1st Symphony (Saint-Saëns)
The 1st Symphony in E flat major , Op. 2 , is a work by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns .
Instrumentation and sentence names
instrumentation
Sentence names
- Adagio - Allegro
- Marche - Scherzo: Allegro scherzando
- adagio
- Finale: Allegro maestoso
General
Saint-Saëns wrote the symphony at the age of 18, in 1853. It is the second of a total of five symphonies and is one of the composer's early works. Nevertheless, Saint-Saëns' kind of romanticism can already be recognized in the first sentence. The work, however, is in the classical tradition , apart from the enlarged orchestra. Typical stylistic devices can already be observed in this symphony, for example the reinterpretation of the motivic material of the slow introduction, a dotted fourth jump down to the theme of the first movement, or the revision of the introduction at the beginning of the development as well as a set piece between this and the recapitulation. The second movement is a Scherzo with two trios that are not clearly separated. The elongated and richly orchestrated Adagio is reminiscent of the third movement, Adagio espressivo , the 2nd symphony by Robert Schumann . Since the movement is laid out in the form of a sonata , space is left for numerous modulations. The finale of the piece contains an extensive fugato as an enhancement element. It is similar to the final movement of the 3rd Symphony by Saint-Saëns, which was written much later, however. There are always new thematic segments added to justify the scope of the grand finale.
After the composition, Saint-Saëns presented the work to the Société Sainte-Cécile as “the work of an anonymous German master”. The name of the author was not mentioned when it was first performed on December 8, 1853. Only when this was a success did Saint-Saëns reveal its incognito . The fact that he was the composer of the piece astonished many colleagues, who had suspected the work of an established man behind it. Both Hector Berlioz and Charles Gounod became Saint-Saëns' most dedicated protectors. Gounod admonished him:
"You are way past your age - keep it up, but never forget that with this performance you have taken on the responsibility to become a great master."
The work is dedicated to François Seghers , the conductor of the premiere.
Today the piece is no longer performed regularly, such as Saint-Saën's 3rd Symphony . A few years after writing it for orchestra, the composer arranged the symphony for piano four hands .
literature
- Philippe Mongeot: Saint Saëns: The five symphonies. Supplement to Jean Martinon (conductor): Saint-Saëns: Les 5 Symphonies. EMI , 2003.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Philippe Mongeot, Saint Saëns: The five symphonies
- ↑ Quoted from Wulf Konold (Ed.): Konzertführer Romantik . Schott, 2007
- ↑ Chapter General Information in the International Music Score Library Project
