the symphony, P. Tchaikovsky died suddenly.

V. Baskin, the author of the first biography of Tchaikovsky, who was present at both the premiere of the symphony and its first performance after the composer’s death, when E. Napravnik conducted (this performance became triumphant), wrote: “We remember the sad mood that reigned in the hall of the Assembly of the Nobility On November 6, when the “Pathetique” symphony, which was not fully appreciated during the first performance under the baton of Tchaikovsky himself, was performed for the second time. In this symphony, which, unfortunately, became our composer’s swan song, he appeared new not only in content, but also in form; instead of the usual Allegro or Presto it begins Adagio lamentoso, leaving the listener in the saddest mood. In this Adagio the composer seems to say goodbye to life; gradual morendo(Italian - fading) of the entire orchestra reminded us of the famous end of Hamlet: “ The rest is silent"(Further - silence)."

We were only able to briefly talk about just a few masterpieces of symphonic music, moreover, leaving aside the musical fabric itself, since such a conversation requires the real sound of the music. But even from this story it becomes clear that the symphony as a genre and symphonies as creations of the human spirit are an invaluable source of the highest pleasure. The world of symphonic music is huge and inexhaustible.

Based on materials from the magazine “Art” No. 08/2009

On the poster: Great Hall of St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic named after D. D. Shostakovich. Tory Huang (piano, USA) and the Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra (2013)

Word "symphony" translated from Greek as “consonance”. And indeed, the sound of many instruments in an orchestra can only be called music when they are in tune, and do not each produce sounds on its own.

In Ancient Greece, this was the name for a pleasant combination of sounds, singing together in unison. IN Ancient Rome This is how the ensemble or orchestra began to be called. In the Middle Ages a symphony was called secular music in general and some musical instruments.

The word has other meanings, but they all carry the meaning of connection, involvement, harmonious combination; for example, a symphony is also called the principle of relationship between the church and secular power formed in the Byzantine Empire.

But today we will only talk about a musical symphony.

Varieties of symphony

Classical symphony- This is a musical work in sonata cyclic form, intended for performance by a symphony orchestra.

To the symphony (in addition to symphony orchestra) choir and vocals may be included. There are symphonies-suites, symphonies-rhapsodies, symphonies-fantasies, symphonies-ballads, symphonies-legends, symphonies-poems, symphonies-requiems, symphonies-ballets, symphonies-dramas and theatrical symphonies as a type of opera.

A classical symphony usually has 4 movements:

first part - in fast pace(allegro ) , in sonata form;

second part - in at a slow pace, usually in the form of variations, rondo, rondo sonata, complex three-movement, less often in the form of a sonata;

third part - scherzo or minuet- in three-part form da capo with trio (that is, according to the A-trio-A scheme);

fourth part - in fast pace, in sonata form, in rondo or rondo sonata form.

But there are symphonies with fewer (or more) parts. There are also one-movement symphonies.

Program Symphony is a symphony with a specific content, which is set out in the program or expressed in the title. If the symphony has a title, then this title is the minimum program, for example, “Symphony Fantastique” by G. Berlioz.

From the history of the symphony

The creator of the classical form of symphony and orchestration is considered Haydn.

And the prototype of the symphony is the Italian overture(an instrumental orchestral piece performed before the start of any performance: opera, ballet), which developed at the end of the 17th century. Significant contributions to the development of the symphony were made by Mozart And Beethoven. These three composers are called "Viennese classics". Viennese classics created a high type of instrumental music, in which all the wealth of figurative content is embodied in a perfect artistic form. The process of formation of the symphony orchestra - its permanent composition and orchestral groups - also coincided with this time.

V.A. Mozart

Mozart wrote in all forms and genres that existed in his era, special meaning attached great importance to opera, but also paid great attention symphonic music. Due to the fact that throughout his life he worked in parallel on operas and symphonies, his instrumental music is distinguished by the melodiousness of an operatic aria and dramatic conflict. Mozart created more than 50 symphonies. The most popular were the last three symphonies - No. 39, No. 40 and No. 41 (“Jupiter”).

K. Schlosser "Beethoven at work"

Beethoven created 9 symphonies, but in terms of the development of symphonic form and orchestration, he can be called the largest symphonic composer of the classical period. In his Ninth Symphony, the most famous, all its parts are fused into one whole by a cross-cutting theme. In this symphony, Beethoven introduced vocal parts, after which other composers began to do so. In the form of a symphony he said a new word R. Schumann.

But already in the second half of the 19th century. the strict forms of the symphony began to change. The four-part system became optional: it appeared one-part symphony (Myaskovsky, Boris Tchaikovsky), symphony from 11 parts(Shostakovich) and even from 24 parts(Hovaness). The classical finale at a fast tempo was supplanted by a slow finale (P.I. Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony, Mahler's Third and Ninth Symphonies).

The authors of the symphonies were F. Schubert, F. Mendelssohn, J. Brahms, A. Dvorak, A. Bruckner, G. Mahler, Jean Sibelius, A. Webern, A. Rubinstein, P. Tchaikovsky, A. Borodin, N. Rimsky- Korsakov, N. Myaskovsky, A. Scriabin, S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich and others.

Its composition, as we have already said, took shape in the era of the Viennese classics.

The basis of a symphony orchestra is four groups of instruments: bowed strings(violins, violas, cellos, double basses), woodwinds(flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone with all their varieties - ancient recorder, shawl, chalumeau, etc., as well as a number of folk instruments - balaban, duduk, zhaleika, flute, zurna), brass(horn, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, trombone, tuba), drums(timpani, xylophone, vibraphone, bells, drums, triangle, cymbals, tambourine, castanets, tom-tom and others).

Sometimes other instruments are included in the orchestra: harp, piano, organ(keyboard and wind musical instrument, the largest type of musical instrument), celesta(a small keyboard-percussion musical instrument that looks like a piano and sounds like bells), harpsichord.

Harpsichord

Big a symphony orchestra can include up to 110 musicians , small– no more than 50.

The conductor decides how to seat the orchestra. The arrangement of performers in a modern symphony orchestra is aimed at achieving a coherent sonority. In 50-70 years. XX century became widespread "American seating": the first and second violins are placed to the left of the conductor; on the right are violas and cellos; in the depths there are woodwinds and brass winds, double basses; on the left are drums.

Symphony orchestra musicians' seating arrangement

The symphonies came to a head. 18 - beginning 19th centuries (J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. Beethoven). Among romantic composers, lyric symphonies (F. Schubert, F. Mendelssohn) and program symphonies (G. Berlioz, F. Liszt) became of great importance. Western European composers of the 19th and 20th centuries made important contributions to the development of symphonies. (I. Brahms, A. Bruckner, G. Mahler, S. Frank, A. Dvorak, J. Sibelius, etc.). The significant place of the symphony in Russia (A. P. Borodin, P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. K. Glazunov, A. N. Scriabin, S. V. Rachmaninov, N. Ya. Myaskovsky, S. S. Prokofiev, D. D. Shostakovich, A. I. Khachaturian and others) music.

Big Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2000 .

Synonyms:

See what "SYMPHONY" is in other dictionaries:

See agreement... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and similar expressions. under. ed. N. Abramova, M.: Russian Dictionaries, 1999. symphony harmony, agreement; consonance, dictionary index, symphonietta Dictionary of Russian synonyms ... Dictionary of synonyms

- (Greek consonance). A large piece of music written for orchestra. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. SYMPHONY Greek. symphonia, from syn, together, and phone, sound, harmony, harmony of sounds.… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Symphony No. 17: Symphony No. 17 (Weinberg). Symphony No. 17 (Mozart), G major, KV129. Symphony No. 17 (Myaskovsky). Symphony No. 17 (Karamanov), “America”. Symphony No. 17 (Slonimsky). Symphony No. 17 (Hovaness), Symphony for Metal Orchestra, Op. 203... ...Wikipedia

SYMPHONY, symphonies, women. (Greek symphonia harmony of sounds, consonance). 1. A large musical work for orchestra, usually consisting of 4 movements, of which the first and often the last are written in sonata form (music). “A symphony can be... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

symphony- and, f. symphonie f. , it. sinfonia lat. symphonia gr. symphonia consonance. Krysin 1998. 1. A large piece of music for orchestra, consisting of 3-4 parts, differing from each other in the nature of the music and tempo. Pathetic Symphony... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Female, Greek, music harmony, agreement of sounds, polyphonic consonance. | A special type of polyphonic musical composition. Hayden Symphony. | Symphony on the Old, on the New Testament, code, indication of places where the same word is mentioned. Intelligent... ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Latin symphonia, from Greek symphonia consonance, agreement), work for symphony orchestra; one of the main genres of instrumental music. The symphony of the classical type was developed by the composers of the Viennese classical school J.... ... Modern encyclopedia

Symphony- (Latin symphonia, from Greek symphonia - consonance, agreement), a work for symphony orchestra; one of the main genres of instrumental music. The symphony of the classical type was developed by the composers of the Viennese classical school - J. ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

SYMPHONY, and, female. 1. A large (usually four-movement) piece of music for orchestra. 2. transfer Harmonic compound, combination of something n. (book). S. flowers. S. paints. S. sounds. | adj. symphonic, aya, oe (to 1 value). S. orchestra... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Greek consonance) the name of an orchestral composition in several parts. S. the most extensive form in the field of concert orchestral music. Due to the similarity, in its construction, with the sonata. S. can be called a grand sonata for orchestra. As in... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Books

Symphony. 1, A. Borodin. Symphony. 1, Score, For orchestra Publication type: Score Instruments: orchestra Reproduced in the original author’s spelling of the 1862 edition.…

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 has been most sensitive and complete, like no other type. 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 the middle of the 18th 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 that occurred 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 finales of the acts unfolded as ensembles, in which the characters sometimes sang all at once. Sometimes such endings were called a “tangle” or “confusion,” because the action rushed into them so quickly and the intrigue turned out to be confusing.

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

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

At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, a brilliant galaxy of virtuoso violinists appeared in Italy, who were also gifted composers. Vivaldi, Yomelli, Locatelli, Tartini, Corelli and others, who 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. High development received ballet art; a special type of opera was cultivated - lyrical tragedy, related to the tragedies of Corneille and Racine, which had the imprint of a specific way of life royal court, its etiquette, its festivities.

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

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

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

In the countries of the 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 took shape: organ concerts in cathedrals. These concerts featured preludes, fantasies, variations, choral arrangements and, most importantly, fugues.

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

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

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

One must think that it is no coincidence that, having prerequisites in different regions of Europe, the symphony genre was finally formed in the countries of the German language. In Italy national art there was an opera. In England, the spirit and meaning of the historical processes taking place there were most fully reflected in the oratorios of George Handel, a German by birth who became the national English composer. In France, other arts came to the fore, in particular literature and theater, which were more concrete, directly and clearly expressing new ideas that excited the world. The works of Voltaire, “The New Heloise” by Rousseau, “The Persian Letters” of Montesquieu, 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. Most shining example to 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, the symphony - the most philosophical, dialectical-processual genre of musical creativity - was finally formed where only distant echoes of approaching thunderstorms reached. Where, moreover, strong traditions of instrumental music have developed.

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

By that time, the symphony orchestra was just taking shape. And in the court chapels and in the cathedrals, orchestral groups with a stable composition did not exist. Everything depended on the means at the disposal of the ruler or magistrate, on the tastes of those who could give orders. At first, the orchestra played only an applied role, accompanying either court performances or festivals and ceremonies. And it was considered, first of all, as an opera or church ensemble. Initially, the orchestra included viols, lutes, harps, flutes, oboes, horns, and drums. Gradually the composition expanded, the number of string instruments increased. Over time, violins replaced the ancient viol and soon took a leading position in the orchestra. Brass wooden tools- flutes, oboes, bassoons - united into 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 the moment of general movement appears new topic- softer, feminine, lyrical. But it doesn’t sound for long, dissolving into passages. After some time, we see the first theme again, slightly changed, in a new key. The musical stream flows rapidly, returning to the original, main tonality of the symphony; The second theme organically flows into this flow, now becoming closer in character and mood to the first. The first part of the symphony ends with full-voiced joyful chords.

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

The third movement is an elegant gallant minuet. It creates a feeling of relaxation and relaxation. And then, like a fiery whirlwind, the fiery finale bursts in. 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 overtures - heroic fanfares, touching lamentos, stormy fun of buffoons - not associated with specific stage situations and not bearing characteristic individual traits(let us remember that even the famous overture to “The Barber of Seville” by 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 in the symphony: in the appearance and further changes of different musical themes and images one can hear disputes and contradictions. Perhaps this is where the sign of the times shows itself most clearly. Truth is no longer a given. It needs to be sought, proven, justified, comparing different opinions, clarifying different points of view. This is what encyclopedists do in France. German philosophy, in particular, Hegel’s dialectical method, is built on this. And the very spirit of the era of quest is reflected in music.

So, the symphony took a lot from the operatic overture. In particular, the overture outlined the principle of alternating contrasting sections, which in the symphony turned into independent parts. In its first part there are different sides, different feelings of a person, life in its movement, development, changes, contrasts and conflicts. In the second part there is reflection, concentration, and sometimes lyrics. In the third - relaxation, entertainment. And finally, the finale - pictures of fun, jubilation, and at the same time - the result 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, since programmatic dominated in French music, but his work played a role in the formation of French symphony, in the renewal and expansion of the symphony orchestra. The Czech composer Frantisek Micha, who at one time served in Vienna, experimented a lot and successfully in search of a symphonic form. His famous fellow countryman Josef Myslewicz had interesting experiments. However, all these composers were loners, but in Mannheim a whole school was formed, which also had at its disposal a first-class “instrument” - a famous orchestra. Thanks to 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 brief introduction or immediately at the beginning of the exposition, the “characters” of the play pass in front of the listeners.

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 one (hence the name of the part). 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 conclusion 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.

Tannhäuser: I am opening a new section about musical forms and genres. And the first page, rightfully, opens with “SYMPHONY”... I will add portraits of great composers and other pictures to the text. I did not add all the names of symphonists known to me. But I will continue to introduce you I will be with “new” forgotten names. I will not overload the post with audio and video clips... You can find them yourself without worries... And in my Diary, too. See you in this section.

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

Classic structure

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

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

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

History of the symphony

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

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

The prototype of the symphony can be considered the Italian overture, which took shape under Domenico Scarlatti at the end of the 17th century. This form was already called a symphony and consisted of three contrasting parts: allegro, andante and allegro, which merged into one whole. It is this form that is often seen as the direct forerunner of the orchestral symphony. The terms "overture" and "symphony" were used interchangeably for much of the 18th century.

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

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

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

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

Joseph Haydn - 108 symphonies

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - 41 (56) symphonies