Josue Medellin

Symphonic Literature
Fall 2019
Final Paper

The ninth symphony by Beethoven set a new standard for futures generations daring to

compose a symphony. The symphony became the highest expression of instrumental musical.

Before Beethoven’s time, composers viewed their music as a commodity, as we learned in

“Mozart as a Working Stiff” article by Neal Zaslaw. Beethoven elevated the symphony “beyond

the sphere of the merely sensuous into the realm of the metaphysical…” (Rosen). This new

elevated standard made 19th century composers to avoid writing symphonies. Also, the fact that

works from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were now included into the concert programs led to

comparisons between the 19th century composers and previous ones. Nonetheless, composers like

Schubert, Schumann and Brahms, after a long time, dared to write symphonies. The new goal of

the symphony was to bring extra-musical ideas, like culture, into the work of art. I think, when

composers found their own voice in writing their own symphonies, they were able to free away

from Beethoven’s shadow. However, it took almost a decade for them to dare to publish a

symphony.

Absolute music argues that music can only express musical ideas while program music

intends to convey extra-musical ideas like emotions or tell a story. Conservatives, such as

Brahms and Clara Schumann, agreed that music itself had the power to express and their musical

ideas were acoustic ones, not from words or images. The progressives, like Liszt and Wagner,

found inspiration in other forms of art like literature, paintings, and sculptures. Beethoven

symphonies were one of the starting points of discussion between the two parties. Some people
might see their music as absolute instrumental music while others might see connections with

historical moments, like in the Heroica. Much of the controversy still exists today in the

question: is music a universal language? I believe inspiration comes in many forms, and at the

end whatever helps music to be more beautiful is welcomed.

I believe the issues pointed out by McClary are merely personal perceptions of male

dominance found in Western music. Her first claim is that compositions that feature a climax

three-quarters of the way through represent a masculine sexual experience. She does not provide

any evidence that this is the driving force of such climax placement. One can actually see this

form being used in other arts such as theatre and literature. This is called the Freytag pyramid

and it has a successful effect on both men and women. The second claim is that composers

portrayed women as docile and passive or man-devouring harpies (McClary). I do not believe

docile and passive are necessary demeaning adjectives. Biologically, males are more dominant

and women more on the passive side. I would also add that women are also compared to beauty

and purity. At the same time, I would say that not until recently women have become more

active in the arts and have added new female facets. Another issue addressed in the article by

McClary argues that men dominate the music scene. This is obvious but the reasons might be

that women, especially in the past, had to take care of their children and house duties. They

might learn how to play an instrument and even compose but did not have the time to pursue a

career. Also, the life of a musician can be very lonely and competitive which is not very

appealing to most women. Women are usually more social and “maternal” therefore taking jobs

in the fields of education and nursing, for example.

 Bibliography

McClary, Susan. Getting Off the Beanstalk.

Rosen, Charles. The Crisis of the Symphony After Beethoven.

Zaslaw, Neal. (1992). Mozart as a Working Stiff.