Pierre's Tuesday Blog

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Related: The greatness Franck's Symphony and the tragedy of its fade from the spotlight



After the numbers 2, 4 and 9, a post about the number 3 – as in the number of movements in our featured symphonies.

Symphonies traditionally follow a 4-movement pattern: sonata (variations of the ABA form) – slow – dance – finale. Josef Haydn, who pretty much established the standard for the classical symphony, essentially followed this pattern for all of his symphonies… starting with his 30th. For the first 29 symphonies, almost half divert from this form, with (by my count) 13 having only three movements (see, for example, http://alambix.uquebec.ca/musique//c.../hayfj01a.html)

Of Mozart’s 41 numbered symphonies (ignoring the dozens of other like-works), 14 of them only have 3 movements including one of his most famous, the Prague Symphony (His no. 38). This symphony opens our playlist.

Considered as one of the finest French symphonic works of the late Romantic period, Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D Minor is also a three-movement opus. Of the four symphonies of Igor Stravinsky, his 1945 contribution is in three movements. Commissioned by the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York, it was premièred by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Stravinsky on January 24, 1946. The Symphony in Three Movements is considered as Stravinsky's first major composition after emigrating to the United States.

The final work in our playlist isn’t ”officially” titled a symphony, but Schumann thought at one point that it should be considered as his second symphony. The Ouverture, Scherzo und Finale (Translation: Overture, Scherzo and Finale) in E major was written in 1841.

Happy Listening

PLAYLIST DETAILS

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Symphony no. 38, in D Major, K. 508 "Prague"
Pražský komorní orchestr conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras

César FRANCK (1822-1890)
Symphonie en ré mineur, FWV 48
Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest conducted by Karel Ančerl

Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Symphony in Three Movements (1942-45)
The Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Igor Stravinsky

Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Ouverture, Scherzo und Finale, in E major, op. 52
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig conducted by Franz Konwitschny

Playlist URL: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBD03E2FB52E2B6D4

June 22nd , 2012, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will be adding a new montage "Prime Numbers" to its Pod-O-Matic Podcast. Read our English and French commentaries June 22 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog.