Symphony in C major (Wagner)
Encyclopedia
Symphony in C major, WWV29, is one of two symphonies Richard Wagner
wrote. The other being the incomplete, two movement Symphony in E major WWV35.
Performance time lasts approximately 37 minutes.
The first movement is marked Sostenuto e maestoso, moving later into Allegro con brio, and is a sonata form
movement prefaced by a prelude. The movement is structured in classical form, but the thorough use in the development section of various motifs which have been appeared earlier in the movement provides evidence of Wagner's indebtedness to Ludwig van Beethoven
. Put differently, one might say that all aspects of the music can be traced back to a basic motif, this being a technique which Wagner exploited to obvious effect later on in the Prelude to Das Rheingold
.
The second movement is marked Andante ma non troppo, un poco maestoso and is in the key of A minor. Although the form is not as clearly structured as in the third movement, the overall shape is A + B + B + A + coda, a strong contrast existing between the lyrical A and the signal-like B ideas. It is worth observing that the movements begins with a motif from the coda of the first movement, indicating that Wagner is here attempting to establish an organic relationship between the movements.
The third movement is marked Allegro assai and is a scherzo with the clear formal structure A + B + A + B + A (coda). A is characterised by a dynamic rhythm appropriate to a scherzo movement, while B (un poco meno allegro) featured a smooth and supple melodic line, thereby establishing a strong contrast between the musical conceptions of the scherzo A and the trio B. The climatic effect of the coda at the end of the movement has been described as quite worthy of Beethoven.
The fourth movement is marked Allegro molto e vivace and is structured in the same classical sonata form as the opening movement. But Wagner does not shrink from boldness: the idea which follows the presentation of the first theme is extremely unstable in tonality, and the second theme is presented in three equally treated voices. Moreover, Wagner accelerates the tempo (più allegro) half way through the coda to generate increased excitement as the music moves towards its close. We see here Wagner driving home at breakneck speed.
s, 2 oboe
s, 2 clarinet
s in C and B-flat, 2 bassoon
s, contrabassoon
, 4 horns
in C, E and F, 2 trumpet
s in C and F, 3 trombone
s, timpani
and strings
.
, who noted the strong resemblance between this work and Beethoven
's 7th Symphony
, the symphony is in fact a direct product of Wagner's studies of Beethoven. It is astonishing that a youth of only nineteen could have attained such a thorough grasp of Beethovenian style, but even more remarkable are aspects such as the skillful exercise of contrapuntal technique and above all the grandness of the musical conception. The first movement runs to 475 bars, the second to 208, the third to 447, and the fourth to 442 bars. Moreover, if one is to believe the remarks Wagner makes in a letter to a friend, he composed the symphony in the brief space of six weeks at the beginning of the summer of 1832.
Conservatory in November 1832, conducted by Dionys Weber
, with Wagner in attendance. It received its first public performance on 15 December, at the Euterpe music society in Leipzig
, conducted by Wagner's first teacher, Christian Gottlieb Müller. Clara Wieck
described the performance in a letter to Robert Schumann
dated 17 December 1832:
As suggested by the fact that she begins her letter with a warning to Schumann that Wagner had got the better of him, it was the performance of a symphony, rather than that of piano or vocal works, that signified a young composer's full-fledged debut in the musical world.
But the first performance that was of importance to Wagner himself was that at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 10 January 1833, as part of the annual subscription concerts.
Perhaps Clara Wieck was deliberately chiding Schumann by bringing up the name of his rival; Schumann was still vacillating about composing a symphony. It was through the performance of this work that Wagner came to the attention of the musical world, and later, Wagner scholars without exception came to the position that this work and the Piano Sonata in A major are representative instrumental works of Wagner's youth.
The work received another performance at Würzburg
on 27 August 1833, then seems to have lain idle for almost 50 years.
The work was performed again at Christmas 1882 in Venice
, two months before Wagner's death, and Wagner made several revisions to the full score for that performance. Several days after the performance, he wrote an Essay on the revival of Youthful Works in which he described the merits of this symphony, which he had put to one side for half a century, as follows: "If there is anything at all in this work which shows the mark of Richard Wagner, it is the fact that it is not polluted by the hypocritical stance which was to appear later and which Germans find very difficult to get the better of, and the fact that, from the outset, he remained true to himself and was unwilling to be deflected from his proper course." This is the assessment which Wagner in his final years put on this work.
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
wrote. The other being the incomplete, two movement Symphony in E major WWV35.
Form
The Symphony in C major is in four movements:- I. Sostenuto e maestoso - Allegro con brio
- II. Andante ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
- III. Allegro assai
- IV. Allegro molto e vivace.
Performance time lasts approximately 37 minutes.
The first movement is marked Sostenuto e maestoso, moving later into Allegro con brio, and is a sonata form
Sonata form
Sonata 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...
movement prefaced by a prelude. The movement is structured in classical form, but the thorough use in the development section of various motifs which have been appeared earlier in the movement provides evidence of Wagner's indebtedness to Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
. Put differently, one might say that all aspects of the music can be traced back to a basic motif, this being a technique which Wagner exploited to obvious effect later on in the Prelude to Das Rheingold
Das Rheingold
is the first of the four operas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen . It was originally written as an introduction to the tripartite Ring, but the cycle is now generally regarded as consisting of four individual operas.Das Rheingold received its premiere at the National Theatre...
.
The second movement is marked Andante ma non troppo, un poco maestoso and is in the key of A minor. Although the form is not as clearly structured as in the third movement, the overall shape is A + B + B + A + coda, a strong contrast existing between the lyrical A and the signal-like B ideas. It is worth observing that the movements begins with a motif from the coda of the first movement, indicating that Wagner is here attempting to establish an organic relationship between the movements.
The third movement is marked Allegro assai and is a scherzo with the clear formal structure A + B + A + B + A (coda). A is characterised by a dynamic rhythm appropriate to a scherzo movement, while B (un poco meno allegro) featured a smooth and supple melodic line, thereby establishing a strong contrast between the musical conceptions of the scherzo A and the trio B. The climatic effect of the coda at the end of the movement has been described as quite worthy of Beethoven.
The fourth movement is marked Allegro molto e vivace and is structured in the same classical sonata form as the opening movement. But Wagner does not shrink from boldness: the idea which follows the presentation of the first theme is extremely unstable in tonality, and the second theme is presented in three equally treated voices. Moreover, Wagner accelerates the tempo (più allegro) half way through the coda to generate increased excitement as the music moves towards its close. We see here Wagner driving home at breakneck speed.
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for 2 fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s, 2 oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, 2 clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s in C and B-flat, 2 bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s, contrabassoon
Contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...
, 4 horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
in C, E and F, 2 trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s in C and F, 3 trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
.
Composition
As pointed out by Friedrich WieckFriedrich Wieck
Johann Gottlob Friedrich Wieck was a noted German piano teacher, voice teacher, owner of a piano store, and music reviewer. He is remembered as the teacher of his daughter, Clara, a child prodigy who was doing international concert tours by age eleven and who later married Robert Schumann...
, who noted the strong resemblance between this work and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's 7th Symphony
Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, in 1811, was the seventh of his nine symphonies. He worked on it while staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was completed in 1812, and was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.At its debut,...
, the symphony is in fact a direct product of Wagner's studies of Beethoven. It is astonishing that a youth of only nineteen could have attained such a thorough grasp of Beethovenian style, but even more remarkable are aspects such as the skillful exercise of contrapuntal technique and above all the grandness of the musical conception. The first movement runs to 475 bars, the second to 208, the third to 447, and the fourth to 442 bars. Moreover, if one is to believe the remarks Wagner makes in a letter to a friend, he composed the symphony in the brief space of six weeks at the beginning of the summer of 1832.
Premiere
The symphony was performed in rehearsal by a student orchestra at the PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
Conservatory in November 1832, conducted by Dionys Weber
Bedrich Diviš Weber
Bedřich Diviš Weber , also known by the German form of his name, Friedrich Dionys Weber, was a Bohemian composer and musicologist primarily remembered as the first Director of the Prague Conservatory, in whose foundation he played a leading role.Weber studied philosophy and law in Prague...
, with Wagner in attendance. It received its first public performance on 15 December, at the Euterpe music society in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, conducted by Wagner's first teacher, Christian Gottlieb Müller. Clara Wieck
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
described the performance in a letter to Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
dated 17 December 1832:
- Father Friedrich WieckFriedrich WieckJohann Gottlob Friedrich Wieck was a noted German piano teacher, voice teacher, owner of a piano store, and music reviewer. He is remembered as the teacher of his daughter, Clara, a child prodigy who was doing international concert tours by age eleven and who later married Robert Schumann...
went to the Euterpe hall on Saturday. Listen! You have been outstripped by Herr Wagner. They performed a symphony of his which seems to have been the spitting image of Beethoven'sLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
Symphony in A majorSymphony No. 7 (Beethoven)Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, in 1811, was the seventh of his nine symphonies. He worked on it while staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health. It was completed in 1812, and was dedicated to Count Moritz von Fries.At its debut,...
.
As suggested by the fact that she begins her letter with a warning to Schumann that Wagner had got the better of him, it was the performance of a symphony, rather than that of piano or vocal works, that signified a young composer's full-fledged debut in the musical world.
But the first performance that was of importance to Wagner himself was that at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 10 January 1833, as part of the annual subscription concerts.
Perhaps Clara Wieck was deliberately chiding Schumann by bringing up the name of his rival; Schumann was still vacillating about composing a symphony. It was through the performance of this work that Wagner came to the attention of the musical world, and later, Wagner scholars without exception came to the position that this work and the Piano Sonata in A major are representative instrumental works of Wagner's youth.
The work received another performance at Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
on 27 August 1833, then seems to have lain idle for almost 50 years.
The work was performed again at Christmas 1882 in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, two months before Wagner's death, and Wagner made several revisions to the full score for that performance. Several days after the performance, he wrote an Essay on the revival of Youthful Works in which he described the merits of this symphony, which he had put to one side for half a century, as follows: "If there is anything at all in this work which shows the mark of Richard Wagner, it is the fact that it is not polluted by the hypocritical stance which was to appear later and which Germans find very difficult to get the better of, and the fact that, from the outset, he remained true to himself and was unwilling to be deflected from his proper course." This is the assessment which Wagner in his final years put on this work.