Symphony – Sheet Music & Scores

“A symphony is no joke.” Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

And he’s not wrong! A symphony is a large-scale, mostly multi-movement cyclical form, that is mainly composed for a large instrumental ensemble, a Symphony Orchestra. The symphony is without a doubt one of the highest forms of instrumental music, and can be found among the works of the greatest composers from the 18th century onwards. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all the wonderful symphonies on offer today!

Sym-fónós

The word symphony is derived from the Greek expression “sym-fónós”, the harmony of several tones at the same time. The father of the symphony is without a doubt Joseph Haydn, who composed a total of 104 symphonies. Mozart then took up the baton, and Beethoven added more and more instruments to enrich the texture. In the classical period, a symphony is usually a four-movement work that uses sonata form in the outer movements. The middle movements are usually made up of a slow movement and a dance movement, a minuet or scherzo.

Relaxation of the Formal Structure

Over time, new elements began to be introduced to the symphony. The first major development came with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. With the Ode to Joy Beethoven introduces the choir and soloists to the symphony for the first time. In the romantic period, the formal structure of the symphony gradually loosens, the number of movements changes, and the instrumentation is expanded. One of the high points in the development of the symphony, as it moves into the classical modern period, is the large and complex symphonic works of Gustav Mahler, whose symphonies can include several hundred players and singers.

The Symphony Without Limits

In contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries, various drum and electronic instrument ensembles began to appear in the symphony, such as in the works of Philip Glass. In principle, there are no set rules for modern symphonies, and it is up to the composer which approach to composition he chooses to employ.

Some important links for the Symphony

• Symphonies by Haydn
• Symphonies by Mozart
• Symphonies by Beethoven
• Symphonies by Schubert
• Symphonies by Schumann
• Symphonies by Mendelssohn
• Symphonies by Bruckner
• Symphonies by Brahms
• Symphonies by Saint-Saëns
• Symphonies by Tchaikovsky
• Symphonies by Dvořák
• Symphonies by Mahler
• Symphonies by Martinů
• Symphonies by Prokofiev
• Symphonies by Shostakovich