Brahms- Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, op. 68 Part I
Johannes Brahms was haunted by the words of his former friend and mentor Robert Schumann, who dubbed him the successor to Beethoven, and as a result he did not finish his First Symphony for more than 20 years before it was premiered on November 4, 1876 in Karlsruhe. Indeed the first sketches of the symphony were in D Minor, ultimately discarded as a purely symphonic work but transforming into the framework of the dark and powerful Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 15.
Like Beethoven’s fifth and ninth symphonies, Brahms’ first begins in C Minor and transforms into C Major by the end of the symphony. Brahms seems to have inherited the Beethovenian ability to transform the most simple motives into the grandest themes. From the grim, almost oppressive introduction to the crashing finale, Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor is not only the best “First” symphony, but can be considered one of the greatest in the literature.
- Un poco sostenuto- Allegro
- Andante sostenuto
- Un poco allegretto e grazioso
- Adagio- Piu andante- Allegro non troppo
I. Un poco sostenuto- Allegro
The symphony begins with a dark, brooding introduction characterized by the deep, steady pounding in the timpani, a chromatically ascending string line and a simultaneously falling wind line. This is followed by a hesitant flute solo over pizzicato strings (Ia, 0:42) which is soon supported by the strings and winds before repeating the phrase. A descending wind/string scale steadily grows back into the dark introductory theme (1:57), this time over a timpani roll. The music again softens for a solo, this time in the oboe over quiet horns (2:17). A dialogue ensues between the flute, oboe, and strings, before a loud orchestral chord augmented by a timpani hit ends the introduction and brings us to theme one (Ib, 0:00).
Theme one is introduced with a descending horn underneath a rising wind motive. The violins begin the purposeful, broad melody against an aggressively playing bass line. A giant series of chords alternate (Ib, 0:20) between the strings and orchestra before the theme is repeated in the winds. After a dotted descending rhythm (1:02), a forceful three-note motive rises steadily before the melody is brought back tumbling by the violins (1:16). Dotted motives continue to bounce back and forth between the strings and winds. Pizzicato strings at 1:27 begin the end of phrase which is finished by the winds. A lazy trill in the bass cushions a descending fifth in the horns and winds, before theme one motives rise in the cello and are finished by the violins. The oboe plays theme one along with the winds and horns before the clarinet and horn dialogue at 2:28.
This calm section proves to be an oasis in the middle of the storm, for it is interrupted at 2:44 by forceful 3-note descents alternating between the violins, violas, and cellos- a motive that we soon realize is the central motive of theme two beginning at 2:49. The three-note descent immediately rises, which is played initially by the violins which sequence the triplet descents upwards. Roles are then switched (2:59) as the low strings and low winds play theme two with the violins accompanying. The forte, two-note descending third cadence motive is heard at 3:18, bringing the exposition to its end.
The development begins quite suddenly at 3:22 with a sustain in the winds and theme one in the strings. The music quiets as ascending minor thirds are heard throughout the orchestral sections over restrained string tremolos. Distant thunder in the form of soft timpani can be heard at 3:54 and 3:59, sounding the warning that the storm is returning. At 4:09, theme two returns in the cellos and violas which are soon joined by the violins. The strings then crescendo into theme two in all its glory before, unexpectedly, an entirely new theme appears (theme three, 4:18)- a lyric, hopeful, descending figure in the strings. Theme two does not like this at all and immediately tries to squash this competitor for the stage but is unsuccessful as theme three returns at 4:28 in the winds and strings. Theme two makes another effort, interrupting theme three in the french horns at 4:50. Reinforced by the timpani, theme one and theme two motives gradually decrescendo. A low note in the contrabassoon at 5:35 starts another massive buildup with theme one motives in the strings and theme two motives in the winds. The wave peaks at 6:12 with theme two motives being played in almost every section of the orchestra, until a rapid string descent beginning at 6:17 and an ominously rising horn build up to two tutti chords. A fortissimo downbeat (6:30) begins not the recapitulation, but a short continuation of the development featuring a rising string line and theme two motives in the winds, brass, and low strings. An angry timpani roll (6:39) finally signals the end of the development.
The recapitulation (6:40) is fairly standard in that it restates theme one and theme two (8:40) as first introduced in the exposition. A series of descending thirds swing wildly around the orchestra, interrupted by blaring horn calls. The thirds then speed up and crescendo (9:28) as the music becomes more of a rhythm than a melody. After an exclamatory final third in the strings and bassoons, pizzicato thirds are heard briefly before a mournful string section begins to decrescendo with lyric but still uncomfortable rising and falling lines (9:38). The storm seems to have lost its steam as the music drifts slowly downwards, resolving into theme two’s steady, four-note motive in the horns and timpani accompanied by rising 3-note motives in the orchestra. Just as the movement is ending, an incredible modulation to C Major occurs anticipating the return to major in the fourth movement and ending the symphony on a warm chord.
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If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Wolfgang Sawwalish’s 2007 recording with the London Philharmonic on EMI. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below (download only). Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage.
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