A History of the Symphony: The Grand Genre identifies the underlying cultural factors that have shaped the symphony over the past three hundred years presenting a unified view of the entire history of the genre. The text goes beyond discussions of individual composers and the stylistic evolution of the genre to address what constitutes a symphony within each historical period describing how such works fit into the lives of composers and audiences of the time recognizing that they do not exist in a vacuum but rather as the products of numerous external forces spurring their creation. In three parts the text proceeds chronologically drawing connections between musical examples across regions and eras: The Classical Symphony The Romantic Symphony The Symphony in the Modern Era Within this broad chronology-from the earliest Italian symphonies of the 18th century to the most experimental works of the 20th century-discussion of the development of the genre often breaks down along national lines that outline divergent but parallel paths of stylistic growth. In consideration of what is and is not a symphony musical developments in other genres are presented as they relate to the symphony genres such as the serenade the tone poem and the concert overture. Suitable for a one-semester course as well as a full-year syllabus and with illustrative musical examples throughout A History of the Symphony places composers and works in sociological and musical contexts while confronting the fundamental question: What is a symphony? |A History of the Symphony The Grand Genre | Music
