Difference between revisions of "Symphony"
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(New page: A '''symphony''' is a large-scale orchestral work. In a sense, a symphony is anything that a composer chooses to call a symphony; but the form, as developed from about 1750 to 1950, usuall...) |
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| − | A '''symphony''' is a large-scale orchestral work. In a sense, a symphony is anything that a composer chooses to call | + | A '''symphony''' is a large-scale orchestral work. In a sense, a symphony is anything that a composer chooses to call by that name; but the form, as developed from about 1750 to 1950, usually: |
*is played by an orchestra of fifty to a hundred musicians, including sections of strings (violin, viola, cello, bass), woodwinds (clarinet, oboe, bassoon, flute, piccolo), brass (French horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba), percussion (tympani, other drums, cymbals, triangle). The instrumental sections are more or less coequal and have conversations or dialogues with each other, as contrasted with a ''concerto,'' in which a solo instrument conducts a dialogue with the rest of the orchestra | *is played by an orchestra of fifty to a hundred musicians, including sections of strings (violin, viola, cello, bass), woodwinds (clarinet, oboe, bassoon, flute, piccolo), brass (French horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba), percussion (tympani, other drums, cymbals, triangle). The instrumental sections are more or less coequal and have conversations or dialogues with each other, as contrasted with a ''concerto,'' in which a solo instrument conducts a dialogue with the rest of the orchestra | ||
*lasts about twenty to ninety minutes<ref>The compact disc originally had a maximum playing time of 74 minutes. A story holds that was influenced by the wish that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony fit onto the disc. Sony's then-president Norio Ohga was a devotee of classical music and a friend of conductor Herbert von Karajan. Urban legends investigators seem to conclude that it's not quite as simple as that but that the story does have some truth to it; e.g. [http://www.snopes2.com/music/media/cdlength.htm CD length], Snopes.</ref> | *lasts about twenty to ninety minutes<ref>The compact disc originally had a maximum playing time of 74 minutes. A story holds that was influenced by the wish that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony fit onto the disc. Sony's then-president Norio Ohga was a devotee of classical music and a friend of conductor Herbert von Karajan. Urban legends investigators seem to conclude that it's not quite as simple as that but that the story does have some truth to it; e.g. [http://www.snopes2.com/music/media/cdlength.htm CD length], Snopes.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 00:46, March 31, 2007
A symphony is a large-scale orchestral work. In a sense, a symphony is anything that a composer chooses to call by that name; but the form, as developed from about 1750 to 1950, usually:
- is played by an orchestra of fifty to a hundred musicians, including sections of strings (violin, viola, cello, bass), woodwinds (clarinet, oboe, bassoon, flute, piccolo), brass (French horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba), percussion (tympani, other drums, cymbals, triangle). The instrumental sections are more or less coequal and have conversations or dialogues with each other, as contrasted with a concerto, in which a solo instrument conducts a dialogue with the rest of the orchestra
- lasts about twenty to ninety minutes[1]
- has a detectable structure to it; it is not simply a long medley of tunes. The pattern of key changes and recurring themes are often described as taking the listener on a musical journey.
- is usually "absolute music," without a specific story line to it (unlike "program music," such as Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade or Smetana's Ma Vlast)
- is usually in four separate parts, called movements, with the first movement following a pattern called "Sonata-allegro form."
Notes and references
- ↑ The compact disc originally had a maximum playing time of 74 minutes. A story holds that was influenced by the wish that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony fit onto the disc. Sony's then-president Norio Ohga was a devotee of classical music and a friend of conductor Herbert von Karajan. Urban legends investigators seem to conclude that it's not quite as simple as that but that the story does have some truth to it; e.g. CD length, Snopes.
