Course Introduction: German Orchestra Music

       The Great German Orchestral Tradition Composers

                Johann Sebastian Bach  (1685 - 1750)  German 

                        The greatest of the Baroque era composers, Bach's most famous orchestral 
                        works include the Brandenburg Concertos and four orchestral suites.


                Joseph Haydn  (1732 - 1809) - Austrian

                        Haydn is known as the "father of the symphony" for his advancement of 
                        Classical Era composing in his 106 symphonies.  His orchestral composing 
                        in other works such as his oratorio The Creation enhance this reputation. 


                Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  (1756 - 1791)  Austrian?

                        Mozart's genius for orchestra composing can be found in the symphonies, 
                        concertos, operas and more that he composed as an adult.    


                Ludwig van Beethoven  (1770 - 1827)  German

                        Beethoven broke new orchestral ground in each of his nine symphonies and 
                        his  concertos as he transitioned music from the Classical style towards 
                        Romanticism.


                Franz Schubert  (1797 - 1828)  Austrian

                        Beethoven's symphonic influence on Schubert can easily be heard in Schubert's 
                        early symphonies (particularly his "Tragic" Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D 417) 
                        and his departure from Beethoven can best be heard in his last (Symphony No. 9,  
                        D 944. 

                Hector Berlioz  (1803 - 1869)  French

                        Influenced by Beethoven and an influence on Franz Liszt, his influential 1830 
                        work Symphonie fantastique can be called the first fully romantic symphony.


                Felix Mendelssohn  (1809 - 1847)  German

                        A more conservative romantic than Berlioz or Liszt, his works were sometimes 
                        influenced by foreign lands (e.g. Italian Symphony, the Scottish Symphony).    


                Robert Schumann  (1810 - 1856)

                        Although more known for his piano compositions, Schumann's four symphonies are 
                         still in the modern repertoire.


                Franz Liszt  (1811 - 18??)  Hungarian (to Paris, to Germany, and more)

                        Like Schumann, Liszt is mostly remembered for his piano compositions.  Yet he 
                        was also a orchestral composer who invented the symphonic poem genre.  His 
                        works were the first of the New German School, music more flamboyant and 
                        often more tragic than that of more conservative romantics like Mendelssohn and 
                         Brahms.  Liszt's Dante Symphony and Faust Symphony contained themes of death 
                         and the diabolical that were a hallmark of Liszt's works.


                Richard Wagner  (1813 - 1883)  German

                          While Wagner wrote only a small number of orchestra-only works, the orchestration 
                           of his operas were revolutionary and highly influential.  Like his father-in-law 
                           Liszt, Wagner is considered a member of the New German School.


                Anton Bruckner  (1824 - 1896)  Austrian

                           The first composer in this course.



                Johannes Brahms  (1833 - 1897)  German

                            One of the greatest romantic composers and a master of many genres, Brahms' 
                             orchestral composing genius can be seen in his four symphonies, his concertos, 
                             and several other  works. 


                Gustav Mahler  (1860 - 1914)  Austro-Bohemian Jew

                           The second composer in this course.

                 Richard Strauss  (1864 - 1949)  German  

                           The third composer in this course.


    Great Orchestral Composer Contemporaries of Bruckner and Mahler:

                     Pyotr Tchaikovsky  (1840 - 1893)  Russian

                     Antonín Dvořák  (1841 - 1904)  Czech


    Great Orchestral Composer Contemporaries of Strauss

                     Jean Sibelius  (1865 - 1957)  Finnish

                     Carl Nielsen  (1865 - 1931)  Danish

                     Ralph Vaughan Williams  (1872 - 1958)  English

                     Igor Stravinsky  (1882 - 1971)  Russian / American

                     Sergei Prokofiev  (1891 - 1953)  Russian



        NOTE:  As the 20th century progresses, nationalism in music fades.  Little of what has 

                       been composed in the last half century can be called German, or French, or 

                       Russian music as contemporary composers draw on musical influences from

                       around the world.


                       Three important later 20th century German composers are Paul Hindemith 

                       (1895 – 1963), Hans Werner Henze (1926 – 2012), Karlheinz Stockhausen 

                       (1928–2007).  Only some of Henze's works (e.g. his Symphony No. 7) can  

                       be seen as indebted to the older German orchestra tradition.  


         The Great Symphonies by Composer