Chamber Symphony (Schreker)
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The Chamber Symphony is an instrumental work by Austrian composer Franz Schreker.
Composition history
[edit]The work was composed in 1916 for the centenary of the Vienna Music Academy where Schreker had been teaching since 1912.[1] The musical material is partly derived from an abandoned opera project entitled Die tönenden Sphären for which Schreker wrote the libretto and part of the music in 1915.[2]
The work compresses the four movements of a traditional symphony into a single larger one, after the example of Arnold Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1.[1]
The work lasts approximately 25 minutes in performance.
Performance history
[edit]The work was first performed on 12 March 1917 by an orchestra consisting of professors from the Vienna Academy, conducted by the composer.[1] The work was also performed at the composer's memorial concert in Vienna in March 1935.[2] It is one of Schreker’s most frequently performed compositions.
Instrumentation
[edit]Although often described as a work for 23 solo instruments, the orchestral requirements actually stipulate a minimum of twenty-four players: flute, oboe, clarinet in B flat/A, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, timpani, percussion (xylophone, glockenspiel, cymbals, triangle, tam-tam), harp, piano, celesta, harmonium, and a small string section consisting of four violins, two violas, three cellos and two double basses.[3] In the preface to the score, the composer recommends augmenting the strings for performances in larger halls.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Gösta Neuwirth: introduction to published score (UE Philharmonia No.495)
- ^ a b Christopher Hailey: 'Franz Schreker: A cultural biography' (Cambridge University Press, 1993)
- ^ https://www.universaledition.com/franz-schreker-659/works/kammersymphonie-3035. Retrieved November 2021.
- ^ UE Philharmonia No.495
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