Schumann Symphony n.1 “Spring” – 1st mov. [analysis]

Last updated Jan 8, 2025 | Published on Nov 19, 2020

Winner of a fellowship at the Bayreuther Festspiele, Mr. Griglio’s conducting has been praised for his “energy” and “fine details”. Mr. Griglio took part in the first world recording of music by composer Irwin Bazelon and conducted several world premieres like "The song of Eddie", by Harold Farberman, a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize. Principal Conductor of International Opera Theater Philadelphia for four years, Mr.Griglio is also active as a composer. His first opera, Camille Claudel, debuted in 2013 to a great success of audience and critics. Mr. Griglio is presently working on an opera on Caravaggio and Music Director of Opera Odyssey.
h

Table of contents

Introduction

Schumann began writing the first ideas for his first Symphony in January 1841, precisely from 23 to 26. It seems that he completed the work entirely by the end of the following month.

On March 31st of the same year, the symphony was premiered under the baton of none other than Felix Mendelssohn in Leipzig, during a benefit concert for the Gewandhaus Orchestra. The same concert marked the return to the stage of Clara Schumann, who after her marriage to Schumann had had to temporarily put on hold her concert career. 

The great success of her return to the stage overshadowed Schumann’s First Symphony, which was only one of the works in the program.

Schumann revised his work several times, so much so that the final version of the work dates back to 1853.

Scheherazade by Édouard Frédéric Wilhelm Richter (1844-1913)

Clara Schumann in 1853

Schumann Symphony n.1 “Spring”: an analysis of the 1st movement

Exposition

Andante un poco maestoso

In case you don’t have it at hand, here’s a quick link to the score.

Here’s an interesting fact: the famous opening figure with horns and trumpets was written this way

Oops...

This content is available for free with all memberships.

Already a member? Login here.

Not a member yet? Subscribe today and get access to more than 80 videos, scores analysis, technical episodes, and exercises.

Allegro molto vivace

First theme

There’s a tremendous buildup, the tempo gets faster, the orchestration thickens, and on the F pedal starting on bar 31 we get to the Allegro molto vivace.

The main theme is a contracted version of the opening bars.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 14

The opening phrase is a very well balanced 16 bars phrase, 8 + 8, just as we’ve seen in Haydn Symphony 104. Except: usually, the first 8 bars end on the dominant which resolves on the tonic the following bar. In this case, we land on the dominant with a modulation (so, it is, in fact, already a tonic); and then we start back on the 6th grade of the Bb major scale, ending the phrase back into the home key.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 15
Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 16

The dotted motive keeps coming back: it’s the glue holding the entire movement together from the beginning to the end. This transitional passage lasts all the way to bar 80 where we meet the second theme.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 17

Second theme

The interesting thing here is that this theme seems to be more of a parenthesis: it’s quite intimate, with an atmosphere of a romantic Lied. But beyond that, Schumann does not make any use of it in the development. We will see this theme re-appearing only in the recapitulation

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 18

The second theme modulates itself and lands on the dominant key on bar 117. But along the way you can see how Schumann reuses all the elements and transforms them into something else: the 16th of the violas, which are used as a counterpoint at first, turn into a motive in the first and second violins; 

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 20

the syncopations of the violas are transferred to the woodwinds, and then to the rest of the orchestra, merging the 2 motives on the forte in bar 110.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 19

The now familiar dotted figure comes back in an upward and downward scale and closes the exposition in F major.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 22

Development

The development is purely classical. It starts with the first theme getting tossed around from section to section.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 23

Everything happens within a model that moves up of a whole step each time. And the melodic counterpoint in the woodwinds on bar 150 and following will be echoed in the coda of the movement

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 24
Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 25

I want to take a second here to point out a marvel in the score. On bar 173 there is what should sound like a clash: F-F#.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 26

But because the bass line movement of ½ step is part of a progression we’ve heard now for more than 10 bars it does not sound harsh at all. Schumann has gotten our ears used to that ½ step and a dissonance of a minor second perfectly fits into the picture. It’s brilliant.

On bar 178 a larger section begins, moving the material in a progression of fifths from D to G to C to F major on bar 202. And here, the same ideas of the beginning of the development return. So, we have, in fact, a sort of double development: the first one begins on the tonic, the second one on the dominant key

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 27

Starting on 246, we hear the dotted scale that marked the end of the exposition

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 28

which leads us to the end of the development. But there’s one more surprise: the same material of the introduction makes its way back, including the D minor shock, now coming full force in triple forte

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 29

Curious about the changes Mahler made to this piece?

Check out the bonus episodes

Recapitulation and coda

The introduction is, of course, cut short, and we land on the Tempo primo. As per tradition, the recapitulation is somewhat contracted, and we soon land on the Coda at the Animato.

Notice that Schumann also writes Poco a poco stringendo underneath.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 30

We expect a swift ending. But Schumann has another surprise for us: a new theme. In the coda, which was really unheard of. On top of that it’s in a piano dynamic.

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 31
Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 32

This anticipates the mood of the following movement and brings cohesiveness to the whole symphony. It’s a technique that Schumann will elaborate further in his following works.

One last call from horns and trumpets brings back the very first idea

Schumann - Symphony 1 - movement 1 analysis - ex 33

and the movement comes to an end.

In conclusion

Much has been said about Schumann and him not being a good symphony composer. I personally disagree. I believe his symphonies are full of surprises, some of them in that orchestration that is so often looked down on. Schumann is capable of impressive ups and downs and requires a great deal of energy and focus for a conductor. When you do it, brace yourself because at the end, you’ll be happily drained!

Notes

Cover image by Lucas Craig from Pexels

Free Download

Conducting Pills

A FREE video series with an analysis of structure, phrasing, and, of course, conducting tips of repertoire works: from Mozart to Brahms, from Beethoven to Debussy. A new episode every week!

Pass the baton

10 chapters, 11 videos, practical exercises, and examples with scores: this video course produced for iClassical-Academy will show you, through a bar-by-bar analysis of excerpts ranging from Mozart to Mahler and Copland, how to build your own technique in the most logical and effective way.

Gianmaria Griglio is an intelligent, exceptional musician. There is no question about his conducting abilities: he has exceptionally clear baton technique that allows him to articulate whatever decisions he has made about the music.

Harold Farberman

0 Comments
Submit a Comment

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This