Symphony No. 3 (Glass)
Encyclopedia
Philip Glass
's Symphony No. 3 is a work for string orchestra
, commissioned for the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. The premiere, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies
, took place in Künzelsau
, Germany
, on February 5, 1995.
is in four movement
s. The first movement is elemental in nature, initially based on pulsing Cs but giving way before long to contrasting scales. It is soft and brief, evocative of the composer's earlier string quartets, and acts as a prelude to the faster and more lively second movement, which begins with running quavers that immediately signal a change in texture and harmonic breadth. The movement progresses to a series of abrupt metrical
changes, and ends when it moves without transition into a new closing theme with pizzicato
counterpoint
. The third movement forms the core of the piece, taking the form of a dark, slow-building chaconne
beginning with a ground bass in the cellos and violas. The rest of the orchestra is gradually introduced into the pattern with each repeat, setting in place a layered effect before a solo violin introduces a high, keening cantabile
melody
over the accumulated rhythmical tissue beneath. The movement continues to build, with the other violins introducing contrapuntal filigrees and trills, and ends abruptly once the theme has reached its peak and all instruments have been included. The energetic fourth movement recapitulates and develops material from the end of the second, with brisk chords intersected by short chromatic
runs. These chromatic sequences come to dominate as the movement progresses, taking over from the earlier chord stabs and steering the movement into its closing theme.
s, four viola
s, three cello
s and two bass
es.
An arrangement of the third movement, titled Symphony for Eight, by Cello Octet Amsterdam (formerly known as Cello Octet Conjunto Ibérico) for cello ensemble was produced in 1999.
The work is considered to be one of Glass's most "classical", or "traditional" works. On this, Glass has been quoted: "The work fell naturally into a four-movement form, and even given the nature of the ensemble and solo writing, [it] seems to have the structure of a true symphony."
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
's Symphony No. 3 is a work for string orchestra
String orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
, commissioned for the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. The premiere, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies
Dennis Russell Davies
Dennis Russell Davies is an American conductor and pianist. He studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School where he received his doctorate...
, took place in Künzelsau
Künzelsau
Künzelsau[p] is a town in Baden-Württemberg, in south central Germany. It is the capital of the Hohenlohe district. It is located on the river Kocher, 19 km north of Schwäbisch Hall, and 37 km northeast of Heilbronn....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, on February 5, 1995.
Form
The symphonySymphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
is in four movement
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
s. The first movement is elemental in nature, initially based on pulsing Cs but giving way before long to contrasting scales. It is soft and brief, evocative of the composer's earlier string quartets, and acts as a prelude to the faster and more lively second movement, which begins with running quavers that immediately signal a change in texture and harmonic breadth. The movement progresses to a series of abrupt metrical
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...
changes, and ends when it moves without transition into a new closing theme with pizzicato
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
. The third movement forms the core of the piece, taking the form of a dark, slow-building chaconne
Chaconne
A chaconne ; is a type of musical composition popular in the baroque era when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line which offered a compositional outline for variation, decoration, figuration and...
beginning with a ground bass in the cellos and violas. The rest of the orchestra is gradually introduced into the pattern with each repeat, setting in place a layered effect before a solo violin introduces a high, keening cantabile
Cantabile
Cantabile is a musical term meaning literally "singable" or "songlike" . It has several meanings in different contexts. In instrumental music, it indicates a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice. For 18th century composers, the term is often used synonymously with...
melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
over the accumulated rhythmical tissue beneath. The movement continues to build, with the other violins introducing contrapuntal filigrees and trills, and ends abruptly once the theme has reached its peak and all instruments have been included. The energetic fourth movement recapitulates and develops material from the end of the second, with brisk chords intersected by short chromatic
Chromaticism
Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
runs. These chromatic sequences come to dominate as the movement progresses, taking over from the earlier chord stabs and steering the movement into its closing theme.
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for ten violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, four viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, three cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s and two bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es.
An arrangement of the third movement, titled Symphony for Eight, by Cello Octet Amsterdam (formerly known as Cello Octet Conjunto Ibérico) for cello ensemble was produced in 1999.
Overview
The symphony was commissioned by the Würth Foundation, and part of Glass's remit was to treat each of the nineteen string players of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra as a soloist. This treatment is particularly evident in the third movement, where almost every player is playing a distinct line of their own as the piece builds to incorporate the whole ensemble.The work is considered to be one of Glass's most "classical", or "traditional" works. On this, Glass has been quoted: "The work fell naturally into a four-movement form, and even given the nature of the ensemble and solo writing, [it] seems to have the structure of a true symphony."