EVDOL 024 - The 19th Century Symphony: Revolutionary Works

Faye-Ellen Silverman
Some composers follow their own symphonic visions rather than relying on the established patterns of this genre. This course will discuss four such revolutionary works. The first will be Beethoven’s Eroica, which expanded the length and proportions of the symphony and changed the idea of the symphony being purely for entertainment—paving the way for the symphonies of the Romantic era. Then we will discuss Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, an early example of program music and exceptional in its use of expanded orchestral colors. The last two symphonies are Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, with its tragic ending (influencing Mahler, Shostakovich, and others), and Dvořák’s New World Symphony, a model for creating an American work freed from German cultural influence—one free to use American popular music as source material (and thus influencing American composers including Florence Price).

Monday, June 3

Wednesday, June 5

Monday, June 10

Wednesday, June 12

5–7pm ET

Online Only

$320