What is a musical symphony

Even within the formal framework of music we can find various forms of expression and variations of forms and genres that explore all the possibilities of sound and music theory with creativity and ingenuity. Although there are many works of varying complexity in classical music, many people consider the symphony to be the pinnacle to reflect the beauty of a composition. In this lesson from a TEACHER you will learn what is a musical symphony and you will better understand its value and essential qualities.

The symphony it is a musical form as is the suite, the concert, the night... etc. What makes it stand out is the grandeur it aims to achieve and this is achieved through complete instrumentation through of the orchestra, and a structure of several parts that make it a work that usually has a longer duration and complexity.

Characteristics of a symphony

To better understand what a musical symphony is, below we will discover the most outstanding characteristics of this type of form. They are as follows:

Complete instrumentation: Symphonies are performed by a symphonic Orchestra, a grouping that is comprised of several sections with instruments of different types in order to cover a wide spectrum of functions, textures, and tessitura.

In a symphony orchestra we can commonly find the following sections:

• Stringed instruments: Violin, viola, cello and double bass.
• Stringed instruments: Piano, celesta.
• Plucked string instruments: Harp, guitar.
• Woodwind instruments: Piccolo, transverse flute, clarinet, oboe bass clarinet, english horn, bassoon.
• Brass instruments: Trumpet, horn, cornet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, euphonium.
• Percussion instruments (without tuning): Timpani, suspended platter, cymbals, tam tam, triangle.
• Percussion instruments with tuning: Marimba, xylophone, ear tags, glockenspiel.

While these are the most common instruments, there are occasions where less conventional or very specific instruments are included.

Structure: The symphony is usually comprised of 3 or 4 movements, which expose a relationship with each other to maintain coherence and expressive progression. The movements vary in time and duration but the common thing is that they try to maintain a harmonic relationship to remain as a work in its entirety.

Depending on the time, the type of movements included changed, so there is no rigid structure in that sense. Movements can include: prelude,sonata, scherzo, minuet, trio, rondo, andante and allegro, among others.

The symphony is born in Italy in 1730 and it became the most popular genre of the time. It did not always have the same structure, since it evolved and changed its qualities throughout history. As such the symphony comes from the classicism, but despite its previous existence it is considered that it reaches maturity thanks to Ludwig van Beethoven, who provides a model that many symphonies would adopt in times to come.

The symphony was welcoming variations in musical structure through the ages, and in the types and number of instruments in the formations, although the base concept remains the same. Despite a specific model, many composers have taken the genre and exploited its possibilities to create curious symphonies, such as "The symphony of 1000"by Gustav Mahler in premiered 1906, which stands out for having the participation of 1000 or more members in the orchestra.