Cesar Franck: Symphony in D minor
Cesar Franck: Symphony in D minor was completed in 1888. It is written in French rondo form[1] and is the only symphony by Belgian composer Cesar Franck.
Despite its controversial history, or perhaps because, it is an excellent piece for young students and conductors to learn to perform together with other musicians at a professional level in a large late Romantic era orchestra. Franck himself was a music teacher, and didn't try his hand at composition until he was well into his 50s.
For those familiar with the symphonies of Brahms, this symphony should have particular appeal.
Contents
I. Lento; Allegro ma non troppo
The first movement follows traditional sonata allegro form.
The introductory theme is derived from the mysterious 'Muss es sein?' (Must it be?) fragment from Beethoven's final String Quartet op. 135. Beethoven was one of the first to abandon traditional Italian markings in his work, which played a large part in the birth of a new genre, program music. The late string quartet of Beethoven has the words, 'Must it be?' in the margin, which composers, performers, critics, and students have speculated for over 200 years what it's meaning is,[2] in relation to the music.[3]
The lengthy introduction leads into what critics have come to call the "faith" motif, built on the same three-note 'Must it be' motif of the intro. Exposition and development follow with a particularly powerful coda with rumbling bass common to d-minor.
II. Allegretto
The Alegretto famously features an English horn which itself is unusual.
III. Finale: Allegro non troppo
This movement contains possibly the most spectacular inversion in symphonic writing, rivaling the 4th movement of Mozart's G minor No.40 or the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 5th. The movement's rondo structure is somewhat lengthy and repetitive, yet all the pieces fit in a magnificent expository finale. Low brass and tuba scale the octave, blowing their eyeballs out of their head.
