/28 ( /',* ' REPRESENTATIVE NINETEENTH-CENTURY CHORAL SYMPHONIES THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the North Texas State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC By Metche F. Alexander, B. M. Denton, Texas December, 1971 Alexander, Metche F., Epresentative Nineteenth- Centur Choral SmpLhonies. Master of Music (Musicology), December, 1971, 212 pp., 140 figures, bibliography, 42 titles. This study is concerned with the examination of choral symphonies by major nineteenth-century composers. Its purpose is to delineate the common characteristics which these works have. Emphasis is given to the investi- gation of the choral elements in the symphonies. Detailed musicological studies of nineteenth-century music are minimal; there has. been a particular lack of interest in nineteenth-century works for chorus. Therefore, the principal sources of data for this study were the full scores of the following nine'symphonies: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet and the Funeral and Triu mphal Symphony, Mendelssohn's Lob esanj, Liszt's Faust Symphony and Dante Syrmphony, and Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2., 3, and 8. Other important sources included major biographies of the composers of the symphonies listed. A chapter is devoted to each of these composers, sub- divided as follows: a general survey of the composer's other works for chorus and/or orchestra; the historical facts connected with the composition and first performance of the individual symphonies; analysis; and conclusions. 2 A surprising number of common features were found in the nine symphonies. Most consistent and important was the selection of summa texts for the works. Some composers turned to the great literary figures of antiquity and history, from David the psalmist to Shakespeare, to express their musical ideas. Others set texts of modern German masters. Most of the texts were altered by the composer in some way in order to fit his musical conception. Except for the Mendelssohn Lobgesang, all the works call for instrumentation larger than the standard orchestra of the period. In addition, many of the composers specified an unusually large chorus. Mahler's Symphory No. 8 is written for the largest body of performers; there is a definite tendency to increase the size of the performing group as the century progresses. Association of the trombone with the choral body was also noted. Each of the symphonies included in the study had a festival premiere, sometimes in connection with some state or historical occasion. Except in the case of the two Liszt works and Mahler's Symphony No.. 2, the works were received with the greatest acclamation. There is close thematic connection between instrumental and choral portions in all of the symphonies except Liszt's Dante Syjmpony. As a rule, important themes are generated by the instrumental body and later taken up. by the chorus. Most writers on nineteenth-century'music minimize the 3 importance of fugal writing. However, this study revealed that each of the symphonies in question had some portion which was fugal or quasi-fugal. It is possible that the composers chose the learned fugal texture to emphasize the summa texts. Most of the symphonies covered in this study utilized the chorus in the finale only, following the model of Beethoven's Symphy No. 9. However, Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet and Mahler's Symphoy No. 8 use the chorus much more extensively; Mahler's Symphony No. 3 has a choral fifth movement and an instrumental finale. The symphonies embrace a wide diversity of styles in choral writing, ranging from simple unison treatment in the Faust Symphony to extreme contrapuntal complexity-in Beethoven and Mahler. The norm for the mixed choruses is four parts, although Berlioz prefers three or five. Frequent use is made of either bass or treble choruses alone. It is recommended that the importance of the chorus in the nineteenth century be reassessed. Almost every major composer of the era contributed choral works; a scholarly examination of the corpus of this literature should be the basis for such reassessment. In particular, large secular orchestral-choral works should be further studied. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . vi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . II. BEETHOVEN....-................ 6 The Symphony No. 9 in D Minor ("Choral") Composition and First Performance Analysis Comparison with the "Fantasy in C," Op. 80 Beethoven ' s Contribution III. BERLIOZ..........-.-........... 35 The Dramatic Symphony, Romeo et Juliette Composition and First Performance Analysis The Grande Symphonie Funebre et Triomphale Composition and First Performance Analysis Berlioz' Contribution IV. MENDELSSOHN . 79 The Symphony No. 2 in Bb ("Lobgesang"), Op. 52 Composition and First Performance Analysis Mendelssohn's Contribution V. LISZT.....-....-.-.-.-........... 104 Eine Faust-Symphonie Composition and First Performance Analysis iii Page Eine Symrphonie zu Dantes Divina Commedia Composition and First Performance Analysis Liszt's Contribution VI. MAHLER . 147 The Symphony No. 2 Composition and First Performance Analysis The Symphony No. 3 Composition and First Performance Analysis The Symphony No.. 8 Composition and First Performance Analysis Mahler 's Contribution VII. CONCLUSIONS . 196 Similarities Summa texts Large Instrumentation Festival First Performances Close Thematic Relationship between Instrumental and Vocal Portions Traditional Association of the Trombone with the Voice Consistent Use of Fugal and Quasi- fugal Texture Other Interrelationships Finale Treatment of the Chorus Choral Writing in the Symphonies Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet Berlioz: Funeral and Triumphal Symphony Mendelssohn: Lobgesang Liszt: Faust Symphony Liszt: Dante Symphony Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 Mahler: Symphony No. 8 iv Page BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................. .. 209 V LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony , fourth movement, measures 32 through 37. 15 2. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 48 through 55 . .. 16 3. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 63 through 65 . 16 4. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 92 through 115 . 16 5. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 296 and 297... 18 6. Beethoven, Ninth 2ymphLn, fourth movement, measures 302 and 303 . 18 7. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 477 through 480 . 19 8. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 529 through 536... 20 9. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 584 through 588 . 21 10. James Clifford, "The Imperial Tune." (1664) . 21 11. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, finale . 23 12. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measure 746 . 24 13. Beethoven, Ninth Symphony, fourth movement, measures 831 and 832...................0.. 25 vi Figure Page 14. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 35 through 46 . 27 15. Beethoven, "Fanta sy in C," finale, measures 1 through 4 . 27 16. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 159 and 160 . 28 17. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 386 through 390 . 28 18. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 420 through 423 . 29 19. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 450 through 453.. 29 20. Beethoven, "Fantasy in C," finale, measures 485 through 493 . 30 21. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 1 through 5 . 48 22. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 232 through 235 . 50 23. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 255 through 258; . 50 24. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 273 through 275 . 51 25. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 291lthrough 294 . 51 26. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, prologue, measures 500 and 501 . 53 27. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Alone, measures 82 through 86 . 54 vii Figure Page 28. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Love Scene, measures 51 through 54 . 56 29. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Love Scene, measures 72 and 73 . ...i.t.s.F.n.r.l. 56 30. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 1 through 5 . 57 31. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 8 and 9 . 58 32. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's Funeral, measures 65 and 66 . 58 33. Berlioz, Romeo and Juliet, finale, measures 373 through 377 - .-. .. 63 . movem.... 34. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 4 through 7 . - 70 35. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 95 through 98 . 70 36. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, first movement, measures 126 and 127 . 71 37. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, second movement, measures 58 through 65 . 72 ovem.... 38. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, second movement, measures 134 through 139 . 72 . 39. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 18 through 25 . 73 40. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 26 through 29 . ..73 41. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measure 107 . ... .. 74 viii Figure Page 42. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 192 through 195.-..... .. 75 43. Berlioz, Funeral Symphony, third movement, measures 206 through 209 . 75 44. Mendelssohn, Lobgesancg, first movement, measures 1 and 2 .-.......-.--..--.. .87 45. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 1 and 16...... 88 46. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 23 and 24.............. 889 47. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang, first movement, measures 83 through 90 .-.......... 889 48. Mendelssohn, Lobgesanq, first movement, measures 106 through 108 . 90 49. Mendelssohn, Lobgesang,