Chamber Symphony No. 1
Encyclopedia
The Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 9 (also known by its title in German
Kammersymphonie, für 15 soloinstrumente, Op. 9 or simply as Kammersymphonie, Op. 9) is a composition by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg
. It was finished in 1906 and premiered on February 8, 1907 in Vienna
by the Quatuor Rose together with a wind ensemble from the Vienna Philharmonic. In 1935, Schoenberg wrote a transcription for large orchestra with the opus number 9b, which was premiered in Los Angeles
with Schoenberg as conductor.
as reference points:
Although this composition is called a chamber work
, it requires a conductor to be performed. Some critics have claimed that an ensemble formed by 10 winds and only 5 strings is inherently unbalanced; however, some of the voices are doubled in a way that no instrument is playing one-on-one against another. Nevertheless, it requires highly trained musicians to perform this piece.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Kammersymphonie, für 15 soloinstrumente, Op. 9 or simply as Kammersymphonie, Op. 9) is a composition by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
. It was finished in 1906 and premiered on February 8, 1907 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
by the Quatuor Rose together with a wind ensemble from the Vienna Philharmonic. In 1935, Schoenberg wrote a transcription for large orchestra with the opus number 9b, which was premiered in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with Schoenberg as conductor.
Structure
The Chamber Symphony is a single-movement work which lasts approximately 20 minutes. Even though it is often considered and listed as one movement, it has been suggested that the form could be considered as subdivided into as many as five continuous movements. Schoenberg himself outlined the following form using the rehearsal numbersRehearsal letter
A rehearsal letter is a boldface letter of the alphabet in an orchestral score, and its corresponding parts, that provides a convenient spot from which to resume rehearsal after a break. Rehearsal letters are most often used in scores of the Romantic era, beginning with Louis Spohr...
as reference points:
- I. SonataSonata formSonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
. Allegro (Beginning to No. 38) - II. ScherzoScherzoA scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
(Nos. 38–60) - III. Development (Nos. 60–77)
- IV. Adagio (Nos. 77–90)
- V. RecapitulationRecapitulation (music)In music theory, the recapitulation is one of the sections of a movement written in sonata form. The recapitulation occurs after the movement's development section, and typically presents once more the musical themes from the movement's exposition...
and Finale (Nos. 90–100)
Composition
Schoenberg claimed in later years that "(Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E major) was a first attempt to create a chamber orchestra." It is scored for the following instruments:
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Although this composition is called a chamber work
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, it requires a conductor to be performed. Some critics have claimed that an ensemble formed by 10 winds and only 5 strings is inherently unbalanced; however, some of the voices are doubled in a way that no instrument is playing one-on-one against another. Nevertheless, it requires highly trained musicians to perform this piece.
Notable recordings
- Chamber Symphony No. 1 is one of the most recorded works by Schoenberg and has received attention from conductors like Sir Simon RattleSimon RattleSir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
, Riccardo ChaillyRiccardo ChaillyRiccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
, Claudio AbbadoClaudio AbbadoClaudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , is an Italian conductor. He has served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera,...
, Giuseppe SinopoliGiuseppe Sinopoli-Biography:Sinopoli was born in Venice, Italy, and later studied at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice under Ernesto Rubin de Cervin and at Darmstadt, including being mentored in composition with Karlheinz Stockhausen...
, Zubin MehtaZubin MehtaZubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
, and chamber groups like the Hyperion EnsembleHyperion EnsembleHyperion Ensemble is a chamber music ensemble from Romania, based in Bucharest. It was founded in 1976 by composer Iancu Dumitrescu and specializes in the performance of contemporary classical music, more particular it is the main promoter in Romania of the Spectral Music trend.Hyperion performed...
, Hagen QuartettHagen QuartetThe Hagen Quartet was founded in 1981 by four siblings, Lukas, Angelika , Veronika and Clemens, in Salzburg, Austria.Its current members are:* Lukas Hagen, violin...
and OrpheusOrpheus Chamber OrchestraThe Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. It is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, interpret the score....
. A 1998 Robert CraftRobert CraftRobert Lawson Craft is an American conductor and writer. He is best known for his intimate working friendship with Igor Stravinsky, a relationship which resulted in a number of recordings and books.-Life:...
conducted performance on the NaxosNaxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
recording label received a positive critical reception.