...entitled The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms: The Fall and Rise of a Genre is publicised here:
http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&title_id=&edition_id=1209349310&calcTitle=1 (http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&title_id=&edition_id=1209349310&calcTitle=1)
This certainly seems worth looking into. I wish the description would list what composers are of central importance. Fifield certainly writes well, as his bio of Bruch is very well done. The price is higher than I would like, even the e-book edition, but how big of an audience is there for books like this anymore? On my order list.
A very hefty price tag, to be sure, but required and enthusiastic reading for me.
I can assure friends that the contents will comprise a veritable cornucopia of unsung symphonists. Beyond that, we must wait and see what the author makes of particular composers and their importance to musical history in the half century between Beethoven 9 and Brahms 1.
QuoteA very hefty price tag, to be sure...
Even with today's software, a book with 200 musical examples cannot be cheap to make. Also, there's a matter of practical economics: the core market for this volume is likely university and college libraries with the budgets thereby implied.
Quote...but required and enthusiastic reading for me.
What's not to love about this site?
The book's going to be ground-breaking...
I vaguely recall Mr. Fifield may have mentioned this book before, or something like it, in a discussion on this site having to do with Franz Lachner (something about the latter's symphonies getting some serious, detailed attention within?) But I may be misremembering in detail or in general...
Ashgate's website announces publication of my book in April 2015. There are 324 (not 200!) music examples, which I suspect is where the production costs have set the price. I am currently awaiting a proof copy for indexing.
I am also about to start work on a new edition of my 1993 biography of Hans Richter. The Appendix will include a transcription of all his six conducting books, which list every one of his 4351 appearances in concert, opera and Imperial Chapel services which he conducted between 1865 and 1912 in Budapest, Vienna, London, Manchester, Bayreuth and throughout Europe. That will be published in 2016 to mark the centenary of his death.
Thank you for some very positive comments and feedback. Much appreciated.
By the way : I shall be conducting Frederic Cliffe's Coronation March (1910) and Thomas Dunhill's Symphony (1916), a fine work, on 6th December with my Lambeth Orchestra at All Saints Church, West Dulwioch, London SE21 8LN. Fenella Humphreys will play Elgar's Violin Concerto. It would be wonderful to see UK-based forum members, or worldwide members come to that!
In answer to mbhaub.
Here's a sneak preview for Forum members, I am happy to list below the works discussed in varying detail in my book. The music examples are in short score, a few in full score. There are no illustrations/composer portraits (the quid pro quo for 324 music examples!) Whilst Ashgate were understandably nervous the book would be too long, they did not ask for any cuts, for which I am grateful.
This posting gives me the opportunity to thank publicly (I do so in the book of course) my good friend Alan Howe for his patience, understanding and willingness to read or translate whatever I threw at him, for believe me, those 19thC German previews and reviews, as well as current academic German, can be extremely dense.
Listed chronologically:
Beethoven, Ludwig van
Symphony No.9
Schubert, Franz
Symphony No.9
Spohr, Louis
Symphony Nos.1-10
Kalliwoda, Johann
Symphony Nos.1-7
Burgmüller, Norbert
Symphony Nos.1 & 2
Lachner, Franz
Symphony Nos.1-8
Kittl, Johann Friedrich
Symphony No.2 'Jagd'
Czerny, Carl
Symphony No.5
Schneider, Friedrich
Symphony in A
Symphony in F minor
Markull, Friedrich Wilhelm
Symphony No.1
Lührss, Carl
Symphony in E flat
Pape, Ludwig
Militärsinfonie
Ritter, August Gottfried
Symphony in C minor
Marxsen, Eduard
Symphony No.5
Herrmann, Gottfried
Symphony in C minor Pathétique
Hesse, Adolf
Symphony No.6
Fesca, Alexander
Symphony No.1
Müller, Friedrich
Symphony No.1 & 2
Müller, Christian Gottlieb
Symphony No.4
Verhulst, Johannes
Symphony in E minor
Gade, Niels
Symphony No.1
Drobisch, Karl
Symphony in G minor
Rosenhain, Jakob
Symphony No.1 & 2
David, Félicien
Ode-symphonique: Le Désert
Wichmann, Hermann
Symphony No.1 & 2
Dorn, Heinrich
Symphony in C
Taubert, Wilhelm
Symphony No.1
Litolff, Henri
Concerto-symphonique No.2 & 4
Leonhard, Emil
Symphony No.1
Schnyder von Wartensee, Franz
Symphony No.3
Macfarren, George
Symphony No.7
Sullivan, Arthur
Symphony No.1 Irish
Svendsen, Johann
Symphony No.1
Franck, Eduard
Symphony in A
Symphony in B♭
Hermann, Friedrich
Symphony
Rietz, Julius
Symphony No.3
Hiller, Ferdinand
Symphony in E minor 'Es muss doch Frühling werden'
Reinecke, Carl
Symphony No.1
Vierling, Georg
Symphony in C
Abert, Johann Joseph
Symphony No.4 Columbus
Bargiel , Woldemar
Symphony in C
Reinthaler, Carl
Symphony in D
Volkmann, Robert
Symphony No.1
Raff, Joseph Joachim
Symphony No.1 An das Vaterland, 2, 4, 6
Bruch, Max
Symphony Nos.1 & 2
Dietrich, Albert
Symphony in D minor
Draeseke, Felix
Symphony in C, Nos. 1 & 2
Gernsheim, Friedrich
Symphony No.1
Goetz, Hermann
Symphony No.2
Grimm, Julius Otto
Symphony in D minor
Brahms, Johannes
Symphony No.1
Thanks, Chris, for giving us this glimpse into the contents of your book. Personally, I can't wait...
This promises to be an extremely important book, Chris, and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy next year.
I too can't wait to read it. I wonder why a number of other variously influential German symphonists weren't covered (I'm sure I'll find out in the text):
Mendelssohn (Nos. 1-5), Romberg (No. 3), Kuffner (No. 7), Moscheles, Schumann (Nos. 1-4), Wagner (Nos. 1-2), Loewe (No. 2), Ries (No. 7), Rietz (No. 1), Staehle, Mayer (Nos. 1-8), Jadassohn (Nos. 1-2), Krug (No. 1), Klughardt (No. 1), Rauchenecker (No. 1).
If Austrians were considered, then also Bruckner (Nos. 0-4, f minor), Herzogenberg (Odysseus), Rufinatscha (Nos. 1-5).
Of these, I would consider Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Bruckner to be the most influential (not necessarily in that order).
Dear Christopherfifield
Welcome to this site! Your work as conductor And researcher is Titanic!
I like very much your performance in Sterling, have You near one release? Maybe the Cliffe's second Symphonie?
Balapoel:
he -does- list Vierling... and Bruch 1 & 2...
and I look forward to finding out about some of Rosenhain's symphonies, and Wichmann's (didn't know he wrote any), and Brahms' teacher Marxsen, ... (&c.)
(The challenge is there for someone who wants to write a book or books on the string quartet, string quintet and piano quartet and quintet of the unsungs of the Romantic and early 20th century eras that might be anywhere near as interesting or (I strongly suspect, anyway, sight unseen) as good...)
Chris avoided the sung symphonists - and decided not to venture into Austria!
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.
QuoteJadassohn (Nos. 1-2)
Jadasssohn wrote 4 symphonies. These have been recorded (and are awaiting release) by CPO.
Dear Alan
Interesting expresion: sung symphonist, excuse me the question, what is this? Some exemples?
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...
"sung symphonist" = a recognised symphonist
Sorry, Balapoel. Misunderstood you.
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. ...)
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).
The point about Chris' inclusion of Brahms 1 is that this is the terminus ad quem of the book...
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 :)
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.
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 :)
This is certainly a very impressive list, but why are Gade, Macfarren and Sullivan included in a survey of German symphonists?
The connection, I'm pretty sure, is Leipzig...
Here's the Introduction:
http://www.ashgate.com/pdf/SamplePages/German-Symphony-between-Beethoven-and-Brahms-Intro.pdf (http://www.ashgate.com/pdf/SamplePages/German-Symphony-between-Beethoven-and-Brahms-Intro.pdf)
The topic is a good one and was really interested until I saw the price, yikes. $125 is a lot of money.
Tom :)
It's basically Chris' PhD thesis made into a book, so the price is hardly surprising.
Appetite duly whetted!
This will have to go on the back burner for me.
Tom :)
Perfectly understandable.
Well, we could all pitch in and buy a copy jointly and pass around to read. ;)
Having seen what's in the book, I wouldn't want to pass on my copy...
I will most certainly purchase this book as it is almost impossible to obtain the information contained without months of research and one has to take into consideration all the translations from original documents etc; I think it is well worth the price for something that I might well refer to over many years. One could easily spend that on a meal for two in London.
Quite right, Giles.
But there is so much to listen to that it keeps my budget challenged.
Tom :)
I asked the library in Minneapolis and the answer was politely no.
I understand, Tom. However, since the 19th century symphony fascinates me as a topic...
And being in your position I know that this is a must have for you.
Tom :)
"One could easily spend that on a meal for two in London."
Yes, or on ONE ticket to hear the London Symphony on tour in California!
OK, let's return to the book itself...
I'm sure it will never be published in a Kindle or Nook version which is what I need for good reading......sigh.....
Oh, the LSO is in Palm Springs next week and our tickets were only $65.
(Hand duly slapped for off topic comment.... :-X)
Jerry
BACK TO THE BOOK....
I'll await your evaluation of it Alan.
Tom :)
I haven't received my copy yet. But I know roughly what's in it - and it contains a major surprise...
The point of this book for me is this:. When one listens to mainstream composers, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky etc one eventually must ask, are these the only pieces worth hearing and why are they so frequently performed and by exploring their contemporaries one forms a judgement. Some times one is pleasantly surprised. Likewise with this book, it will help in highlighting works many of us have never heard and puts them in to context.
I have now received my copy and hope to pen a review here soon.
Now available for pre-order from amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk/German-Symphony-between-Beethoven-Brahms/dp/1409452883/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1429737597&sr=8-5&keywords=christopher+fifield) (and my order is in).
I have just finished reading Chris's book which I have thoroughly enjoyed. If I have a criticism, it needed to be more comprehensive, which would make the cost prohibitive. What it has given me is a greater insight about some of the composers featured. This is a book to keep for life and refer to after the first read. I commend it to all those who have hesitated in purchasing it so far.
Thanks, Giles.
As a matter of interest, in what way - or in what direction - would you have liked it to be more comprehensive?
I give two examples;
Where there are several symphonies by one composer, it singles out just one. This leaves me wondering about the others and if and how the composer progressed. The second is that a work by Fesca for example, is mentioned but there is no follow through. I know he was a fine composer of chamber music so what happened to the symphony(s)
I do emphasise these are just niggles
Review Article: The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms: the Fall and Rise of a Genre by Christopher Fifield (Ashgate Publishing, 2015)
This book, although relatively expensive at £70, is nevertheless a must-buy for all those interested in 19th century music, specifically the German classical (not programme) symphony as it developed in the half-century between the appearance of Beethoven's 9th in 1824 and Brahms' 1st in 1876.
Students of this period will no doubt know the German symphonies which have since become part of the standard repertoire, e.g. those by Mendelssohn and Schumann. Beyond these works, however, there are many by unfamiliar names which are barely known - if at all. And so Brahms' first essay in the form, published half a century after the death of Beethoven and a quarter of a century after Schumann's 4th , appears to arrive on the scene like lightning from a clear blue sky. And in some ways it did. Brahms' 1st was a clear attempt by the leading composer of the classical school to don the symphonic mantle of Beethoven – and, according to many (including Mr Fifield), the first wholly to succeed in doing so. Yet the reality is that the metaphorical clear blue sky was in fact not clear at all, for there were many composers working in the symphonic field during this period. Many have probably been justly forgotten. But some are at the very least worthy of investigation and performance. Others produced very fine symphonies – near-misses, as it were, when judged by the very highest standards, and even one or two which may be regarded as masterpieces in their own right. And so we discover that Brahms, whose 1st Symphony enjoyed a particularly long gestation period, was composing not in isolation, but in a context in which the symphony remained the high-point of musical endeavour and attempts at scaling this particular artistic Everest were frequent and often praiseworthy.
Fifield begins by proposing three criteria by which to judge the unfamiliar symphonies which he describes. They are: originality, development and influence – to which one might add the solving of the 'finale problem' in the wake of Beethoven 9. He then takes us on a decade-by-decade investigation of the lesser-known symphonies written thereafter, i.e:
• The 1830s - principally "some fine works" by Louis Spohr, Johann Kalliwoda and Norbert Burgmüller.
• The 1840s, which saw further symphonies by Spohr, Kalliwoda, Franz Lachner and also Franz Xaver Schnyder von Wartensee, as well as those by the "honorary German symphonists" Johannes Verhulst and Niels Gade.
• Fifield's treatment of the 1850s is preceded by an important chapter on the dominant position of Leipzig which now became "part of the problem" in relation to the development of the symphony because the ethos there looked backwards to Mendelssohnian classicism. The decade also saw the growing divide between these conservatives and the progressives of the Weimar school, led by Liszt. Important symphonists such as Schumann and Spohr died and overall, despite some interesting contributions from, for example, Eduard Franck, Ferdinand Hiller, Julius Rietz and Carl Reinecke, the "green shoots of symphonic change" lay in the decade and half to come.
• With the 1860s come four symphonists who "stand head and shoulders above the rest", i.e. Robert Volkmann (whose 1st Symphony is described as "undoubtedly a persuasive work"), Max Bruch, Joachim Raff and Albert Dietrich (the "rest" being represented here by Johann Abert, Woldemar Bargiel, Georg Vierling and Carl Reinthaler). Raff, quite rightly in the view of the present writer, is assessed as being "too reactionary" for the progressives and "too revolutionary" for the conservatives; nevertheless Fifield sums him up as "the best of the symphonists" in the period between Schumann and Brahms. Bruch's 2nd Symphony is then seen as a significant contribution, particularly on account of the 'big tune' which occurs in the finale and may have had some influence upon the similar passage in the last movement of Brahms 1. The chapter closes with a consideration of the D minor Symphony by Dietrich, whose "three far finer movements" are followed by a weaker finale, and the first two symphonies of the highly original Felix Draeseke. "As the unacknowledged leading symphonist of his day, in the late 1860s to mid-1870s, Draeseke cuts a very solitary figure", writes Fifield. In making such an assessment the author is breaking new critical ground – justifiably so in the opinion of the present writer.
• In the period 1870-1876 the symphonic momentum continues to gather pace. Friedrich Gernsheim's 1st Symphony has its "Brahms moments", as does Hermann Goetz's Symphony in F, and finally we alight on the (as yet unrecorded) Symphony in D minor by Julius Otto Grimm, whose second movement closes in a manner suggestive of the introduction to the opening movement of Brahms' 1st. The time was indeed right for the emergence of Brahms' masterpiece. But it hadn't come as lightning from a clear blue sky at all; Brahms had first "watched, listened and waited" before attempting to don the mantle of Beethoven.
This book began life as a PhD thesis, but reads like a musicological detective story. It is an extremely important contribution to the understanding of the development of the Symphony in the nineteenth century.
Perhaps the author might now be persuaded to attempt an examination of the development of the Symphony in Austria in the wake of Beethoven, starting with Schubert and taking in Johann Rufinatscha before considering how Anton Bruckner donned the mantle of Beethoven in his own way. After all, culturally speaking Vienna – where Schubert, Rufinatscha and Bruckner lived and worked - was essentially in continuity with what later became the German Empire; and Brahms settled there in 1868, as Beethoven had done for considerable periods of his life. It would make a fascinating pendant to an already indispensable volume.
I just can't afford the price at this time. I've requested that the library puts it into our system. In the meantime I'll wait for the two Raff books.
Tom :)
Thanks for that very thorough review, Alan. I'll look forward to reading my copy...
My library came through for me and ordered a copy!
Tom :)
That's good news, Tom.
My copy has arrived. I might be quiet for a little while....
I've sampled a few pages and, as you might expect, those few pages were Chris' discussion on Raff and his symphonies nos.1, 2, 4 and 6. His overall assessment of Raff's standing and abilities as a symphonist, his flaws and his strengths, is very even handed and objective, backed up by extensive sources which are both historical and contemporary. I must say that, if the Raff pages are typical (and why wouldn't they be?), this book should prove to be a seminal and ground-breaking work. I'll admit to being slightly disappointed that Chris has chosen not only to exclude "programme" symphonies, but also the symphonies written by Austrian and Swiss composers. He explains in his Introduction that time and space dictated this decision, which is fair enough, but it does seem a shame, given the otherwise thorough scope of the work and what I am sure will prove to be his clear sighted assessments of the worth of so many unsung symphonies. On the evidence so far though, and despite the high price, thoroughly recommended.
Clearly one of the problems which us UC-denizens are going to have reading this book is finding all the time to plough through the playlists which will inevitably result. I have just been reading the descriptions of Spohr's ten symphonies and the, generally very enthusiastic, assessment of Kalliwoda's corpus, all the while thinking to myself "It's ages since I played this, I must give it another listen".
Perhaps there could be a book written about the Swiss and Austrian composers which could include a lengthy section on the program material from German, Swiss, and Austrian composers?
Tom :)
The issue, Tom, is twofold:
1. There needs to be an extension of the remit of the book to encompass the whole of the 19th century Austro-German symphonic tradition. My terminus ad quem would be 1896, i.e. Bruckner 9, which would also permit the inclusion of, say, Rott and early Mahler (symphonies 1-3).
2. There needs to be an examination of the differing directions which Beethoven's successors took from the mid-1820s - i.e. both the classical direction, which Fifield concentrates on, and the progressive one, which develops via Liszt (Faust Symphony), etc. Both conservatives and progressives saw themselves as Beethoven's successors, but in different ways - which is unsurprising as Beethoven embodies both classical and non-classical trends.
I'd therefore like to see an excursus which examines the Beethoven/Schubert-Rufinatscha-Bruckner connection as well as Liszt's achievements as, for example, you can't explain Raff (especially symphonies 3,5,7 and 8-11) without it. You'll notice that Fifield excludes half of Raff's symphonies, which is a pity as much of his best symphonic music is contained in 3 and 5, in particular. It would also require at least some mention of Berlioz and Wagner as seminal influences on the progressives. If 1896 is the terminus ad quem, Draeseke's great 3rd Symphony could also be examined - which would be fascinating as the author (rightly) recognises Draeseke's stature.
In sum, my perspective is that the Austro-German Symphony post-Beethoven is a much richer and more varied phenomenon than is presented in this book. Of course, this is based on the notion that the Symphony should be defined less narrowly than Fifield allows. If this wider definition is accepted, then 1876 (the year of Brahms 1) becomes less important.
Of course, this is almost certainly being very unfair to the author. What he has written is essentially a history of the German Symphony, as classically defined, in the post-Beethoven period. In this he has succeeded triumphantly.
Thank you for your explanation. I'm looking forward to being able to read it soon.
Tom :)
Christopher Fifield will be giving a talk about his new book on Tuesday 9th June at 11am at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, as part of a series of talks arranged by The London Mozart Players.
That'd be well worth attending. I understand from the London Mozart Players that the talk is to take place in the Maple Room at Fairfield Halls, Croydon and that the timing is 10:30 arrival for coffee with the talk starting at 11 o'clock. There is no charge for entry - just a donation suggested to cover the cost of refreshments.
Ah, a shame that I can't go.
sorry, but your requested interlibrary loan item from MnLINK is not available for lending at this time and the request has been canceled. Possible reasons for unfilled requests are:
All copies of this title are currently in use at other libraries.
The item is non-circulating and not available for lending to other libraries.
The item is too new or popular to lend out to other libraries.
Please contact your local Hennepin County Library if you have any questions about your interlibrary loan requests.
the response I got back after a few weeks
Tom :(
most books less than a year old (or perhaps even just acquired in the last year...) cannot be interlibrary loaned, in my experience. (Not out-of-area, and perhaps not within-system for a multi-library system like the one I'm in, e.g., either.) I, anyway, am not surprised!!
Try again in 2016. That's what I'm doing!
"The item is too new or popular to lend out to other libraries."--
seems like I'm not far off the mark.
(Also, it's considered/categorized as a capital-R Reference, Non-Circulating book by some libraries; those won't loan either, as you see.)
The University of Minnesota, very close, has the book.
Tom
if they are already willing to circulate it, good. (I don't think U Minn has an interloan arrangement with my public library, alas, though some libraries from as nearby as Cornell U. (<1 mile) and as far away as Dallas Public Library and a few in California do - emphasis on some...)
Chris (if you're watching) and prompted by Herbert Pauls' current thread about unauthorised copying:
I went to Google to try and find something out about Josef Netzer (I've just received the CD of his symphonies 1 & 4 and found all the notes in German, which I cannot read). Anyway, Google books brought up a byline on him in Chris's book but when I looked at the Google link, I was gob-smacked by just how much of the text of the book has been copied in to Google books.
I don't have any knowledge of Chris' book to know how much has been copied (i.e. scanned) but as I'd be very surprised if this (new) book is public domain property yet, I hope all necessary permissions were sought and obtained!
Cheers
Richard
Not a matter of illegal copying - many publishers have agreements for Google to place a sizeable portion of the text online for people to read. The reasoning being that academic institutions will usually purchase these books anyway, either in physical form or as part of digital distribution agreements - and that giving them an extended preview is going to make the contents wider known. I.e., as a marketing tool. As books are nowadays 'digitally born', it's simply a question of uploading a PDF or ePub file.
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Wednesday 06 May 2015, 19:45
I'll admit to being slightly disappointed that Chris has chosen not only to exclude "programme" symphonies, but also the symphonies written by Austrian and Swiss composers.
There is one Swiss composer on the list: Schnyder von Wartensee (who BTW used his second first name Xaver, i.e. he ought to be listed as Xaver or Franz Xaver, but not as Franz). Being Swiss myself I'd have left him out of the book if it were my book. I used to own a recording of Symphony No. 3 (which Schnyder himself called "military", a reference to Haydn) and in my remembrance from a number of listenings it is more than a little conventional: The rather impressive adagio introduction makes a promise which is never afterwards kept (no. 2 IMO is more impressive, but probably still not material for a book like this). If memory serves the next Swiss composer who could have a symphony worth mentioning is probably post Brahms. Theodor Fröhlich has a fragment in A major (3 movements), written in the 1820s, whose scherzo I remember playing in the student orchestra, but I don't think it was ever performed in the 19th century (if it was it would have been in Aarau, in the 19th century a provincial backwater) If it wasn't performed it couldn't really be part of any history.
Of course there is Raff who at least has a Swiss connection.
A more important omission in the book is Emilie Mayer, she really would have deserved to be mentioned.
Leaving out Austrian symphonists who wrote symphonies between 1830 and 1876 leaves out a few, though...
(Austrian composer Gottfried Preyer's first symphony in D minor, published 1839, does get a footnoted mention, as a subject of an anonymous (assumed by Fifield to be by Schumann) negative article in NZM (Fifield, p.6.))
While Emilie Mayer might have been worth a mention, so might many, many others. It's a question of where one stops, otherwise a book like this becomes more like a list. It may also have been my fault as I omitted to include Mayer when informing Chris about available recordings...
(Random fact side bar: the composer/critic Richard Storrs Willis, who wrote the tune for "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," studied with Schnyder von Wartensee.)
I received today my copy of Fifield's book and after having read 1 1/2 chapters I know that this is the book I was looking for for a long time. So thanks for bringing this book to my attention. I have just dug out my copy of Dahlhaus Music history of the 19th century which I never fully read and now I know why. There are way too many names missing in that book. And yes, it will require a lot of listening time to follow (as far as possible) all what Fifield wrote. In preparation of my vacation, I am currently loading many symphonies onto my ipod to take along with the book. ;D
Frankly, I doubt whether Dahlhaus knew as much as we know now. Knowledge of the repertoire has increased hugely in the post-Dahlhaus era (he died in 1989), so his thesis is fatally out of date. Fifield is the new standard - and, if programme or 'characteristic' symphonies were included and the range expanded to encompass composers in the wider Austro-German tradition, the picture would be even fuller.
I would just like to thank mr.Fifield for his books..I have owned the Bruch one for a couple years, and the "German symphonies" for a year or so, and they are invaluable to me.
Even if I cannot appreciate them in their totality (I don't read music, so I don't "get" the musical examples) they are so wonderfully written, and they have added immeasurably to my appreciation of the UCs.
Only side-effect is exponentially increased expenditure on cd's , sometimes rare or out-of-print, but that's ok.
I am most grateful for the positive responses which my book 'The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms' has elicited from members. My only regret is that the book is so expensive but I suspect the number of music examples is the reason, while the publishers probably target libraries rather than individual purchasers is another. My best wishes for a happy and healthy 2018 go out to you all.
Thanks. Your book is superb, a great and very informative read. Thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in the Unsung of the 19th century.