Third Movements in Symphonies (1750-1900)

Flashcards about the changing role of third movements in symphonies from 1750-1900.

What form did early symphonies usually follow, and how many movements did they have?

They followed the Baroque concerto form, with three movements: fast in tonic, slower in subdominant, and fast in tonic.

Who pioneered the four-movement symphony, and what did this structure include?

Stamitz pioneered it. It added a minuet and trio to the fast outer movements and slow 2nd movement, becoming the Classical standard.

Describe the typical structure of a minuet and trio movement.

The minuet is in binary or rounded binary form, with the A section starting in the tonic major and modulating to the dominant. The trio follows, with reduced texture/instrumentation, and then the da capo minuet returns, creating a ternary structure.

How did Haydn's Symphony no. 26 'Lamentatione' differ from the typical three-movement form?

It used the older three-movement form, but the final movement was a Minuet and Trio rather than an Allegro finale.

How did Haydn's Symphony no. 44 'Trauer-Symphonie' disrupt the typical order of movements?

It reversed the usual order with a 2nd movement minuet and a 3rd movement Adagio.

How did Mozart's Symphony no. 38 'Prague' deviate from the typical Classical symphony structure?

It had only three movements with no minuet and trio, following the convention of the Italian overture.

Describe how Mozart disrupted the expectations of the minuet in his Symphony no. 40 in Gm.

He created a stormy, fast minuet in which the sense of metre and graceful elegance is disrupted by frequent syncopation and hemiolas.

What is a scherzo, and how did Beethoven use it in place of the minuet and trio?

A scherzo is a livelier and more energetic form than the minuet, retaining the ternary structure. Beethoven used it in place of the minuet and trio, often in triple time but feeling like one-in-a-bar due to the fast tempo.

How did Beethoven's Symphony no. 5 use cyclic form in the 3rd movement?

The scherzo ends with the rhythm of the opening ‘fate’ motif from the 1st movement, demonstrating cyclic form.

In Beethoven's programmatic 6th symphony, Pastoral, how did he change structural conventions in the 3rd movement Scherzo?

Beethoven changes structural conventions as the trio is repeated three times, followed by a shortened Scherzo. The coda is abruptly cut-off, representing storm clouds gathering.

How did Mendelssohn's 4th symphony's 3rd movement reflect nationalist sentiments?

The minuet and trio had running quavers derived from the Ländler, and the trio evoked German forests and hunting, expressing Mendelssohn's love for his native Germany.

How does Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique relate to the 3rd movement symphony structure?

The 2nd movement waltz is the equivalent of the 3rd movement minuet, and the 3rd movement is the central, longest movement representing a pivotal part of the story.

How did Liszt expand the scherzo form in his Faust Symphony?

The last movement, Mephistopheles, is an expanded scherzo with an additional development section and a coda, distorting themes from the first two movements.

How did Liszt use the symphonic poem to condense a four-movement symphony into a single movement?

In Les Preludes, he developed a simple motif through changes of tempo, time signature, and key, representing a life's experiences in a continuous form.

How did Brahms modify the traditional minuet in the 3rd movement of his Symphony no. 1?

He replaced the scherzo with a gentler Allegretto grazioso, and the opening clarinet theme consisted of two 5-bar phrases, showing his economical approach to melody writing.

What structural change did Tchaikovsky make in his Symphony no. 6 'Pathetique'?

He reversed the middle movements, placing the Scherzo as the 3rd movement and the Adagio as the 4th, leading some conductors to reverse their order in performance.

How did Dvorak incorporate folk music into the 3rd movement of his Symphony no. 9 'New World'?

He drew on the folk music of his homeland and Native American dance, using the Czech furiant and folk dance, creating drama with fast tempo, syncopation, and cross-rhythms.

How did Mahler use borrowed melodies in the 3rd movement Scherzo of his Symphony no. 2 'Resurrection'?

He derived the Scherzo from his own setting of 'Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt' from Das Knaben Wunderhorn, satirizing the story of St Anthony preaching to fish.