Early Romantic Symphony

Beethoven and Schubert

(The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Photograph: Peter Devlin).

The period from 1815 to 1910 saw a comprehensive development of the symphony from a work in four movements which could be played by a small orchestra of 30 to 40 players, to, by the end of the nineteenth century, a large work for an orchestra of as many as 120 players. During that time the shape of the symphony also developed and could have anything from one to six movements.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 was regarded as a turning point in orchestration and while this and the next four of his works in this style are classical, differences start to be heard in the sound of the orchestra and the handling of the instruments. The minuet and trio were replaced by a faster version, a scherzo, literally translated as a joke, which still had three beats in a bar. Listen to an excerpt of the third movement from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Notice the speed of the music, the dynamic contrasts, crescendo, the use of strings and woodwind conversing with one another and a typical Beethoven technique of following a very loud section with a very quiet one.

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(Portrait of Beethoven in 1804 around the time he wrote the 3rd Symphony)

In his Symphony No. 5 we can hear the originality of joining two movements together for the first time in a symphony. The third and fourth seem to blend into one another quite seamlessly. Notice in the excerpt the way there is a gradual crescendo over a pedal at the end of the third movement until the start of the fourth movement bursts into life with the composer using trombones, for the first time in a symphony, along with the trumpets to create a triumphant start to the movement.

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By the time Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 9, he was totally deaf and despite this his music had reached new levels in originality. The ‘Ode to Joy’ of the last movement of this symphony is world-renowned and his combination of large orchestra, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) chorus and SATB soloists was unique in a symphony of this time. First of all listen to this excerpt from the final movement of the main theme.

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Now listen to the end of the movement with all singers and orchestra in the loud climax to the movement.

(Portrait of Beethoven in 1823)

During this time Beethoven’s contemporary, Schubert, was also writing symphonies, continuing the classical shape but also showing the first signs of real emotion in music. Listen to this excerpt from the first movement of his Symphony No. 8, ‘The Unfinished’. Notice the dark and threatening beginning and first theme in B minor which then develops into a much brighter second theme in a major key, played initially on lower strings. Notice the use of imitation and sequence at the end of the excerpt.

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Now follow up this work by studying the works of the later romantic composers.