Chris Fifield's new book...

Started by Alan Howe, Friday 19 September 2014, 00:24

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Balapoel

Ah, I understand. That period of course has interested me for some time, and I compiled a list for my own exploration. I tallied some 138 composers and 274 symphonies, mainly represented by German, French, English, Czech, Russian, and Swedish composers.

Gareth Vaughan

QuoteJadassohn (Nos. 1-2)

Jadasssohn wrote 4 symphonies. These have been recorded (and are awaiting release) by CPO.

Aramiarz

Dear Alan
Interesting expresion: sung symphonist, excuse me the question, what is this? Some exemples?

Balapoel

Quote from: Gareth Vaughan on Monday 13 October 2014, 10:57
QuoteJadassohn (Nos. 1-2)

Jadasssohn wrote 4 symphonies. These have been recorded (and are awaiting release) by CPO.

I know. I (like Chris) was only considering symphonies written between Beethoven 9 and Brahms 1...

And, I've been hearing about the CPO releases for about 4 years now...

Alan Howe

"sung symphonist" = a recognised symphonist

Gareth Vaughan

Sorry, Balapoel. Misunderstood you.

eschiss1

Alan Howe:
"Chris avoided the sung symphonists..."

One can see Mr. Fifield doesn't completely avoid sung symphonists - just because many forum members can't abide Brahms' symphonies (I blame torturous, poor performances) doesn't make him an unrecognised symphonist :)

I do need to ask though- is Goetz Symphony No.2 his Symphony in F major (is he known to have written another before, and I'd forgotten- I seem to recall he'd written 2, but forgot the order...) - or is this a hitherto unknown or even-less-known symphony (maybe a little bit like Hans Huber's symphony A major symphony w/o number, composed between his Tell and Böcklin syms. ...)

Balapoel

Goetz's fragments:
Symphony (No. 1) in e minor (destroyed except for fragment) (1867)
Symphony (No. 2) in F major, Op. 9 (1873)

There's also sketches for a third piano concerto (in d minor, dating from 1876, the year he died).

Alan Howe

The point about Chris' inclusion of Brahms 1 is that this is the terminus ad quem of the book...

eschiss1

Good point. I should have remembered Frisch's book on Brahms' symphonies in context (which I've only skimmed over at Google - though it's a natural candidate for me to try to borrow via interloan; it does seem interesting...) which includes just such a list (just a list, no music examples, though, still unusual even in including such a list!) of symphonies composed in the years before Brahms' 1st. It will be good to have some actual music to attach to some of those works some of which I've only heard of from skimming that list (or, as with Rosenhain, composers I do know -some- music by but whose symphonies are unknown territory to me, etc. ...) - hopefully a library near here will purchase a copy of your book once it's available :)

Alan Howe

Frisch's book is well worth acquiring - as much for his account of how Brahms eventually became a symphonist as for his analysis of the symphonies themselves.

eschiss1

Was Markull's symphony ever published btw? I see a reference to a performance in manuscript in 1882, but I see no evidence of publication. There's a work of his called "Meisymphonie" but that seems to be a 4-page a cappella choral work :)

John H White

This is certainly a very impressive list, but why are Gade, Macfarren and Sullivan included in a survey of German symphonists?

Alan Howe

The connection, I'm pretty sure, is Leipzig...
   

Alan Howe