Symphony No 1 (Brahms Analysis) - Essay Example

The Symphony No in C minor The Symphony No in C minor refers to a symphony that was composed by Johannes Brahms. The composition of this symphony took him about 14 years. The premier of this symphony took place on the 4th of November 1876 and was conducted by a friend of the composer by the name Felix Otto Dessoff. A typical performance of the symphony takes duration of between 45 and 50 minutes. This paper aims at analyzing the Symphony No. 1 in C minor, by Johannes Brahms. The popularity and success of this Symphony are richly deserved. It is a work of perfect technical achievement and profound emotion, of beautiful melody and detailed counter point. The most important structural feature, and that is undoubtedly original with Brahms, is the acquisition of a short but striking phrase which introduces the exposition, and for which the phrase basic motive seems most appropriate, since it principals the entire movement, either as a component or as a generating factor. The themes are all based on it, or obtained from it. The subordinate Theme is, for scant measures, similar to the principal one: such a likeness between the chief themes has been frequently done before and is identified as one of the conditions of the early symphonic movement (Frisch and Kevin 219). The first codetta also shows remarkable likeness to the principal theme; the basic motive is set forth in the upper most tones, but the principal theme is given to the basses. This symphony has four main movements marked as; Andante sostenuto (E major), Adagio – Piu andante – Allegro non troppo, ma con brio – Piu allegro (C minor/C major), Un poco allegretto e grazioso (A-flat major), and Un poco sostenuto – Allegro – Meno allegro (C minor). Un poco allegretto e grazioso is in the form of traditional ternary (Brahms 232). It has the contrasting trio section and allegretto, that is succeeded by a reprise of coda and Agleretto material. Brahms uses a notable aspect of this motion to show symmetry. The form of the symphony can be referred to as: A B A’ B’ C D C’ D’ A’’—Trio—A’’’ B ’’ A’’’’ Coda. The symphony starts with a lengthy introduction wherein three key elements are heard simultaneously: the rising figure in the strings, the falling figure in the winds, and the low drumming (Wilson 88). This introduction was composed after the remainder of the piece had already been scored. The allegro section of the movement is a huge orchestral sonata, wherein musical ideas are developed, clearly expressed and restated with changed relationships among them. The key of the allegretto is A-flat major. The allegretto starts with a tranquil, stepwise tune in the clarinet. The four bar figure experience an extension making it an asymmetrical five bars resulting from a small bridge between the phrases by the strings. The “A” theme in the allegretto is rounded off by the clarinet making the invasion of the first five bars audible. The B the infiltrates in m. 11 and then features a dropping dotted eighth pattern in the clarinet, bassoon, and flute with the falling arising figures of the rhythm being echoed by the strings. A appears to emerge with the violins repeating the first theme and a longer, chromatic bridge segment which lengthens the phrase composition to seven bars. D and C themes are different from A and B in the sense that they are more angular and shorter rhythmically. The first two themes are almost persistent eighth note pizzicato in the string. On the other hand, C and D have more complexity to the sixth note pattern that is interlocked accompanying the wind. The movement to F minor from the major mode marks the sections as apart from heralding material. The contrast that is obvious in mood and character can make someone to think of the D and C sections as a trio appearing within them first allegretto section in the greater ternary form shown by the whole movement (Wilson 137). The symmetry of the whole is reflected in the symmetry of each section. The A” closes with a transition to trio. A change of key and time is notable in the trio. The key changes from A-flat to B major. The key change noticeable balances with the D and C sections in F minor. The time signature also changes to a more dance-like and pastoral 6/8 from a stately 2/4. The oboe, bassoon, and flute bring a joyful melody in stepwise motion like in the A theme (Brahms 102). A three-note arpeggio is added by the strings. These two motives results in the bulk of the trio material. Development and restatement of the themes proceed until the winds and brass join for the last repeat of the melody. The second ending takes the orchestra to A and into 2/4 time. The starting in C minor has two main cadences in the home key which serve the purpose of signposts: the first cadence is at letter B, m. 70, and the second cadence at m. 89, where the movement to the second section starts.  The second sub-section of this first section starts with the theme same to the opening, though with the chromatic figure inverted in the bass.  More differences are noticed in the different rhythm of the accompaniment, and the bigger finality of the harmonic progression. There is a long passage on the subdominant starting in measure 78, which gets to the expected dominant in 87 and resolves in 89. This rhythmic figure is used back and forth between the lower and the upper strings, starting at m. 177. The bass line at m. 177 becomes very final and cadential (Frisch and Kevin 187). This effect is enhanced by the repetition of the brief agitato passage at m. 181. There is pairing down of the rhythmic figure to 2 notes at m. 185. This brings the exposition to a close in E-flat minor. Most performances always omit the repetition of the exposition. This might be because of the lack of necessity for the repetition and also because it can impede the flow of the drama. However, the lack of repetition causes the second ending to loss allot of its dramatic effect. Thus the 2nd ending plunges suddenly in B major. This move has its basis on the contrast to the 1st ending, in which the dropping unison progression in the string gets to C, a half-step lower, thus begins the repetition of the exposition. The effect is not different from that of the exact place in Beethoven’s Hammerklavier piano Sonata which Brahms knows well. A further complication is caused by the fact that Brahms himself is believed to have permitted the omission of the repeat. It can be interesting to hear the contrast between the first two endings, but the smooth flow of the dramatized action would be negatively affected especially because the exposition is rather lengthy (Wilson 235). The development of the symphony plays with various motivic figures which happen to be fragmented. At the beginning of F the audience gets to hear slow-motion allusion to C in the bass, which moves to the oboe and flute at m. 206. This seizes from existing and the third section of the exposition ensues again at G, scattered with a new soaring figure over a pacing, solid bass line that is accompanied by an eighth-note ostinato in the winds and horns (Brahms 167). The resulting figure slowly takes and then reduced to its initial three notes. These notes are passed back and forth between the strings and winds with simple alterations of the harmony. At m. 263, the modulation quite unobtrusively gets to the dominant, signaling that recapitulation is drawing closer. The music settles onto a lengthy dominant pedal, but throbs with alteration of rhythmic ostinato in the timpani and cellos thus creating suspense. The audience waits for the crescendo that would lead to the recap anxiously, but unfortunately it does not come. In its place the pedal point slowly descents in energy and eventually stops at letter I. Important feature here is probably the tense rhythmic displacement between the lower and the upper strings increasing dictate of the of the eighth note ostinato. Another exciting thing is the way the dominant pedal is extended through the fortissimo at letter K, which happens to be the highest part of the crescendo, where someone can expect a return of the opening. Instead of this taking place the intensity of the rhythm becomes almost unbearable. At letter K, audience simultaneously hears figure F in the wind and D in the bass. There is an alternation of this and D in the timpani and trumpets. At the same time the violins play the initial 16th note version of figure F. The 16th note passage becomes more frequent starting from m. 327. The note passages eventually boil into a furious, uninterrupted 4/measure at m. 329. Someone might think that Mm. 33-334 is the limit of the buildup, but such thoughts are wrong since the bass line, being steady on the dominant (G) promptly is heaved down a half step into ff unison F-sharp. Figure A comes in the violins climbing gradually until it gets to the original note causing the return of the first theme. Once the recapitulation has been reached, it proceeds in accordance to the plan. A short change in the transition from mm. 369 to mm. 370 causes the preparation for the 2nd subject to the dominant of C. At this point Brahms uses the cataclysmic irony of Beethoven to bring back the second theme in the C major. This tends to have the effect of making a suggestion that a happy ending is near. However, the passage that is based on figure f manages to reinstate the music to the minor mode At the place that corresponds to the close of the exposition, the audience experiences another characteristic stroke of tragic irony. A big C major chord is heard despite there being a B-flat in the bass. This in implication and effect merges the struggle between minor and major mode into a single chord. The rhythmic in the string start to imply to the chromatic figure A at m. 466. The rhythm of the timpani and trumpet becomes more and more vigorous. Eventually the buildup breaks off in a defined diminished sevenths chord that is followed by a short but dramatic pause. The rhythm starts to swing once more, but this time the strings add a plaintive legato figure based on figure a. this presumes a definite downward direction, in way likely to suggest finality, starting at m. 486. C major gleams dully at measure 490 C and is instantly replaced by C minor. The tragedy is concluded by 491-494, and a brief but poignant epilogue is provided by the brief Meno Allegro coda. It thus intersperses c major by dark minor harmonies, which combines with the slower tempo to bring a noble, resigned commentary on the concluded tragedy instead of a happy ending (Brodbeck 145).The entry to the coda is marked as “poco a poco piu tranquillo” and the movement concludes with the gentle throbbing of triplets quoted from the trio section. The last few bars end rather abruptly with the downward arpeggio of the strings in the trio concluding on the downbeat of a new bar. The introduction of Adagio tempo, which possesses highly impressive, profound character, introduces the final Allegro, and alludes thematically to it in every detail. the first and second sections engage motives of the Allegro, while the lengthy third section, in a more animated tempo, dispenses an apparently new, wonderfully and beautiful song of hope, which falls just like a ray of sunshine athwart the somber, menacing background of the opening Phrases. A sorrow quartet of bassoons and trombones seems to add affirmation to the message of comfort. The fact that the first melody is recurrent leads over into the finale proper. This starts with the principal theme, a melody of folk-song coherence and quiet power, in inception similar to the principal theme of the finale in Beethoven's ninth symphony. The subordinate theme is seen as counterpoint against a ground motive and this ground motive corresponds to the four accented beats of the principal theme. The finale begins with an extended unhurried introduction with its basis on several pregnant thematic ideas. The first, which is high in the violins, is a minor-mode change of what eventually becomes the major theme of the finale, but here is broken off by an agitated pizzicato passage. A tense segment of rushing scales is stopped by a timpani roll ushering the call of the solo horn, a melody originally for Alphorn that Brahms must have collected while on vacation in Switzerland (Brodbeck 86). The introduction ends with a noble chorale intoned by bassoons and trombones, the later having been held in reserve throughout the whole symphony apart from this moment. The finale proper starts with a new tempo and one of the most popular themes in the repertory, a melody that is stirring hymn-like which resembles the finale of Beethoven's "Choral" symphony. The movement continues in sonata form, but with no development section. The work ends with a majestic coda in the key of C major with the appearance of the trombone chorale of the introduction in full splendor. The relationship between objects to sexuality and gendered subjects is probably encoded in the relation of the themes to tonality. Tonal stability both global and local is the means through which the sonata encodes sexual control. Because people have leant to ant tonal closure in tonal music, people unavoidably invest in the success of the tonic and its manly theme over the multileveled sexual threat incorporated in the feminine theme. Form in music is aimed at bringing about comprehensibility through memorability. Regularity, evenness, subdivision, symmetry, repetition, relationship in rhythm, unity, and harmony do not contribute to beauty in any way. However, all of them lead to an organization, which makes the demonstration of the musical idea intelligible. The language in which musical ideas are presented in tones parallels the language, which demonstrates thoughts or feelings in written form. The previously mentioned elements of music organization function like the meter, the rhythm, and the subdivision into sentences, strophes, paragraphs, and chapters in poetry or prose. Progress in music involves the development of method. Brahms, the academician, the classicist, can therefore, be referred to as a great innovator in the realm of musical language with regard to the creation of Symphony No. 1 in C minor. This is because this symphony demonstrates all the above-mentioned aspects of music. Work Cited Brahms, Johannes. Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68. Mineola, NY: Dover Publ, 1997. Print. Brodbeck, David L. Brahms, Symphony No. 1. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print. Frisch, Walter, and Kevin Karnes. Brahms and His World. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Internet resource. Wilson, Conrad. Notes on Brahms: 20 Crucial Works. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2005. Print. Read More