The Classical SymphonyThe Main Course of the Musical Banquet
The Symphony
Prominent, prestigious musical genre
The centerpiece of a concert
Substantial
Lengthy—allowing it to be the major event of a concert
The Movements
I – Fast or moderate tempo, usually in sonata form
II – Relatively slow tempo and quiet mood
III – Minuet or another dance
IV – Fast, either sonata or rondo form
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 95 in C Minor(1791)
First MovementAllegro moderato
Sonata Form
Second Movement
The second movement may be in a variety of forms
“Variation” is the form in this symphony
Variation Form
A binary (two-part) theme is subjected to variations
Often, the repeats of the sections are in and of themselves variations
Variation Form
a ba b
a ba b
a b b
1’ 1 1
2 2 2’
1
In this example, the repeat of phrase a, in the first variation,is a modified version—hence the notation as a1’.
The same is true of the repeat of phrase b, in the second variation.
Second MovementAndante cantabile
Variation Form
Third MovementMenuetto
Minuet & Trio Form
Fourth MovementFinale–VivaceRondo Form
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