Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

796 SYMPHONY
perfection as the other elements of art ; and
certainly the composer does not aim at subtle
combinations of tone and captivating effects of
a sensual kind so much as many other great
composers of modern times ; and if too much
attention is concentrated upon the special element
of his orchestration it may doubtless seem at
times rough and coarse. But this element must
only be considered in its relation to all the
others, since the composer may reasonably dispense
with some orchestral fascinations in order
to get broad masses of harmony and strong
outlines ; and if he seeks to express his nmsioal
ideas by means of sound, rather than to disguise
the absence of them by seductive misuse of it,
the world is a gainer. In the putting forward
and management of actual subjects, he is guided
by what appears to be inherentfitness to the occasion.
In the first movement of the Symphony
in C minor, attention is mainly concentrated
upon one strong subject figure, which appears
in both the principal sections and acts as a
centre upon which the rest of the musical
materials are grouped ; and the result is to unify
the impression of the whole movement, and to
give it a special sentiment in an unusual degree.
In the first movement of the Symphony in D
there are even several subjects in each section,
but they are so interwoven with one another,
and seem so to fit and illustrate one another,
that for the most part there appears to be but
little loss of direct continuity. In several cases
we meet with the devices of transforming and
transfiguring an idea. The most obvious instance
is in the Allegretto of the symphony in D, in
which the first Trio in 2-4 time (a) is radically
the same subject as that of the principal section
in 3-4 time (6), but very differently stated.
Then a very important item in the second Trio
is a version in 3-8 time (e) of a figure of the
first Trio in '2-4 time (d).
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etc.
Of similar nature, in the Symphony in minor,
are the suggestions of important features of
subjects and figures of the first Allegro in the
opening introduction, and the connection of the
last movement with its own introduction by
the same means. In all these respects Brahms
illustrates the highest manifestations of actual
art as art ; attaining his end by extraordinary
mastery of both development and expression.
And it is most notable that the great impression
which his larger works produce is gained more
by the effect of the entire movements than by
the attractiveness of the subjects. He does not
seem to aim at making his subjects the test of
success. They are hardly seen to have their full
meaning till they are developed and expatiated
upon in the course of the movement, and the
musical impression does not depend upon them
to anything like the proportionate degree that
it did in the works of the earlier masters. This
is in conformity with the principles of progress
which have been indicated above. The various
elements of which the art-foi-m consists seem
to have been brought more and more to a fair
balance of functions, and this has necessitated a
certain amount of ' give and take ' between them.
If too much stress is laid upon one element at
the expense of others, the perfection of the artform
as a whole is diminished thereby. If the
effects of orchestration are emphasised at the
expense of the ideas and vitality of the figures,
the work may gain in immediate attractiveness,
but must lose in substantial worth. The same
may be said of over-predominance of subjectmatter.
The subjects need to be noble and well
marked, but if the movement is to be perfectly
complete,and to express somethingin its entirety
and not as a string of tunes, it will be a drawback
if the mere faculty for inventing a striking
figure or passage of melody preponderates excessively
over the power of development ; and the
proportion in which they are both earned upwards
together to the highest limit of musical effect
is a great test of the artistic perfection of the
work. In these respects Brahms's Symphonies
are extraordinarily successful. They represent
the austerest and noblest form of art in the
strongest and healthiest way ; and his manner
and methods have already had some influence
upon the younger and more serious composers of
the day. [The third and fourth symphonies of
Brahms more than fulfil the expectations raised
by the first two, here reviewed. The third, in
F, op. 90, is given remarkable unity by the use,
before the first subject of the opening movement,
of a kind of motto-theme which reappears in the
finale unaltered, and plays no insignificant part
in the slow movement. The first subject of the
opening section, too, recurs at the very end in
the form of a subtle allusion in the violins as
their treniolando passages descend to the last
chords.
The poco allegretto of this symphony
is one of Brahms's most individual inspirations,
one which for plaintive grace and delicate expression
has not its fellow in music. The fourth
symphony in E minor, op. 98, is a masterpiece
of thematic development, and is remarkable for
the adoption of the Passacaglia form for the
finale.]