Havergal Brian's Symphony No. 1 in D minor (The Gothic) was composed between 1919 and 1927, and partly owes its notoriety to being the largest symphony ever composed (described thus by the Guinness Book of Records). Along with choral symphonies such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, or Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand, it is one of a few works attempting to use the musically gigantic to address the spiritual concerns of humanity. William (Havergal) Brian (January 29, 1876 – November 28, 1972), was a British composer. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... A symphony is an extended piece of music usually for orchestra and comprising several movements. ... Suresh Joachim, minutes away from breaking the ironing world record at 55 hours and 5 minutes, at Shoppers World, Brampton. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... The Symphony No. ... Gustav Mahler in 1909 Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and conductor. ... The Symphony No. ...

Structure

The work is in two parts, each consisting of three movements, with the extra orchestral and vocal forces required for the second part, which sets to music the words of the Latin religious hymn, the Te Deum. The three movements in Part One play for about forty minutes uninterrupted, and set the stage for the choir-dominated Part Two, which is over an hour in duration and contains a huge range of styles of music, daringly welded together in an attempt to solve the "finale problem" which Brian had set himself. It is written for an extremely large symphony orchestra, four additional brass orchestras, four vocal soloists, four adult choirs, and children's choir. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A hymn is a song specifically written as a song of praise, adoration or prayer, typically addressed to a god. ... Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. ... An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. ...

1. Allegro - attacca:
2. Lento espressivo e solenne - attacca:
3. Vivace - attacca:
4. Te Deum laudamus. Allegro moderato
5. Judex crederis esse venturus. Adagio solenne e religioso
6. Te ergo quaesumus. Moderato e molto sostenuto

In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... This article is about tempo in music. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... This article is about tempo in music. ...

Composition

The genesis of the work stems from many sources, but several may be mentioned briefly: a conversation Brian had with Henry Wood about writing a suite that would revive the older instruments which had fallen out of use in the modern symphony orchestra, such as the oboe d'amore or basset horn. This idea was repudiated by Brian's close friend Granville Bantock, but returned when Brian turned to writing symphonies after the end of the First World War. The Gothic element refers to the vision of the Gothic age (from about 1150 to 1500) as representing a huge expansion in humanity's artistic and intellectual development, but particularly manifest in the architecture of the great European cathedrals. The scale of the choral finale, which took many years to write, appears to be an attempt to evoke the enormity and detail of this architecture in sound; Brian had to paste blank pages of score together to be able to write the work on gigantic sheets with 54 staves to the page. Brian also seems to have identified with the character of Faust, particularly in attempting to write such affirmative music in the post-war atmosphere when many composers had turned from pre-war giganticism, and the finale bears an apposite quote from Goethe's Faust Part Two Act V, which translates as "The man who ever strives may earn redemption". Brian dedicated the work to Richard Strauss. Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 1869 - 19 August 1944) was a British orchestral conductor, the founder of the famous Promenade Concerts. ... Granville Bantock (August 7, 1868 - October 16, 1946) was a British composer of classical music. ... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... Faust (sometimes Latinized as Faustus) is the protagonist of a popular German tale of a pact with the Devil. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (?) (IPA: ) (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist, philosopher, and for ten years chief minister of state at Weimar. ... Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864 – September 8, 1949) was a German composer of the late Romantic era, particularly noted for his tone poems and operas. ...

The work was published in 1932 by the Leipzig-based Cranz & Co. (in an edition beset with printing errors), as "Symphony No. 2"—the number it bore until Brian renumbered his early symphonies in 1967, eliminating the long-defunct A Fantastic Symphony of 1907 and inserting the previously-unnumbered Sinfonia Tragica of 1948 as the new No. 6. A photographically-reduced study score of the Cranz edition was published by United Music Publishers in 1976, though with little effort to correct the copious errors, and still bearing the by-now incorrect No. 2.

Orchestration

The orchestral forces for this symphony are commonly thought to be the largest employed in the symphonic repertoire. The first part of the work uses an orchestra of about half the size of the full forces:

Woodwind: 2 piccolos, 6 flutes (1 doubling alto flute); 6 oboes (1 doubling oboe d'amore, 1 doubling bass oboe), 2 cor anglais; 1 clarinet in E flat; 5 clarinets in B flat (1 doubling 2nd clarinet in E flat), 2 basset horns, 2 bass clarinets in B flat, contrabass (pedal) clarinet in B flat; 3 bassoons, 2 contrabassoons. A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument in which sound is produced by blowing through a mouthpiece against an edge or by a vibrating reed, and in which the pitch is varied by opening or closing holes in the body of the instrument. ... A Yamaha piccolo. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... This article pertains to the musical instrument. ... Modern Oboe The oboe is a musical instrument of the woodwind double reed family. ... Baroque oboe damore, Denner copy The oboe damore is a woodwind instrument. ... The bass oboe or baritone oboe is a double reed instrument in the woodwind family. ... The Cor Anglais The cor anglais, or English horn, is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common Bb soprano clarinet. ... Basset-horn The basset-horn is a musical instrument, a member of the clarinet family. ... A typical Bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. ... A Fox Instruments bassoon. ... Drawing of a Contrabassoon The contrabassoon or double bassoon is a larger version of the bassoon sounding an octave lower. ...

Orchestral brass: 8 horns; 8 trumpets (2 doubling cornets in E flat), bass trumpet; 3 tenor trombones, bass trombone (doubling 2nd contrabass trombone), contrabass trombone; 2 euphoniums, 2 bass tubas. A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular resonator (mouthpiece). ... The horn is a brass instrument that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. ... Bb cornet The cornet is a brass instrument that closely resembles the trumpet. ... The bass trumpet, is a musical instrument which, as its name suggests, looks and sounds like a large trumpet. ... A lip-reed aerophone with a predominantly cylindrical bore, the trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... A modern 4-valved compensating euphonium The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. ... The tuba is the largest of the low-brass instruments and is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the ophicleide. ...

Percussion and keyboards: 2 sets of timpani; 2 bass drums; 2 (preferably 3) side drums; Indian long drum; 2 tambourines; 2 triangles; 6 pairs of large cymbals; gong; bird scare; thunder machine; small chains; xylophone; glockenspiel; chimes in E flat; tubular bells; celesta; 2 harps (preferably more ad lib.); organ. Percussion instruments are played by being struck, shaken, rubbed or scraped. ... A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played with a musical keyboard. ... Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... The snare drum or side drum is a tubular drum made of wood or metal with skins, or heads, stretched over the top and bottom openings. ... Kocek with tambourine 19th c. ... The triangle is an idiophonic musical instrument of the percussion family. ... It is also possible that you want to know about the Cymbalum instrument. ... Primitive drums are known as Tam Tams or slit drums. ... Xylophone in Bali 1937 The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family which probably originated in Indonesia (Nettl 1956, p. ... Glockenspiel The Glockenspiel (German, play of bells, also known as orchestra bells and, in its portable form, bell lyra or bell lyre) is a musical instrument in the percussion family. ... Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. ... Tubular Bells is a record album, written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield and orchestrated by David Bedford. ... The celesta is rarely seen outside the company of other percussion instruments, as it is depicted here. ... The harp is a chordophone which has its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ... The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is one of the oldest musical instruments in the western musical tradition, with a rich history connected with the Christian religion and civic ceremony. ...

Strings: 20 first violins, 20 second violins, 16 violas, 14 cellos, 12 double basses. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... The pitches of open strings on a violin The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which... The viola (in French, alto; in German Bratsche) is a stringed musical instrument which serves as the middle voice of the violin family, between the upper lines played by the lighter violin (soprano register) and the lower lines played by the heavier cello (bass) and double bass. ... A cello The violoncello, or as it is more commonly to refered to as the cello or cello (pronounced Cheh-loh), is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ...

In addition, the 5th and 6th movements include 4 off-stage bands (supporting the 4 adult choirs), each comprising: 2 horns; 2 trumpets; 2 tenor trombones; 2 bass tubas; 1 set of timpani. A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ...

In practice, some small reductions can be made without discernible loss (e.g. cutting two of the orchestral trumpets and the doubling to 2nd contrabass trombone).

The music of the symphony

The work begins with a brilliant flourish given by the full orchestra (which in Part One number approximately one hundred players). The first movement appears to feature two extremely contrasted ideas in the style of sonata form, one a vigorous leaping figure in D minor, the other a suave melody first stated on solo violin in the remote key of D flat major, though the working out of the music involves a process of ongoing development within the exposition, and avoids the expected re-capitulation by reversing the order of musical events, with the return of the first idea effectively starting the coda. The second movement begins with a stately and solemn march, almost as for a funeral cortege, which builds to a grim and powerful conclusion. The third movement starts with an ostinato in the style of Bruckner that gives way to a recurring idea based on the opening leaping figure of the first movement, initially stated on French horns. After various developments culminating in a bizarre polytonal passage with a virtuoso xylophone cadenza, the theme is transformed into a climactic march which eventually throws the movement into the home key of D minor, and subsides quietly with the original statement of the music for horns followed by a harp arpeggio and a final chord of D major. Sonata form refers to both the standard layout of an entire musical composition and more specifically to the standardized form of the first movement. ... D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B-flat, C-sharp, and D (harmonic minor scale). ... Ostinato, an Italian word meaning stubborn (compare English obstinate), is to classical music what riffs are to popular music. ... Anton Bruckner Anton Bruckner (4 September 1824–11 October 1896) was an Austrian composer of the Romantic era. ...

At this point the choirs and soloists strike in unaccompanied with the opening stanza of the Te Deum, followed immediately by a fanfare for the enlarged orchestra for Part Two (which is supposed to be about 150‐strong, besides the extra 40 or so players comprising the four extra brass orchestras). The eclecticism of Brian’s music here borrows references as diverse as mediaeval fauxbordon, Renaissance multiple polyphony on the scale of Tallis’s Spem in alium all the way through to twentieth‐century tone clusters, polytonality and the use of percussion and brass in a Varèse‐like outburst of extreme dissonance. The text is treated episodically with sections for full orchestra and choir frequently alternating with unaccompanied passages for the choir alone. The fourth movement moves away from tonalities centered around D and establishes E as a new tonal centre, which is strenuously challenged in the following movements. The start of the fifth movement involves only the choirs in a fearsomely chromatic un-accompanied polyphonic passage, after which the soprano soloist gently sings a wordless vocalise "like an indefinite intonation". A fanfare for eight trumpets and a lengthy orchestral passage then introduces each of the four separate brass orchestras paired with one of the four corresponding choirs. A second orchestral development then culminates in a huge climax for the full forces. Thereafter the sixth and final movement continues with even more contrasted and episodic treatment of the text as the music seems to struggle to reach a conclusion. At the final words "non confundar in aeternum" the music violently flares up with two dissonant outbursts answered by the choirs, followed by a despairing orchestral coda, but the work is finally clinched with a murmuring from the choir, which finally confirms the tonality of E major. Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony). ... Thomas Tallis Thomas Tallis (c 1505–23 November 1585) was an English composer. ... Edgar (or Edgard) Var se (December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965) was a French-born composer, who moved to the United States in 1915, and took American citizenship in 1926. ... In music theory, the major scale is one of the diatonic scales. ...

Performances and reception

Attempts to perform the symphony have frequently met with failure, beginning with the efforts of Hamilton Harty and Eugene Goossens in the depression-affected 1930s and enduring to the current day, usually owing to the extreme logistics of the work. The work was eventually premiéred in 1961, and has been followed by a mere handful of performances, often by partly or wholly amateur forces; the 1978 performance for example was an ad hoc amateur orchestra specially assembled for the occasion, in Brian's home county of Staffordshire. The first professional performance in 1966 was enthusiastically received by the audience in the Royal Albert Hall when the composer himself was in attendance to take a bow at the work's conclusion; this performance was also broadcast live by the BBC. Sir (Herbert) Hamilton Harty, conductor, composer and accompanist, was born December 4, 1879 in Hillsborough (Ireland). ... Eugène Goossens has been the name of three notable musicians: Eugène Goossens (February 25, 1845, Bruges, Belgium - 30 December 1906, Liverpool, England) was a conductor. ...

24 June 1961, Central Hall, Westminster, Polyphonia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bryan Fairfax 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

30 October 1966, Royal Albert Hall, London, BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... Sir Adrian Cedric Boult (April 8, 1889 - February 22, 1983) was an English conductor. ...

10 October 1976 [Part I only], Royal Albert Hall, London, New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Groves 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

(The three orchestral movements of the symphony comprising Part One may be played separately without the choral finale. In 1928 Brian submitted this shorter form of the work in the Schubert Centenary Composition competition, where it was awarded second place in the English division.) 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK...

21 May 1978, Victoria Hall, Hanley, Staffordshire, the Stoke Gothic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Trevor Stokes 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

25 May 1980, Royal Albert Hall, London, London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ole Schmidt 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

15 September 1984 [Part I only], St Olave's School, Kent, ad hoc orchestra conducted by Marc Fitzgerald 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1989 the Marco Polo recording company commissioned the first commercial recording of the symphony, which was recorded in two blocks of sessions from 29-31 March (Part One) and 16-22 October (Part Two) at the Concert Hall of Slovak Radio (Bratislava). This involved two orchestras, the CSR Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava) and the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ondrej Lenárd. The recording was mainly well-received by critics, and achieved the greatest sales of any recording released under the Marco Polo label. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As the symphony is an extremely difficult work to assess in only a single hearing, critical comment following the performances has often been barbed, or made sometimes trivial comparisons with the works of other composers to try to assimilate its features.

Currently there is a plan to bring the magnificent masterpiece live outside UK, at The 58th Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival in Brisbane, Australia. This has not only attracted participation of all university choirs around the country, but also choirs from outside Australia, which have expressed their interest to just fly in for the joint performance.

External links

The Havergal Brian Society have a number of essays and further detail on the symphony.