Johannes Brahms

Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)

The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854. Brahms himself declared that

History#

Brahms began composing a D minor symphony in 1854, but this work underwent radical change before much of it was finally recast as his first Piano Concerto, also in D minor. The long gestation of the C minor Symphony which would eventually be his first may be attributed to two factors. First, Brahms’s self-critical fastidiousness led him to destroy many of his early works. Second, there was an expectation from Brahms’s friends and the public that he would continue “Beethoven’s inheritance” and produce a symphony of commensurate dignity and intellectual scope – an expectation that Brahms felt he could not fulfill easily in view of the monumental reputation of Beethoven. It was probably 1868 when Brahms finally realized what would become the final structure of his First Symphony. In September of that year, he sent a card to his lifelong friend Clara Schumann sketching the Alphorn tune which would emerge in the symphony’s Finale, along with the famous message “Thus blew the shepherd’s horn today!” Despite the evidence of the work’s development, the symphony would not premiere for eight more years, in 1876. Fritz Simrock, Brahms’s friend and publisher, did not receive the score until after the work had been performed in three cities – and Brahms still wished trial performances in at least three more. The autograph manuscript of the second, third, and fourth movements is held by the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City (the manuscript to the first movement apparently has not survived). It has been reproduced in miniature facsimile by Dover Publications.

Instrumentation#

The symphony is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones (fourth movement only), timpani and the string section. Although Brahms commonly specified “natural” (valveless) horn tunings in his compositions (e.g., Horn in E in the second movement of this symphony), performances are typically delivered on modern valved horns.

Form#

The symphony is in four movements, marked as follows:

I. Un poco sostenuto — Allegro#

The first movement is in sonata form with an extended introduction, featuring a drawn-out and highly elaborated variation of the movement’s theme.

Introduction#

: Unique among Brahms symphonies, the First Symphony is ushered in via a formal introduction (an 1862 score of the symphony originally started with the second, Allegro, section). After a processional “poco sostenuto” opening section featuring chaotic syncopated rhythms underpinned by pulsating timpani, the woodwinds and pizzicato strings play with thematic phrases to be fully explored in the following exposition. A short and stormy return to the original development, this time in the dominant of G and supported by rolling timpani, is finally followed by further melodic introductions played by oboe, flute and cellos before resolving in a drawn-out transitional passage ending with a plucked G note in the cellos.

Exposition#

: The exposition begins abruptly, echoing the introduction’s plucked final note with an orchestral exclamation, followed by a short motto which leads to the main theme, which is initially played, stridently, by the violins. The overall mood is “savagely energetic” An extended transition leads to the arrival of the key of E major which in turn introduces the flowing and heart-easing second theme. This theme, which is related to the motto used to open the movement, is carried out in the wind section, led by oboe and clarinet with support from the bassoon and eventually the French horns. Strong intervention from the violas ends this peaceful passage with a descending minor key sequence which opens to a new closing theme leading up to a final bombastic passage wrapping up the exposition. The score then calls for a full repeat, which requires an abrupt return to C minor.

Development#

The action in the development section begins with a full step descent into B major, and instability ensues as interplay between the “eroica” motif and phrases from the original theme are played off each other. A series of modulations, each seeming to lead further away from the tonic, eventually leads the path back to the recapitulation. Starting with a murky rumble in the basses, the music gathers strength with a thrilling set of arpeggios in the violins with support from the brass, which repeat the “eroica” motif with great alacrity. Finally, a “shocking digression” in the bass line leads to a modulation to F, setting the stage for the recapitulation.

Recapitulation and coda#

A somewhat nebulous start to the recapitulation is followed by a foreshortened restatement of the first theme, allowing the music to proceed in the tonic, rather than taking up the tonal progressions originally followed in the exposition. The coda begins with pizzicato strings which quickly decrescendo, leading to a set of modulations played out in the strings with their bows leading to the closing cadence. The movement ends peacefully in C major.

II. Andante sostenuto#

The E major second movement is in modified ternary form (A–B–A’). Written in time, it possesses a “profound, but essentially lyrical” character. :

A Section#

A rising, flowing theme is introduced by the strings, initially doubled by bassoon. The initial phrase is finished by a darker, falling dotted rhythm passage underpinned by low horns. A swelling second phrase follows, featuring syncopated interplay of the higher strings set against the low strings and woodwinds. After a short transitional passage, the oboe introduces a rising, song-like theme which is initially accompanied only by the violas and the other winds. As the theme moves through a sweeping crescendo, the rest of the strings provide lush harmonic support. As before, this theme is ushered out with a somewhat darker, falling passage, which is resolved with a closing statement led by the strings.

B Section#

Part I. A “lilting, leaping dotted rhythm” is introduced by the strings. As the theme rises, the violins and violas develop it further, before it turns downwards to be joined with the low strings. Eventually, the mood darkens into C-sharp minor leading to the section’s second part. Part II. The oboe again emerges with a long, gentle solo in C-sharp minor. It is again initially paired with delicate support from the strings. This time, however, the clarinet picks up the main theme as the mood brightens briefly. After a short while, supporting action from the woodwinds is joined by string accompaniment, but the woodwinds eventually drop out, leaving the strings to move to darker harmonic territory. Finally, the music moves into a softer, mysterious transitional session, leading to the final section.

A’ Section#

In a quasi-recapitulation, the winds enter brightly on a theme which is closely related to the movement’s opening. After a series of passages which parallel—but do not echo—the opening A section, the principal violin enters with a rendition of the first oboe theme, this time with soft accompaniment from the horns.

Coda#

Solo horn quotes the beginning of the movement’s second “oboe” theme, which is subsequently elaborated by the principal violin in solo.

III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso#

Like the second movement, the third movement is in ternary form. It is composed of the Allegretto and contrasting trio section, followed by a reprise of the Allegretto material and coda. A notable aspect of this movement is Brahms’s careful attention to symmetry. : The form could be described as: :A B A 1 B 1 C D C 1 D 1 A 2 – trio – A 3 B 2 A 4 – coda

Allegretto#

: The Allegretto is in the key of A major and begins with a calm, stepwise melody in the clarinet. The four-bar figure is extended to an irregular five bars through a small bridge between the phrases by the strings. The clarinet rounds off the A theme in the Allegretto with an inversion of the first five bars heard. : The B theme enters in measure 11 and features a descending dotted-eighth-note pattern in the flute, clarinet, and bassoon with the strings echoing the rhythm in rising and falling figures. After eight measures, A 1 appears with the violins iterating the first theme and a longer, chromatic bridge section that extends the phrase structure to seven bars. B 1 is presented with an extension into C. The C and D themes differ from the first two in that they are shorter and more angular rhythmically. The A and B themes feature an almost constant eighth-note pizzicato in the strings, whereas C and D are more complex with an interlocking sixteenth-note pattern accompanying the winds. Movement from the major mode to F minor also marks these sections as apart from preceding material. This obvious contrast in character and mood can lend one to think of the C and D sections as a sort of trio within the first Allegretto section in the larger ternary form displayed by the movement as a whole. The symmetry within one section reflects the symmetry of the whole. A 2 closes off the first major section with the clarinet stating the first theme, much as it did in the beginning, finishing with a transition to the trio.

Trio#

: The Trio offers a change of key, as well as a change of time. The key moves to B major, an enharmonic minor third away from A. This key movement balances with the C and D sections in F minor, also a minor third away from the home key but in the opposite direction. The time signature changes from a stately to a more pastoral and dancelike . The flute, oboe, and bassoon introduce a joyful melody in stepwise motion as in the A theme. The strings add a downward three-note arpeggio. These two motives make up the bulk of the trio material. Restatement and development of those themes ensue until the brass and winds join for a final repeat of the melody. The second ending brings the orchestra back into time and to A 3 .

Return of the Allegretto#

A major difference between A 3 and the earlier iterations of A is the lingering effect of the trio upon the movement. The monotone call from the opening of the trio melody appears over the clarinet melody in the flute, oboe, and bassoon. The rhythmic effect of triplets also invades the pure eighth-note world of the A theme, producing polyrhythms. Instead of the inversion of the theme we expect in the second phrase of A, the strings take over and offer an entirely different melody, but with essentially the same contour as the inversion. B 2 occupies a significantly larger space of the reprise than it does in the previous Allegretto. It leads through an extended transition to the last, quiet statement of A in unison by the strings. Strings of dotted eighth notes end the movement proper with ideas from the B theme.

Composer: Johannes Brahms