Feb 232010
How were the symphonies as of Beethoven’s meant to be performed to the audience? Were they accompanied by dramas or dance etc ? and the performers would give a break between the different movements ?
How were the symphonies as of Beethoven’s meant to be performed to the audience? Were they accompanied by dramas or dance etc ? and the performers would give a break between the different movements ?
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First of all ’symphony’ just means ‘concord of sound’ so there will always be devations to what I describe below, but the symphony is a style emerging from the early 18th century and perfected by Haydn and Mozart around 1755. The Classical symphony has 4 movements, the first in sonata-allegro form. It features a full orchestra without a primary soloist, though there are often short or extended solos within the context of the work. The three main composers of the Classical symphony are Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
In general, symphonies aren’t accompanied by dramas or dance. The symphony was a form of social entertainment and were meant to be performed to a large audience. And though applause was generally accepted between movements in Beethoven’s time (18th and early 19th century) there were no significant breaks between movements for the performers, even though symphonies could last quite a long time!
The movements in a symphony are a more in depth issue. They are generally 4 movements long. They usually are connected by a common key signature, and later ones sometimes have connecting motifs (such as the dah dah dah dahhhh in Beethoven’s fifth -.-)
The symphony is something much too complicated to be expressed in depth here, I’m reading a 700 page book about it by Charles Rosen right now. But in the Classical (about 18th century) period, the symphonies of importance are all by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and I’d suggest listening to a couple on youtube or itunes to get a sense of the form ^.^
For a concise definition I’ve gave you the Oxford Dictionary link below..
As Alberich states you’ll have much more rewarding results researching this informative subject yourself using google search and the like.
Very simple answer,
As the word is now generally used and understood:
Symphony means a large scale orchestral composition, usually in 4 movmentsts. but often in 1,2, 3 or 5.
There are no accompanying intermission dances, dramas or breaks or the like.
Check out the link below and search for some more.
I would recommend that you research this question on Wikipedia or Google, or some encyclopedic source, for an authoritative explanation.
You will probably receive a few of value here, but the above would be more legitimate.
Alberich
Beethoven’s symphonies are non programmatic. They were not accompanied by other artistic contributions. They are presented in their entirety with small pauses between movements (usually).