Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

.
—
is one of the very first German examples of its
kind possessing any high artistic excellences of
treatment, expression, and orchestration. It
contains a plentiful supply of Spohr's characteristic
faults, and is for the most part superficial,
and deficient in warmth of feeling and nobility of
thought ; but it has also a fair share of his good
traits—delicacy and clearness of orchestration,
and a certain amount of poetical sentiment. Its
success was considerable, and this, rather than
any abstract theorising upon the tendencies of
modern music, led him to several further experiments
in the same line. The symphoiiy (in C
minor) which followed the Weihe der Tone ' ' w|s
on the old lines, and does not require much
notice. It contains experiments in unifying the
work by unusual references to subjects, as in the
first movement, where conspicuous reference is
made in the middle part of the Allegro to the
characteristic feature of the slow introduction ;
and in the last, where the same subject is somewhat
transformed, and reappears in a diiferent
time as a prominent feature of the second section.
In the next symphony, and in the 7th and 9th,
Spolir again tried experiments in programme.
Two of these are such curiosities as to deserve
description. The 6th, op. 116, in G is called
'
Historische Symphonie,' and the four movements
are supposed to be illustrations of four
distinct musical periods. The first is called the
Period of Handel and Bach, and dated 1720 ;
the second, the Period of Haydn and Mozart,
and dated 1780 (i.e. before any of the greatest
instrumental works of either Haydn or Mozart
were produced) ; the third is the Period of
Beethoven, and dated 1810 ; and the fourth,
Allerneueste Periode,' and dated 1840. This
'
last title seems to imply that Spohr regarded
himself as belonging to a different generation
from Beethoven. The first period is represented
by an introductory Largo in contrapuntal style,
and an Allegro movement, part after the manner
of the old Canzonas, and part a Pastorale, introduced
for contrast. The style has scarcely the
least affinity to Bach, but the Handelian character
is extremely easy to imitate, and hence m
some respects it justifies its title, fairly well.
The slow movement which follows has good
qualities and graceful points. It has more the
flavour of Mozart than Haydn, and this is enhanced
by the Mozartian turns and figures which
are introduced. One which is very conspicuous
is the short figure—
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which is found in several places m Mozart s
works. The second subject, moreover, is only
an ingenious alteration of the second subject m
the slow movement of Mozarf s Prague Symphony
in D
:
SYMPHONY 783
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Nevertheless, the whole effect of the movement
is not what its title implies. The scoring
is fuller, and the inner parts richer and freer in
their motion than in the prototypes, and the
harmonisation is more chromatic, after Spohr's
manner. The Scherzo professes to be in Beethoven's
style, and some of his characteristic
devices of harmony and rhythm and treatment
of instruments are fairly well imitated (e.g.
the drums in G, D, and Eb), though in
a manner which shows they were but half
understood.
The last movement, representing the then
'latest period,' has of course no names appended.
Spohr probably did not intend to
imitate any one, but was satisfied to write in
his own manner, of which the movement is not
a highly satisfactory example. It is perhaps
rather to the composer's credit that his own
characteristics should peep out at all corners
in all the movements, but the result can hardly
be called an artistic success. However, the
experiment deserves to be recorded and described,
as unique among works by composers
of such standing and ability as Spohr ;
and the
more so as it is not likely to be often heard in
future. His next Symphony (No. 7, in major,
op. 121) is in many respecte as gi-eat a curiosity
of a totally different description. It is called
'
Irdisches und Gottliohes in Menschenleben,'
and is a double symphony in three movements
for two orchestras. The first movement is called
'
Kinderwelt, ' the second ' Zeit der Leidenschaften,'
and the last (Presto) Endlicher Sieg
'
des Gottlichen.' In the first two the second
orchestra, which is the fuller of the two, is
little more than an accompaniment to the first.
In the last it has a good deal of work to do,
uttering chiefly vehement and hustling passages
in contrast with quiet and sober passages by
the first orchestra ; until near the end, when it
appears to be subdued into consonance with the
first orchestra. The idea seems to be to dejjict
the divine and the worldly qualities more or
less by the two orchestras ;
the divine being
given to the smaller orchestra of solo instruments,
and the worldly to the fuller orchestra.
The treatment of the instrumental forces is
on the whole very simple ; and no very
extraordinary effects seem to be aimed at.
Spohr wrote yet another programme symphony
after this (No. 9, in B, op. 143) called
'
Die Jahreszeiten, ' in which Winter and
Spring are joined to make Part I., and
Summer and Autumn to make Part II.