Uncorking the Goodness of Brahms's Symphony No 1
The Best Moments
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
I'm Brahms, and what follows are the best moments of my Symphony No 1. You'll hear the alphorn melody of the finale drift in over hushed strings, and then the long darkness of C minor give way to a radiant C major. Here on this site, my fellow composers and I also teach you to recognize our pieces the moment they begin, so give the Trainer a go today.
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Knocking Before Entering
I open the first movement with dramatic timpani strokes in C minor, and they pound away like someone knocking on your door who has no plan to leave. When I sent this movement to Clara Schumann in 1862, she found the opening "rather harsh, but I have become used to it," which is a very polite way of asking me to turn it down.
Time for a Quiet Sit-Down
I let the second movement settle into E major after all that drama, and it turns out to be intimate and modest, with a middle section in G-sharp minor. Lovely woodwind solos take turns speaking, and near the end a violin solo steps forward like a guest who has politely waited all evening for a chance to talk.
The Windows Come Open
I wrote the third movement as a friendly intermezzo in A-flat major, and after two serious movements it feels lighter and more like a scherzo. It is warm and ingratiating, though its rhythms and interwoven lines are trickier than they sound, so the charm comes with a bit of hidden homework.
Trombones Finally Get a Turn
I begin the finale in C minor with a slow, brooding introduction where the alphorn tune sounds out, and then the trombones, who have sat quietly through three whole movements, finally get to play a chorale. After that the main theme arrives, hymn-like and grand, and when people said it resembled the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth, I brushed the comparison aside.
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Looking back, this symphony asked me for about twenty-one years of my life. I made the first sketches in 1855, and I only finished the score in 1876. In between, I kept coming back to it, doubting it and reshaping it. I always felt a giant marching behind me, and it took that long before I felt ready to walk in front of him. So when the finale finally opens into C major, I like to think the long wait was worth it. Did you enjoy learning about the best moments of Symphony No 1? I hope this little journey made you curious to hear the whole piece with fresh ears. There is still a lot more to explore in Symphony No 1. You can follow the alphorn tune and the trombone chorale in the finale, or settle into the warm, gentle intermezzo of the third movement. You can also listen for the falling thirds that run through the whole symphony like a thread. Click on the links below to keep exploring Symphony No 1. Then give it a full listen, from the first timpani stroke to the final chords, and see what you hear that I haven't mentioned.