| 1896 | Samuel Coleridge-Taylor | Symphony No. 1 in A minor | |
| Instrumentation | Strings, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets. 3 trombones, tuba, timpani | ||
| Movements | Movements I: Allegro appassionato (a) II: Lament: Largetto affettuoso (C) III: Scherzo: Allegro ma non troppo (e) IV: Allegro maestoso et energico (a) Listen to whole symphony with score | ||
| Overview | Coleridge-Taylor started his musical studies as a violinist at the Royal College of Music in London from the age of 15 but soon switched to composition under the prolific teacher Stanford. Conducting and teaching for a living, he made his name on the national scene after having one of his pieces recommended by Elgar to the Three Choirs Festival, but international success followed with a cantata, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast,based on Longfellow’s epic poem. He went on several tours to the US, where he became increasingly interested in his African heritage from his Sierra-Leonian father (who had been studying medicine in London but returned to Africa without knowing about the pregnancy).One of his musical interests was incorporating musical features from traditional African music into the Western Classical Tradition as Dvorak and Brahms had done with the folk music of their home countries. Coleridge-Taylor did not make much money from his success, having signed away the royalties from his earlier works, and died of pneumonia at the age of only 37. This is an early and unpublished work, written when Coleridge-Taylor was still studying, but it nevertheless showcases the formidable talent that would later make his name. | ||
| Essay Points | |||
| B) 1st mov. / sonata | The first movement has an interesting formal and tonal structure. A good example is the way in which the first and second subjects appear simultaneously in the recapitulation before giving way to a reprise of a development theme, but this time in A major. Example 1 – First theme: Example 2 – Second theme: Example 3 – Themes combined in recapitulation: | ||
| C) 2nd mov. | Coleridge -Taylor was inspired by Dvorak, and this influence can be heard in the pentatonic melody of the second movement.: Example 4 – Opening of second movement: Despite the folk-like simplicity of the opening, the movement has some interesting twists and turns, particularly tonally. For example, just before the end of the development Coleridge-Taylor is in B minor and, from here, shifts quickly onto the dominant and back to the home tonic of C. Example 5 – End of development: | ||
| D) 3rd mov. | The Scherzo again has a folk-like a lively, fresh feel that again recalls Dvorak. Example 6 – Opening of third movement: but in the middle section, Coleridge-Taylor introduces a spiritual-like melody in the unusual time signature of 5/4. Example 7 – Middle section: | ||
| G) Harmony and tonality | See above in second movement | ||
| K) Rhythm and meter | See above in third movement | ||
Home » A Level Links & Resources » Development of the symphony » 1896 Coleridge-Taylor Symphony No. 1 in A minor