Symphony

A work for the whole orchestra

The symphony is an instrumental work in several movements, designed for the whole orchestra to sound together. The word comes via Latin (“symphonia”) from Greek, from “sýmphōnos”, “sounding together”; in German the spelling “Symphonie” is also valid alongside “Sinfonie”. The classical form took shape in the 18th century; in structure it resembles the sonata. It usually has four movements: the first is usually in sonata form, the second has a slow or moderate tempo, the third a minuet or scherzo with trio, the fourth a finale.

The score: many staves, one bar

Because each instrument has its own staff, a symphony is printed as a score, with the staves one below the other on the page (see score). At the top, in the archive, are the flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, below them horns, trumpets and, in Dvořák, trombones and tuba, then the timpani, and at the very bottom the strings. The barlines run through all the staves: what sounds at the same time in a bar is written vertically aligned. Additions such as “in A”, “in E” or “in D” after an instrument name tell you about its tuning; the written pitch then does not match the sound, as the page on sounding pitch explains.

Two movements from symphonies

• Sinfonie Nr. 7 A-Dur, 2. Satz: Allegretto Ludwig van Beethoven, op. 92 · score · 54 pages

  Time signature 2/4, no key signature. In bars 1 and 2 oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns play a chord with f and a decrescendo hairpin; pp is marked in bar 3. From bar 3 the viola, cello I and cello II with the bass enter with p and “ten.”; the violins rest.

• Sinfonie Nr. 9 e-moll, 2. Satz: Largo Antonín Dvořák, “From the New World”, op. 95 · score · 18 pages

  At the left is written “Movement II”, above the first bar “Largo (quarter note = 52)”, time signature C, five ♭. The violins play “con sordino” and ppp at the start. On the first page the score has 15 staves.

Symphony and sonata

The symphony is, so to speak, the orchestral sister of the sonata: both have several movements, and the structure of the movements is similar too. The difference lies in the scoring. A sonata is played by one instrument or a small group, a symphony by the orchestra. In both cases a movement is a self-contained part: for Beethoven and Dvořák the archive holds only the second movement.

Common mistakes

• Confusing symphony and invention: In Bach three-voice pieces are also called “Sinfonias”; what is meant are small keyboard pieces, not orchestral works.
• Taking written notes in “in A” parts for sounding ones: The additions “in A”, “in E” and “in D” indicate that the notation and the sound differ.
• Taking the one movement for the whole symphony: In the archive Beethoven’s Allegretto and Dvořák’s Largo are each one movement of a larger work.