A History of the Symphony

A History of the Symphony: The Grand Genre identifies the underlying cultural factors that have shaped the symphony over the past three hundred years, presenting a unified view of the entire history of the genre. The text goes beyond discussions of individual composers and the stylistic evolution of the genre to address what constitutes a symphony within each historical period, describing how such works fit into the lives of composers and audiences of the time, recognizing that they do not exist in a vacuum but rather as the products of numerous external forces spurring their creation.
In three parts, the text proceeds chronologically, drawing connections between musical examples across regions and eras:
The Classical Symphony
The Romantic Symphony
The Symphony in the Modern Era
Within this broad chronology-from the earliest Italian symphonies of the 18th century to the most experimental works of the 20th century-discussion of the development of the genre often breaks down along national lines that outline divergent but parallel paths of stylistic growth. In consideration of what is and is not a symphony, musical developments in other genres are presented as they relate to the symphony, genres such as the serenade, the tone poem, and the concert overture. Suitable for a one-semester course as well as a full-year syllabus, and with illustrative musical examples throughout, A History of the Symphony places composers and works in sociological and musical contexts while confronting the fundamental question: What is a symphony?

Jeffrey Langford is Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, NY.

PART I: THE CLASSICAL SYMPHONY / Chapter 1 - Origins of the Genre: From Pergolesi to Early Haydn / Pergolesi and the Italian Sinfonia / Stamitz and the Mannheim School; C.P.E. Bach and the Empfindsam Stil / Early Haydn / Chapter 2 - Maturation of the Genre: Haydn and Mozart / Haydn: From Servant to Entrepreneur / The Genius of Mozart / Chapter 3 - From Classicism to Romanticism / Beethoven and the Destruction of the Classical Style / Schubert and the First Signs of Romanticism / PART II: THE ROMANTIC SYMPHONY / Chapter 4 - The Romantic Generation: Tradition vs. the Avant-garde / Berlioz and the Romantic Revolution / Mendelssohn's Classical Romanticism / Tradition and Innovation in the Symphonies of Schumann / The Janus Face of Brahms / Liszt and the Symphonic Avant-garde / Chapter 5 - Musical Nationalism: Eastern Europe and Russia / The Politics of Nationalism in the Symphonies of Smetana and Dvöák / The "Mighty Five" and Tchaikovsky / Chapter 6 - The Late Romantic Symphony: Mahler and Strauss / Mahler as "Song-symphonist" / Strauss and the Tome Poem / PART III: THE SYMPHONY IN THE MODERN ERA / Chapter 7 - The Early 20th Century / Debussy and the Transition to the Modern Era / The Unique Path of Sibelius / Chapter 8 - Masters of the 20th Century: From Ives to Shostakovich / Ives as Symphonic Iconoclast / Prokofiev and the Neo-Classical Style / The Changing Symphonic Face of Stravinsky / Hindemith and the Nazis / The Enigma of Shostakovich / Chapter 9 - Contemporary Views of the Symphony / 20th-Century Reinterpretations of the Symphony: Messiaen, Penderecki, and Lutoslawski / Post-modern Symphonies and Gender Issues