Symphonic music. Classics and modernity

Symphonic music surprisingly does not give up its position, although its history goes back centuries. It would seem that time dictates new harmonies and rhythms, new instruments are invented, the process of writing acquires new forms - to write music, now we need a computer with a suitable program. However, symphonic music not only does not want to go down in history, but also acquires a new sound.

A little bit about the history of the genre, more precisely, the whole spectrum of genres, since the concept of symphonic music is multifaceted, it unites several musical forms. The general concept is this: it is instrumental music written for a symphony orchestra. And such orchestras can be created from large to chamber. Traditionally, there are orchestral groups - string instruments, wind, percussion, keyboard. In some cases, instruments can be soloing, and not only sound in the ensemble.

Genres of symphonic music are many, but the queen can be called a symphony. Classical symphony was formed at the turn of the 18-19th centuries, its creators were composers of the Viennese school, primarily, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was they who perfected the four-part symphonic model, the variety of themes in parts of the symphony, the program character of each piece. Symphonic music has risen to a new level thanks to the work of Ludwig van Beethoven. He made this genre more intense, dramatic, shifted the semantic center into the finale of the symphony.

Beethoven's example was followed by romantic composers from the German and Austrian schools - Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Brahms. They considered the programming of the symphonic work to be the main thing, the framework of the symphony becomes tight, new genres appear, such as a symphony-oratorio, a symphony-concert. This trend was continued by other classics of European symphonic music - Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler.

Symphonic music in Russia has seriously manifested itself only in the second half of the 19th century. Although it can be called successful the first symphonic experiments of Mikhail Glinka, his symphonic overtures and fantasies laid the foundation for the Russian symphony, which reached the true perfection in the works of the composers of the "Mighty Handful" - M. Balakirev, N. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Borodin.

Historically, Russian symphonic music, having passed the classical stage of development, was formed as a romantic one with elements of national color. The real masterpieces, which received world recognition, were created by Peter Tchaikovsky. His symphonies are still considered the standard of the genre, and the successors of the traditions of Tchaikovsky were S. Rachmaninov and A. Scriabin.

Modern symphonic music, like all the music of the 20th century, is in an active creative search. Is it possible to consider contemporary Russian composers S. Stravinsky, S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich, A. Schnittke and other luminaries? And the music of such famous composers of the 20th century as the Finn of Jan Sibelius, the Englishman Benjamin Britten, the Polish Krzysztof Penderecki? Symphonic music in modern processing, as well as in traditional, classical sound, is still in demand on the world's stage stages. There are new genres - symphonic rock, symphonic metal. So, the life of symphonic music continues.