All Topics  
Rustic Wedding Symphony

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Rustic Wedding Symphony
 
 
  Topics Rustic Wedding Symphony Topic Home

Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26 (Ländliche Hochzeit) is a symphony in E flat major by Karl Goldmark
Karl Goldmark

Karl Goldmark, also known originally as K?roly Goldmark and later sometimes as Carl Goldmark; 18 May 1830 – 2 January 1915) was a Hungary composer....
, written in 1875, the year before his equally famous Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 28
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Goldmark)

The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op.28 by Karl Goldmark was composed in 1877. It consists of three movements:# Tempo#Italian tempo markings moderato...
. It makes no pretensions to be a great symphony, but it is always highly enjoyable and has been in the repertoire of the great orchestras and conductors since its inception.

It was first performed in Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 on 5 March 1876, conducted by Hans Richter
Hans Richter (conductor)

Hans Richter was an Austrian-Hungary conducting. Richter studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna with a particular interest in the horn , and developed his conducting career at several opera-houses in the Austro-Hungarian empire....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Rustic Wedding Symphony'
Start a new discussion about 'Rustic Wedding Symphony'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26 (Ländliche Hochzeit) is a symphony in E flat major by Karl Goldmark
Karl Goldmark

Karl Goldmark, also known originally as K?roly Goldmark and later sometimes as Carl Goldmark; 18 May 1830 – 2 January 1915) was a Hungary composer....
, written in 1875, the year before his equally famous Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 28
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Goldmark)

The Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op.28 by Karl Goldmark was composed in 1877. It consists of three movements:# Tempo#Italian tempo markings moderato...
. It makes no pretensions to be a great symphony, but it is always highly enjoyable and has been in the repertoire of the great orchestras and conductors since its inception.

It was first performed in Vienna
Vienna

Vienna is the Capital of Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million...
 on 5 March 1876, conducted by Hans Richter
Hans Richter (conductor)

Hans Richter was an Austrian-Hungary conducting. Richter studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna with a particular interest in the horn , and developed his conducting career at several opera-houses in the Austro-Hungarian empire....
. Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms , composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic music. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene....
, who was a frequent walking companion of Goldmark's, and whose own Symphony No. 1
Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)

The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854....
 was not premiered until November 1876, told him "That is the best thing you have done; clear-cut and faultless, it sprang into being a finished thing, like Minerva from the head of Jupiter". Its first American performance was at a New York Philharmonic Society concert, conducted by Theodore Thomas
Theodore Thomas

Theodore Thomas can refer to the following people:*Theodore Thomas , American violinist and conductor*Theodore Thomas , American politician, Chicago alderman...
 on 13 January 1877.

The work does not conform to the standard structure of a symphony, and it could just as well have been named a Suite. Its five movements rather than the usual four had precedents with Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical music era and Romantic music eras in classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time....
's Pastoral Symphony
Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F major , known as the Pastoral Symphony, was completed in 1808. One of Beethoven's few works of program music, the symphony was labeled at its first performance with the title "Recollections of Country Life"....
, Berlioz
Hector Berlioz

Louis Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic music composer and guitarist, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Requiem . Berlioz made great contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation and by utilizing huge orchestral forces for his works; as a conductor, he performed several c...
's Symphonie fantastique
Symphonie Fantastique

An Episode in the Life of the Artist Opus 14, usually referred to by its subtitle Symphonie fantastique is a symphony written by French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830....
 and Schumann
Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is one of the most famous Romantic music composers of the 19th century....
's Rhenish Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Schumann)

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major "Rhenish", opus 97 was written by Robert Schumann in late 1850. It was premiered on February 6, 1851 in D?sseldorf under the direction of the composer....
. It is full of Central European charm, joviality and good humour. While Goldmark did not provide any specific program for the work, he did give each of the movements titles suggestive of aspects of a wedding in the countryside.

The first movement is a Wedding March (Hochzeitsmarsch) followed by a set of 13 variations. While variations are commonly found in symphonies, it is most unusual for them to appear in the first movement. The variations offer constant changes of tempo, meter, rhythm, mood and harmony, and display his fine craftsmanship.
  • The theme of the March is reminiscent of Adeste Fideles
    Adeste Fideles

    "Adeste Fideles" is the name of a hymn tune written by John Francis Wade in 1743 and the first line of the Latin text for which the tune was written....
    , and is stated by cellos and basses in octaves.
  • Variation 1 is played in horns, clarinets and flutes
  • Variation 2, Poco animato, introduces the violins
  • Variation 3, full orchestra
  • Variation 4, Andante con moto, B flat minor, the theme played by the violins
  • Variation 5, Allegretto, basses, bassoons and horns
  • Variation 6, Allegro vivace, horns, bassoons, fultes and violins
  • Variation 7 involves part writing, again in a minor key
  • Variation 8, Allegro scherzando, strings, flutes, oboes and clarinets
  • Variation 9, minor key, basses, violins and flutes
  • Variation 10, Molto vivace, violins with other strings pizzicato
  • Variation 11, Andante con moto, violins, oboe and clarinet
  • Variation 12, Moderato, a new melody based on the original theme, oboe, bassoon, viola and two violins
  • Variation 13, after a brief fanfare, the original theme is played in the original tempo, but with the full orchestra, and then ends quietly.


The second movement is a Bridal Song (Brautlied). The third movement, Serenade, opens with a theme playes by two oboes, later developed by the strings. It includes an imitation of bagpipes, played on oboe, clarinet, bassoon and cellos.

The fourth movement, In the Garden (Im Garten), is slow and lyrical, its middle section moving to E flat minor. The finale, Dance, is the only movement of the work written in sonata form
Sonata form

Sonata form is a musical form that has been used widely since the early Classical music era. While it is typically used in the first Movement of multimovement pieces, it is sometimes employed in subsequent movements as well....
. It opens with a fugue. The Garden theme briefly reappears, before the Dance returns to end the movement rousingly.

The Rustic Wedding Symphony was a favourite of conductors such as Thomas Beecham
Thomas Beecham

Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour was a British people Conducting and impresario. From the early twentieth century until his death, Beecham was a major influence on the musical life of Britain and, according to Neville Cardus, was the first British conductor to have a regular international career....
 and Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein was a multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award for Original Music Score nominated American Conductor , composer, author, music lecturer and Piano....
. It has been recorded a number of times, by conductors such as Beecham, Bernstein, André Previn
André Previn

Andr? Previn Order of the British Empire is a German-born American Academy Award and Grammy Award winning pianist, conducting, and composer. He first came to prominence by arranging and composing Hollywood film scores in 1948....
, Maurice Abravanel
Maurice Abravanel

Maurice Abravanel , was aSwitzerland-United States of America Jewish conductor of classical music....
, Jesús López-Cobos
Jesús López-Cobos

Jes?s L?pez-Cobos is a Spanish Conducting.L?pez-Cobos was born in Toro, Zamora, Zamora , Castile-Leon, Spain. He studied at Complutense University of Madrid and graduated with a degree in philosophy....
, Yondani Butt
Yondani Butt

Yondani C. C. Butt is an orchestral conductor. He was born in Macao of Chinese parentage. He studied music at Indiana University and the University of Michigan....
 and Stephen Gunzenhauser.

Sources