Symphony No. 4 (Ives)

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The Symphony No. 4, S. 4 (K. 1A4) by Charles Ives (1874 – 1954) was written between the years of 1910 and 1916. The symphony is notable for its over-sized orchestra. Combining elements and techniques of Ives's previous compositional work, this has been called "one of his most definitive works," [1]; Ives' biographer, Jan Swafford has called it "Ives's climactic masterpiece."[2]

Contents

[edit] Structure

The symphony is in four movements:

  1. Prelude: Maestoso
  2. Allegretto
  3. Fugue: Andante moderato
  4. Very slowly - Largo maestoso

Although the symphony requires a large orchestra, the duration is, interestingly, about half an hour.

[edit] First movement

This movement and the third movement were first performed in New York City on January 29, 1927. In contrast to Ives's other works for large orchestra, which begin in quiet and meditative moods, this symphony starts with a strong, maestoso, fortissimo bass line, immediately followed by a rising trumpet fanfare. A quiet passage follows. The movement ends with chorus singing the Epiphany hymn Watchman ("Watchman, tell us of the night.") Unlike the bold beginning, the movement dies away, quadruple-pianissimo, at the end.

[edit] Second movement

Ives bases this "Comedy" movement on Hawthorne's story The Celestial Railroad.

[edit] Third movement

First performed in New York on May 10, 1933 with the first movement, this is an apparently straight-forward, academic fugue, ending with a brief quotation of Joy to the World. Ives called it "an expression of the reaction of life into formalism and ritualism." Paradoxically, because of its juxtaposition with the other three harmonically, tonally and rhythmically complex movements, Jan Swafford calls this most outwardly simple and conservative movement "in a way the most revolutionary movement of all."[3] The movement is an orchestration from the fugue in Ives's first string quartet, which he wrote while still at Yale.

[edit] Fourth movement

The symphony ends with what Ives called "an apotheosis of the preceding content, in terms that have something to do with the reality of existence and its religious experience."[4]

[edit] Composition

The program of the work echoes that of The Unanswered Question — Ives said the piece was "a searching question of 'What' and 'Why' which the spirit of man asks of life". Use of quotation is again rife, especially in the first movement, and there is no shortage of novel effects. In the second movement, for example, a tremolando is heard throughout the entire orchestra. In the final movement, there is a sort of musical fight between discordant sounds and more traditional tonal music. Eventually a wordless chorus enters, the mood becomes calmer, and the piece ends quietly with just the percussion playing.

[edit] Orchestration

The full orchestration required to perform this symphony alone is truly spectacular. The woodwind section consists of 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 3 clarinets, and 2 bassoons.

The brass section consists of 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, and tuba.

The percussion and keyboard section consists of timpani, snare drum, bass drum, side drum, tom-tom, triangle, cymbals, 2 gongs, glockenspiel, harp, celesta, 2 pianos (one tuned a quarter tone higher than the other), and organ.

There is the usual string section and a second group of distant strings. The score also has optional parts for a third flute, tenor saxophone, second harp, mixed chorus and finally an "ether organ" (it is not clear what Ives meant by this, but a theremin or a synthesizer is usually used).

[edit] History and reception

The symphony did not have a complete performance until Leopold Stokowski conducted it with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on April 26, 1965[5], almost 50 years after the completion of the work, and 11 years after Ives's death. [1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Kirpatrick, John (1965). Preface to: Charles Ives, Symphony No. 4; Performance Score (facsimile edition). G. Schirmer, Inc.. , p.vii
  2. ^ *Swafford, Jan (1988). Charles Ives: A Life With Music. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31719-6. , p.349
  3. ^ *Swafford, Jan (1988). Charles Ives: A Life With Music. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31719-6. , p.360
  4. ^ *Swafford, Jan (1988). Charles Ives: A Life With Music. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31719-6. , p.362
  5. ^ *Burkholder, J. Peter, (work-list with James B. Sinclaire and Gayle Sherwood). "Charles Ives", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed August 5, 2006), grovemusic.com

[edit] References

  • Burkholder, J. Peter, (work-list with James B. Sinclaire and Gayle Sherwood). "Charles Ives", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed August 6, 2006), grovemusic.com (subscription access).
  • Ives, Charles (1990). Symphony No. 4; Performance Score (facsimile edition). G. Schirmer, Inc.. 
  • Swafford, Jan (1988). Charles Ives: A Life With Music. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-31719-6. 

[edit] External links

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